Super Bowl XIII (1978): Pittsburgh Steelers face Dallas Cowboys at Orange Bowl. Kickoff time: 4:00pm. Winner takes home the Lombardi Trophy. There is no next week for the loser.
Super Bowl XIII (1978) is the season's final accounting for 1978. Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys arrive at Orange Bowl carrying every snap they have played since training camp. Championship games strip the rest of the schedule away; what is left is whichever team executes its identity longest under the brightest light. The narrative that wins is the one with the trophy attached. Lose, and the season collapses into a footnote no matter how it was played.
The whole league is watching Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. Two conferences have produced their finalists; the rest of the 1978 season is already in the books. The Lombardi is decided here. Every other team's offseason calendar starts the morning after this kickoff.
Pittsburgh Steelers versus Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl XIII (1978). The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Pittsburgh Steelers-Dallas Cowboys cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 14-2 | W5 |
| Houston Oilers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 8-8 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-12 | W3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-5 | W3 |
| New England Patriots | 11-5 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 8-8 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-11 | W1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-6 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 9-7 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 9-7 | W3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-12 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 12-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-7 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-14 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 8-7-1 | L2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-7-1 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 7-9 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | W6 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9-7 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-8 | L5 |
| New York Giants | 6-10 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 6-10 | W1 |
No archived broadcast on file for this game yet. If you find one, please report it.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 721213535 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 714173131 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | John Stallworth 28 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick) | 7-0 |
| Cowboys | Tony Hill 39 yard pass from Roger Staubach ( Rafael Septien kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Mike Hegman 37 yard defensive fumble return ( Rafael Septien kick) | 7-14 |
| Steelers | John Stallworth 75 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick) | 14-14 |
| Steelers | Rocky Bleier 7 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick) | 21-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Rafael Septien 27 yard field goal | 21-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Franco Harris 22 yard rush ( Roy Gerela kick) | 28-17 |
| Steelers | Lynn Swann 18 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick) | 35-17 |
| Cowboys | Billy Joe DuPree 7 yard pass from Roger Staubach ( Rafael Septien kick) | 35-24 |
| Cowboys | Butch Johnson 4 yard pass from Roger Staubach ( Rafael Septien kick) | 35-31 |
| Steelers | Cowboys | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 19 | 20 |
| Total Yards | 357 | 330 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 17/30 | 17/30 |
| Pass yards | 318 | 228 |
| Pass TD | 4 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 4 | 5 |
| Sack yards lost | 27 | 52 |
| Net pass yards | 291 | 176 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 24 | 32 |
| Rush yards | 66 | 154 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 2 |
| Penalties | 5 | 9 |
| Penalty yards | 35 | 89 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | |||||
| Terry Bradshaw | 17/30 | 318 | 4 | 1 | |
| DAL | |||||
| Roger Staubach | 17/30 | 228 | 3 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | ||||
| Franco Harris | 20 | 68 | 1 | 22 |
| Rocky Bleier | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Terry Bradshaw | 2 | -5 | 0 | 2 |
| DAL | ||||
| Tony Dorsett | 16 | 96 | 0 | 29 |
| Roger Staubach | 4 | 37 | 0 | 18 |
| Scott Laidlaw | 3 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| Preston Pearson | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Robert Newhouse | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | ||||
| Lynn Swann | 7 | 124 | 1 | 29 |
| John Stallworth | 3 | 115 | 2 | 75 |
| Randy Grossman | 3 | 29 | 0 | 10 |
| Franco Harris | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Theo Bell | 2 | 21 | 0 | 12 |
| Rocky Bleier | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| DAL | ||||
| Drew Pearson | 4 | 73 | 0 | 25 |
| Tony Hill | 2 | 49 | 1 | 39 |
| Tony Dorsett | 5 | 44 | 0 | 13 |
| Butch Johnson | 2 | 30 | 1 | 26 |
| Billy Joe DuPree | 2 | 17 | 1 | 10 |
| Preston Pearson | 2 | 15 | 0 | 8 |
Pittsburgh Steelers defeated Dallas Cowboys 35-31 at Orange Bowl in the Super Bowl XIII (1978). The final scoring play was Cowboys: Butch Johnson 4 yard pass from Roger Staubach ( Rafael Septien kick). Top line of the day: Terry Bradshaw: 318 pass yards on 17-of-30, 4 TD, 1 INT. Pittsburgh Steelers take home the Lombardi Trophy.
Pittsburgh Steelers walked out of Orange Bowl as the team that survived a Super Bowl XIII (1978) Dallas Cowboys will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 35-31. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Cowboys: Butch Johnson 4 yard pass from Roger Staubach ( Rafael Septien kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Pittsburgh Steelers hoist the Lombardi.
Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31. Round: Super Bowl XIII (1978). Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 4 scoring plays. Top performers: - Terry Bradshaw: 318 pass yards on 17-of-30, 4 TD, 1 INT - Tony Dorsett: 96 rush yards on 16 carries - Lynn Swann: 7 catches for 124 yards
Super Bowl XIII (1978), played at Orange Bowl. Final: Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31, with Pittsburgh Steelers taking the result by 4. **First quarter**
- Steelers: John Stallworth 28 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick) - Cowboys: Tony Hill 39 yard pass from Roger Staubach ( Rafael Septien kick)
**Second quarter**
- Cowboys: Mike Hegman 37 yard defensive fumble return ( Rafael Septien kick) - Steelers: John Stallworth 75 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick) - Steelers: Rocky Bleier 7 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick)
**Third quarter**
- Cowboys: Rafael Septien 27 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Steelers: Franco Harris 22 yard rush ( Roy Gerela kick) - Steelers: Lynn Swann 18 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw ( Roy Gerela kick) - Cowboys: Billy Joe DuPree 7 yard pass from Roger Staubach ( Rafael Septien kick) - Cowboys: Butch Johnson 4 yard pass from Roger Staubach ( Rafael Septien kick)
**Top performers**
- Terry Bradshaw: 318 pass yards on 17-of-30, 4 TD, 1 INT - Tony Dorsett: 96 rush yards on 16 carries - Lynn Swann: 7 catches for 124 yards