NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys travel to face San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 4:00pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For San Francisco 49ers, the home crowd at Candlestick Park is asked to be a player; for Dallas Cowboys, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Candlestick Park with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
Dallas Cowboys versus San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. 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 Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers 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 | 11-5 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 10-6 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7-9 | L3 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5-11 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 11-5 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 11-5 | W3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-7 | W5 |
| New York Jets | 4-12 | L3 |
| New England Patriots | 2-14 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 11-5 | W7 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10-6 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 7-9 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2-14 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 14-2 | W8 |
| New Orleans Saints | 12-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6-10 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 11-5 | W2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 9-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-11 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 13-3 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 11-5 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 9-7 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 6-10 | L1 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 4-12 | L2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 310173030 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 710132020 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Lin Elliott 20 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| 49ers | Steve Young 1 yard rush ( Mike Cofer kick) | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Emmitt Smith 5 yard rush ( Lin Elliott kick) | 10-7 |
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 28 yard field goal | 10-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Daryl Johnston 4 yard rush ( Lin Elliott kick) | 17-10 |
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 42 yard field goal | 17-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Emmitt Smith 16 yard pass from Troy Aikman ( Lin Elliott kick) | 24-13 |
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 5 yard pass from Steve Young ( Mike Cofer kick) | 24-20 |
| Cowboys | Kelvin Martin 6 yard pass from Troy Aikman | 30-20 |
| Cowboys | 49ers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 24 | 24 |
| Total Yards | 416 | 415 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 4 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 24/34 | 25/35 |
| Pass yards | 322 | 313 |
| Pass TD | 2 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 2 |
| Sacks taken | 4 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 27 | 12 |
| Net pass yards | 295 | 301 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 30 | 21 |
| Rush yards | 121 | 114 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 2 |
| Penalties | 4 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 25 | 38 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 25/35 | 313 | 1 | 2 | |
| DAL | |||||
| Troy Aikman | 24/34 | 322 | 2 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Ricky Watters | 11 | 69 | 0 | 16 |
| Steve Young #8 | 8 | 33 | 1 | 10 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Amp Lee | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| DAL | ||||
| Emmitt Smith | 24 | 114 | 1 | 28 |
| Daryl Johnston | 2 | 7 | 1 | 4 |
| Alvin Harper | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Troy Aikman | 3 | -3 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 8 | 123 | 1 | 36 |
| Ricky Watters | 6 | 69 | 0 | 17 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 3 | 40 | 0 | 17 |
| Tom Rathman #44 | 4 | 33 | 0 | 12 |
| John Taylor #82 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 18 |
| Mike Sherrard #84 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| DAL | ||||
| Alvin Harper | 3 | 117 | 0 | 70 |
| Michael Irvin | 6 | 86 | 0 | 21 |
| Emmitt Smith | 7 | 59 | 1 | 16 |
| Jay Novacek | 3 | 28 | 0 | 11 |
| Daryl Johnston | 4 | 26 | 0 | 10 |
| Kelvin Martin | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
Dallas Cowboys defeated San Francisco 49ers 30-20 at Candlestick Park in the NFC Championship. The final scoring play was Cowboys: Kelvin Martin 6 yard pass from Troy Aikman. Top line of the day: Troy Aikman: 322 pass yards on 24-of-34, 2 TD, 0 INT. Dallas Cowboys advance to the Super Bowl.
Dallas Cowboys walked out of Candlestick Park as the team that survived an NFC Championship San Francisco 49ers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 30-20. The final scoring play came from Cowboys: Kelvin Martin 6 yard pass from Troy Aikman. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Dallas Cowboys are bound for the Super Bowl.
Dallas Cowboys 30, San Francisco 49ers 20. Round: NFC Championship. Attendance: 64920. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 3 scoring plays. Top performers: - Troy Aikman: 322 pass yards on 24-of-34, 2 TD, 0 INT - Emmitt Smith: 114 rush yards on 24 carries - Jerry Rice: 8 catches for 123 yards
NFC Championship, played at Candlestick Park. Final: Dallas Cowboys 30, San Francisco 49ers 20, with Dallas Cowboys taking the result by 10. **First quarter**
- Cowboys: Lin Elliott 20 yard field goal - 49ers: Steve Young 1 yard rush ( Mike Cofer kick)
**Second quarter**
- Cowboys: Emmitt Smith 5 yard rush ( Lin Elliott kick) - 49ers: Mike Cofer 28 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Cowboys: Daryl Johnston 4 yard rush ( Lin Elliott kick) - 49ers: Mike Cofer 42 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Cowboys: Emmitt Smith 16 yard pass from Troy Aikman ( Lin Elliott kick) - 49ers: Jerry Rice 5 yard pass from Steve Young ( Mike Cofer kick) - Cowboys: Kelvin Martin 6 yard pass from Troy Aikman
**Top performers**
- Troy Aikman: 322 pass yards on 24-of-34, 2 TD, 0 INT - Emmitt Smith: 114 rush yards on 24 carries - Jerry Rice: 8 catches for 123 yards