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 | 12-4 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 11-5 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-13 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 2-14 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 10-6 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 10-6 | W7 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 8-8 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-9 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 6-10 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 11-5 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | W2 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 9-7 | L1 |
| Denver Broncos | 7-9 | L3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-3 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4-12 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 10-6 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 9-7 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 9-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 9-7 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 9-7 | W6 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 8-8 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-9 | L7 |
| Washington Redskins | 3-13 | W1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 714212828 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 21 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 2131383838 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Eric Davis 44 yard interception return ( Doug Brien kick) | 0-7 |
| 49ers | Ricky Watters 29 yard pass from Steve Young ( Doug Brien kick) | 0-14 |
| 49ers | William Floyd 1 yard rush ( Doug Brien kick) | 0-21 |
| Cowboys | Michael Irvin 44 yard pass from Troy Aikman ( Chris Boniol kick) | 7-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Doug Brien 34 yard field goal | 7-24 |
| Cowboys | Emmitt Smith 4 yard rush ( Chris Boniol kick) | 14-24 |
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 28 yard pass from Steve Young ( Doug Brien kick) | 14-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Emmitt Smith 1 yard rush ( Chris Boniol kick) | 21-31 |
| 49ers | Steve Young 3 yard rush ( Doug Brien kick) | 21-38 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Michael Irvin 10 yard pass from Troy Aikman ( Chris Boniol kick) | 28-38 |
| Cowboys | 49ers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 29 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 451 | 294 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 30/53 | 13/29 |
| Pass yards | 380 | 155 |
| Pass TD | 2 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 3 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 4 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 28 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 352 | 155 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 24 | 31 |
| Rush yards | 99 | 139 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 1 |
| Penalties | 9 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 98 | 30 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 13/29 | 155 | 2 | 0 | |
| DAL | |||||
| Troy Aikman | 30/53 | 380 | 2 | 3 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Ricky Watters | 14 | 72 | 0 | 15 |
| Steve Young #8 | 10 | 47 | 1 | 24 |
| William Floyd | 7 | 20 | 1 | 4 |
| DAL | ||||
| Emmitt Smith | 20 | 74 | 2 | 14 |
| Kevin Williams | 2 | 12 | 0 | 8 |
| Troy Aikman | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Daryl Johnston | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Brent Jones #84 | 3 | 37 | 0 | 15 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 2 | 36 | 1 | 28 |
| John Taylor #82 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 17 |
| Ricky Watters | 1 | 29 | 1 | 29 |
| William Floyd | 3 | 16 | 0 | 7 |
| Ted Popson | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| DAL | ||||
| Michael Irvin | 12 | 192 | 2 | 44 |
| Kevin Williams | 6 | 78 | 0 | 22 |
| Jay Novacek | 5 | 72 | 0 | 20 |
| Daryl Johnston | 3 | 19 | 0 | 11 |
| Alvin Harper | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Emmitt Smith | 3 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
San Francisco 49ers defeated Dallas Cowboys 38-28 at Candlestick Park in the NFC Championship. The final scoring play was Cowboys: Michael Irvin 10 yard pass from Troy Aikman ( Chris Boniol kick). Top line of the day: Troy Aikman: 380 pass yards on 30-of-53, 2 TD, 3 INT. San Francisco 49ers advance to the Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers walked out of Candlestick Park as the team that survived an NFC Championship Dallas Cowboys will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 38-28. The final scoring play came from Cowboys: Michael Irvin 10 yard pass from Troy Aikman ( Chris Boniol kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. San Francisco 49ers are bound for the Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers 38, Dallas Cowboys 28. Round: NFC Championship. Attendance: 69125. Q1: 4 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Troy Aikman: 380 pass yards on 30-of-53, 2 TD, 3 INT - Emmitt Smith: 74 rush yards on 20 carries - Michael Irvin: 12 catches for 192 yards
NFC Championship, played at Candlestick Park. Final: Dallas Cowboys 28, San Francisco 49ers 38, with San Francisco 49ers taking the result by 10. **First quarter**
- 49ers: Eric Davis 44 yard interception return ( Doug Brien kick) - 49ers: Ricky Watters 29 yard pass from Steve Young ( Doug Brien kick) - 49ers: William Floyd 1 yard rush ( Doug Brien kick) - Cowboys: Michael Irvin 44 yard pass from Troy Aikman ( Chris Boniol kick)
**Second quarter**
- 49ers: Doug Brien 34 yard field goal - Cowboys: Emmitt Smith 4 yard rush ( Chris Boniol kick) - 49ers: Jerry Rice 28 yard pass from Steve Young ( Doug Brien kick)
**Third quarter**
- Cowboys: Emmitt Smith 1 yard rush ( Chris Boniol kick) - 49ers: Steve Young 3 yard rush ( Doug Brien kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Cowboys: Michael Irvin 10 yard pass from Troy Aikman ( Chris Boniol kick)
**Top performers**
- Troy Aikman: 380 pass yards on 30-of-53, 2 TD, 3 INT - Emmitt Smith: 74 rush yards on 20 carries - Michael Irvin: 12 catches for 192 yards