Conference Championships: Dallas Cowboys travel to face Philadelphia Eagles at Veterans Stadium, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff: Sun January 11, 1981 at 1:00pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.[1][2]
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Pregame
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles in the Conference Championships, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Philadelphia Eagles, the home crowd at Veterans Stadium 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 Philadelphia Eagles have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Veterans Stadium 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 Philadelphia Eagles in the Conference Championships. 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-Philadelphia Eagles 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.
League standings entering Week 17
Standings as of kickoff, Week 17 (no future-game spoilers)
Around the league
- Tied atop the league at 12-4: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons.
AFC
AFC Central
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 11-5 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 11-5 | W3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6-10 | L1 |
AFC East
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 11-5 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 10-6 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-8 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7-9 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 4-12 | W1 |
AFC West
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 11-5 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 11-5 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8-8 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4-12 | L9 |
NFC
NFC West
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 12-4 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 11-5 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6-10 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1-15 | L1 |
NFC Central
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 9-7 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5-10-1 | L4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-10-1 | L3 |
NFC East
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 12-4 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-10 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5-11 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 4-12 | L2 |
Game video
1980 NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles | NFL Full Game
1980 NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles | NFL Full Game
NFL Game Eagles vs Dallas 1980 NFC Championship
1980 NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles | NFL Full Game
1980 NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles | NFL Full Game
1980 Cowboys at Eagles NFC Championship
1980 NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles | NFL Full Game
1980 NFC Championship | Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys Highlights (4K)Score
Scoring plays
Q1
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | Wilbert Montgomery 42 yard rush (Tony Franklin kick) | 0-7 |
Q2
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Tony Dorsett 3 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick) | 7-7 |
Q3
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | Tony Franklin 26 yard field goal | 7-10 |
| Eagles | Leroy Harris 9 yard rush (Tony Franklin kick) | 7-17 |
Q4
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | Tony Franklin 20 yard field goal | 7-20 |
Recap
Philadelphia Eagles defeated Dallas Cowboys 20-7 at Veterans Stadium in the Conference Championships. The final scoring play was Eagles: Tony Franklin 20 yard field goal. Top line of the day: Danny White: 127 pass yards on 12-of-31, 0 TD, 1 INT. Philadelphia Eagles advance to the Super Bowl.[1][2]
Philadelphia Eagles walked out of Veterans Stadium as the team that survived a Conference Championships Dallas Cowboys will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 20-7. The final scoring play came from Eagles: Tony Franklin 20 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Philadelphia Eagles are bound for the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia Eagles 20, Dallas Cowboys 7.
Round: Conference Championships.
Q1: 1 scoring play.
Q2: 1 scoring play.
Q3: 2 scoring plays.
Q4: 1 scoring play.
Top performers:
- Danny White: 127 pass yards on 12-of-31, 0 TD, 1 INT
- Wilbert Montgomery: 194 rush yards on 26 carries
Conference Championships, played at Veterans Stadium. Final: Dallas Cowboys 7, Philadelphia Eagles 20, with Philadelphia Eagles taking the result by 13.
First quarter
- Eagles: Wilbert Montgomery 42 yard rush (Tony Franklin kick)
Second quarter
- Cowboys: Tony Dorsett 3 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
Third quarter
- Eagles: Tony Franklin 26 yard field goal
- Eagles: Leroy Harris 9 yard rush (Tony Franklin kick)
Fourth quarter
- Eagles: Tony Franklin 20 yard field goal
Top performers
- Danny White: 127 pass yards on 12-of-31, 0 TD, 1 INT
- Wilbert Montgomery: 194 rush yards on 26 carries
Box score
| Cowboys | Eagles | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 11 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 206 | 340 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 12/32 | 9/29 |
| Pass yards | 127 | 91 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 2 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 11 | 14 |
| Net pass yards | 116 | 77 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 22 | 40 |
| Rush yards | 90 | 263 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 5 | 4 |
| Fumbles lost | 3 | 0 |
| Penalties | 5 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 40 | 45 |
Passing
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | |||||
| Danny White | 12/31 | 127 | 0 | 1 | 38 |
| Drew Pearson | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 |
| PHI | |||||
| Ron Jaworski | 9/29 | 91 | 0 | 2 | 12.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | ||||
| Robert Newhouse | 7 | 44 | 0 | 11 |
| Tony Dorsett | 13 | 41 | 1 | 11 |
| Butch Johnson | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Danny White | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PHI | ||||
| Wilbert Montgomery | 26 | 194 | 1 | 55 |
| Leroy Harris | 10 | 60 | 1 | 12 |
| Perry Harrington | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Billy Campfield | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Ron Jaworski | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Receiving
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | ||||
| Preston Pearson | 2 | 32 | 0 | 23 |
| Jay Saldi | 1 | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Tony Dorsett | 3 | 27 | 0 | 18 |
| Butch Johnson | 2 | 27 | 0 | 18 |
| Drew Pearson | 2 | 15 | 0 | 12 |
| Ron Springs | 2 | -2 | 0 | 4 |
| PHI | ||||
| Rodney Parker | 4 | 31 | 0 | 15 |
| Keith Krepfle | 2 | 22 | 0 | 17 |
| Billy Campfield | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Wilbert Montgomery | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Harold Carmichael | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
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