Divisional round at Texas Stadium on Sat January 2, 1982. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) travel to face the Dallas Cowboys (12-4) in the NFC second-round game.
Doug Williams at quarterback for Tampa Bay. James Wilder and Jerry Eckwood share the backfield. Danny White at quarterback for Dallas. Tony Dorsett at running back. The Cowboys come off the bye as the NFC #2 seed.[1][2]
Doug Williams and the Buccaneers earned the NFC Central title with a 9-7 finish. Tampa Bay won the division on the W17 win at Detroit. The Cowboys, the conference's perennial contender, are the NFC #2 seed off the bye. Danny White, Tony Dorsett, Drew Pearson, and Tony Hill are the names.
The Saturday divisional-round game is the league's first weekend of postseason in the expanded format.
Divisional round Saturday begins the second weekend of the 1981 playoffs. The Cowboys (NFC #2) host the Buccaneers (NFC #3). The 49ers (NFC #1) host the Giants. The Chargers (AFC #3) face the Dolphins (AFC #2). The Bengals (AFC #1) host the Bills. The Saturday game opens the divisional round The Sunday game is the kind of cross-divisional matchup the schedule produces.
Through the regular season the Cowboys finished 12-4 (NFC East champs) and the Buccaneers finished 9-7 (NFC Central champs). Danny White 22 TDs and 13 INTs. Tony Dorsett 1,646 rushing yards. Doug Williams 19 TDs and 14 INTs. Jimmie Giles 45 catches for 786. James Wilder 12 catches for 89 plus 107 carries for 370 (rookie year).
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 12-4 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-8 | L3 |
| Houston Oilers | 7-9 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-4-1 | W4 |
| New York Jets | 10-5-1 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 10-6 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 2-14 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 2-14 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-6 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 10-6 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7-9 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-3 | W5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-10 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-12 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-7 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 8-8 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-8 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7-9 | L5 |
| Chicago Bears | 6-10 | W3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 9-7 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-8 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7-9 | L2 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Tony Hill 9 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick) | 0-7 |
| Cowboys | Rafael Septien 32 yard field goal | 0-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Ron Springs 1 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick) | 0-17 |
| Cowboys | Tony Dorsett 5 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick) | 0-24 |
| Cowboys | James Jones 5 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick) | 0-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Timmy Newsome 1 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick) | 0-38 |
Danny White threw a 9-yard touchdown to Tony Hill and the Dallas Cowboys crushed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-0 at Texas Stadium in the NFC divisional round. Ron Springs, Tony Dorsett, James Jones, and Timmy Newsome all ran in goal-line touchdowns. Rafael Septien added a 32-yard field goal. The Cowboys improved to 13-4 and advanced to the NFC Championship at San Francisco.[1][2]
Tony Hill caught a 9-yard touchdown from Danny White and four Cowboys backs ran in goal-line scores. Dallas crushed Tampa Bay 38-0 at Texas Stadium in the NFC divisional-round shutout. The Cowboys advanced to the NFC Championship game at San Francisco.
White finished 21 of 32 for 251 with the Tony Hill touchdown. The Cowboys ran 41 times for 212 yards. Ron Springs ran in a 1-yard touchdown. Tony Dorsett added a 5-yard rushing touchdown. James Jones ran in a 5-yard score. Timmy Newsome closed out the day with a 1-yard goal-line touchdown.
Doug Williams threw for 187 yards on 31 attempts with no touchdowns and three interceptions. James Wilder ran 12 for 45 yards. The Buccaneers' offense produced 217 total yards and 11 first downs. The Cowboys' Doomsday Defense produced three sacks and three interceptions.
Cowboys 38, Buccaneers 0. Margin: plus 38. NFC Divisional.
A 38-0 NFC divisional-round home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Texas Stadium. The Cowboys improve to 13-4 and advance to the NFC Championship game at San Francisco.
How it unfolded
Tony Hill caught a 9-yard touchdown from White on the opening drive. Rafael Septien made a 32-yard field goal. Ron Springs ran in a 1-yard touchdown. Tony Dorsett added a 5-yard rushing touchdown. James Jones ran in a 5-yard score. Timmy Newsome closed out with a 1-yard rush. The Cowboys' Doomsday Defense produced the shutout.
The turning point
The Cowboys' four-touchdown run-game burst across the second and third quarters. With the Buccaneers' defense expected to match Tampa's run game with Wilder, the Cowboys' offensive line opened lanes for four different ball-carriers, each of them producing a goal-line touchdown.
By the numbers
White 21 of 32 for 251 with one touchdown. Dorsett 18 carries for 80 with a touchdown. The Cowboys' four-back rotation: Springs, Dorsett, Jones, Newsome, all with rushing touchdowns. Drew Pearson five catches for 75. Tony Hill four for 62 with the touchdown. Doug Williams 16 of 31 for 187 with three interceptions. James Wilder 45 on 12 carries.
What it means
13-4. NFC Championship at San Francisco next Sunday. The Cowboys' shutout win is the franchise's third NFC Championship appearance in the last four years.
| Buccaneers | Cowboys | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 12 | 26 |
| Total Yards | 222 | 345 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 0 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 10/29 | 15/26 |
| Pass yards | 187 | 143 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 4 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 4 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 39 | 10 |
| Net pass yards | 148 | 133 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 22 | 46 |
| Rush yards | 74 | 212 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 4 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 10 | 8 |
| Penalty yards | 105 | 40 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAM | |||||
| Doug Williams | 10/29 | 187 | 0 | 4 | 18.1 |
| DAL | |||||
| Danny White | 15/26 | 143 | 1 | 0 | 85.9 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAM | ||||
| James Owens | 12 | 40 | 0 | 12 |
| James Wilder | 4 | 23 | 0 | 12 |
| Doug Williams | 3 | 9 | 0 | 7 |
| Jerry Eckwood | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Tony Davis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DAL | ||||
| Tony Dorsett | 16 | 86 | 1 | 26 |
| Ron Springs | 15 | 70 | 1 | 10 |
| James Jones | 9 | 32 | 1 | 9 |
| Robert Newhouse | 4 | 23 | 0 | 13 |
| Timmy Newsome | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Doug Cosbie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAM | ||||
| Jimmie Giles | 2 | 98 | 0 | 75 |
| Theo Bell | 3 | 36 | 0 | 17 |
| James Owens | 3 | 32 | 0 | 20 |
| James Wilder | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Kevin House | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| DAL | ||||
| Tony Dorsett | 4 | 48 | 0 | 25 |
| Billy Joe DuPree | 3 | 22 | 0 | 13 |
| Drew Pearson | 2 | 21 | 0 | 13 |
| Tony Hill | 2 | 18 | 1 | 9 |
| James Jones | 2 | 15 | 0 | 11 |
| Doug Donley | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Doug Cosbie | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
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