Divisional Round: Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions (Pontiac Silverdome), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff: Sun January 5, 1992 at 4:00pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.[1][2]
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. Dallas Cowboys traveling to Detroit Lions at Pontiac Silverdome, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Pontiac Silverdome shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Dallas Cowboys versus Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round. 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-Detroit Lions 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Oilers | 11-5 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-9 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6-10 | L3 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-13 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 13-3 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-8 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 8-8 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 6-10 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-15 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 12-4 | W4 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10-6 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 9-7 | L3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7-9 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-12 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 11-5 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 10-6 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-6 | W6 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3-13 | L10 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 12-4 | W6 |
| Chicago Bears | 11-5 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-12 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-13 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 14-2 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 11-5 | W5 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 8-8 | W1 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 4-12 | L8 |
Detroit Lions Only Playoff Win Since 1957 | Cowboys @ Lions, 1991 NFC Divisional Round
Barry Sanders 47 Yard Touchdown Run 1991 NFC Divisional Lions vs Cowboys (4K60fps)
1991 The NFL Today on CBS pregame NFC Divisional Playoffs Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions Jan. 1992
Cowboys vs Lions: 1991 playoffs retake: Divisional Round
Lions Capture First Postseason Win Since 1957 | 1991 Divisional Playoffs | NFL Full GameDallas Cowboys None, Detroit Lions None
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 36666 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 717313838 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | Willie Green 31 yard pass from Erik Kramer ( Eddie Murray kick) | 0-7 |
| Cowboys | Ken Willis 28 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | Mel Jenkins 41 yard interception return ( Eddie Murray kick) | 3-14 |
| Cowboys | Ken Willis 28 yard field goal | 6-14 |
| Lions | Eddie Murray 36 yard field goal | 6-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | Willie Green 9 yard pass from Erik Kramer ( Eddie Murray kick) | 6-24 |
| Lions | Herman Moore 7 yard pass from Erik Kramer ( Eddie Murray kick) | 6-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | Barry Sanders 47 yard rush ( Eddie Murray kick) | 6-38 |
Detroit Lions defeated Dallas Cowboys 38-6 at Pontiac Silverdome in the Divisional Round. The final scoring play was Lions: Barry Sanders 47 yard rush ( Eddie Murray kick). The 32-point margin made it a one-sided afternoon. Top line of the day: Erik Kramer: 341 pass yards on 29-of-38, 3 TD, 0 INT. Detroit Lions move on to the conference final.[1][2]
Detroit Lions walked out of Pontiac Silverdome as the team that survived a Divisional Round Dallas Cowboys will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 38-6. This was a 32-point margin, which is unusual for this round of the postseason and tells a story about which staff out-prepared the other from the opening series. The final scoring play came from Lions: Barry Sanders 47 yard rush ( Eddie Murray kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Detroit Lions move on to a conference championship.
Detroit Lions 38, Dallas Cowboys 6. Round: Divisional Round. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 1 scoring play. Top performers:
- Erik Kramer: 341 pass yards on 29-of-38, 3 TD, 0 INT
- Emmitt Smith: 80 rush yards on 15 carries
- Willie Green: 8 catches for 115 yards
Divisional Round, played at Pontiac Silverdome. Final: Dallas Cowboys 6, Detroit Lions 38, with Detroit Lions taking the result by 32. **First quarter**
- Lions: Willie Green 31 yard pass from Erik Kramer ( Eddie Murray kick)
- Cowboys: Ken Willis 28 yard field goal
Second quarter
- Lions: Mel Jenkins 41 yard interception return ( Eddie Murray kick)
- Cowboys: Ken Willis 28 yard field goal
- Lions: Eddie Murray 36 yard field goal
Third quarter
- Lions: Willie Green 9 yard pass from Erik Kramer ( Eddie Murray kick)
- Lions: Herman Moore 7 yard pass from Erik Kramer ( Eddie Murray kick)
Fourth quarter
- Lions: Barry Sanders 47 yard rush ( Eddie Murray kick)
Top performers
- Erik Kramer: 341 pass yards on 29-of-38, 3 TD, 0 INT
- Emmitt Smith: 80 rush yards on 15 carries
- Willie Green: 8 catches for 115 yards
The 32-point margin says most of what needs saying about how the day went; the box score is the rest.
| Cowboys | Lions | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 16 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 276 | 421 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 0 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 18/29 | 29/38 |
| Pass yards | 205 | 341 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 26 | 4 |
| Net pass yards | 179 | 337 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 22 | 16 |
| Rush yards | 97 | 84 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 3 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 0 |
| Penalties | 3 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 19 | 39 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | |||||
| Troy Aikman | 11/16 | 114 | 0 | 1 | |
| Steve Beuerlein | 7/13 | 91 | 0 | 1 | |
| DET | |||||
| Erik Kramer | 29/38 | 341 | 3 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | ||||
| Emmitt Smith | 15 | 80 | 0 | 19 |
| Tommie Agee | 3 | 12 | 0 | 9 |
| Daryl Johnston | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Steve Beuerlein | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Troy Aikman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DET | ||||
| Barry Sanders | 12 | 69 | 1 | 47 |
| Don Overton | 3 | 17 | 0 | 8 |
| Andre Ware | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | ||||
| Michael Irvin | 5 | 84 | 0 | 18 |
| Alvin Harper | 4 | 56 | 0 | 20 |
| Jay Novacek | 4 | 55 | 0 | 25 |
| Alexander Wright | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Daryl Johnston | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Emmitt Smith | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Robert Awalt | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Tommie Agee | 1 | -4 | 0 | -4 |
| DET | ||||
| Willie Green | 8 | 115 | 2 | 31 |
| Herman Moore | 6 | 87 | 1 | 32 |
| Mike Farr | 5 | 62 | 0 | 20 |
| Barry Sanders | 5 | 30 | 0 | 9 |
| Robert Clark | 2 | 29 | 0 | 16 |
| Brett Perriman | 3 | 18 | 0 | 9 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1991 Divisional Round - Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions - Game Thread
