Divisional Round: Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers (Ericsson Stadium), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff: Sun January 5, 1997 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 Carolina Panthers at Ericsson Stadium, 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 Carolina Panthers are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Ericsson Stadium 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 Carolina Panthers 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-Carolina Panthers 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 | 10-6 | L2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 9-7 | W5 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | W3 |
| Houston Oilers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 11-5 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 10-6 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-7 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-8 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 1-15 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 13-3 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | L3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7-9 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7-9 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 12-4 | W7 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-4 | W2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 6-10 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-13 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3-13 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 13-3 | W5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-10 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-6 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 9-7 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 7-9 | -- |
| New York Giants | 6-10 | L2 |
NFL on FOX - 1996 Cowboys vs Panthers - NFC Divisional Playoffs
Carolina Panthers 1996 Playoffs Win vs Dallas
FOX NFL - 1996 NFC Divisional Playoffs - Jan. 5, 1997 Pregame Show - Q&A: Cowboys vs Panthers
1996 NFC Divisional Playoffs - Dallas Cowboys Carolina Panthers January 5th 1997 Highlights
1996 Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys NFC Wild Card Playoff
Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys Playoff Highlights (1996)Dallas Cowboys None, Carolina Panthers None
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 311141717 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 717202626 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Chris Boniol 22 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Panthers | Wesley Walls 1 yard pass from Kerry Collins ( John Kasay kick) | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Panthers | Willie Green 10 yard pass from Kerry Collins ( John Kasay kick) | 3-14 |
| Cowboys | Daryl Johnston 2 yard pass from Troy Aikman (pass failed) | 9-14 |
| Cowboys | Safety, Carolina bad snap on punt went out of end zone | 11-14 |
| Panthers | John Kasay 24 yard field goal | 11-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Chris Boniol 21 yard field goal | 14-17 |
| Panthers | John Kasay 40 yard field goal | 14-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Panthers | John Kasay 40 yard field goal | 14-23 |
| Cowboys | Chris Boniol 21 yard field goal | 17-23 |
| Panthers | John Kasay 32 yard field goal | 17-26 |
Carolina Panthers defeated Dallas Cowboys 26-17 at Ericsson Stadium in the Divisional Round. The final scoring play was Panthers: John Kasay 32 yard field goal. Top line of the day: Troy Aikman: 165 pass yards on 18-of-36, 1 TD, 3 INT. Carolina Panthers move on to the conference final.[1][2]
Carolina Panthers walked out of Ericsson Stadium as the team that survived a Divisional Round Dallas Cowboys will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 26-17. The final scoring play came from Panthers: John Kasay 32 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. Carolina Panthers move on to a conference championship.
Carolina Panthers 26, Dallas Cowboys 17. Round: Divisional Round. Attendance: 72808. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 4 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 3 scoring plays. Top performers:
- Troy Aikman: 165 pass yards on 18-of-36, 1 TD, 3 INT
- Anthony Johnson: 104 rush yards on 26 carries
- Kevin Williams: 6 catches for 89 yards
Divisional Round, played at Ericsson Stadium. Final: Dallas Cowboys 17, Carolina Panthers 26, with Carolina Panthers taking the result by 9. **First quarter**
- Cowboys: Chris Boniol 22 yard field goal
- Panthers: Wesley Walls 1 yard pass from Kerry Collins ( John Kasay kick)
Second quarter
- Panthers: Willie Green 10 yard pass from Kerry Collins ( John Kasay kick)
- Cowboys: Daryl Johnston 2 yard pass from Troy Aikman (pass failed)
- Cowboys: Safety, Carolina bad snap on punt went out of end zone
- Panthers: John Kasay 24 yard field goal
Third quarter
- Cowboys: Chris Boniol 21 yard field goal
- Panthers: John Kasay 40 yard field goal
Fourth quarter
- Panthers: John Kasay 40 yard field goal
- Cowboys: Chris Boniol 21 yard field goal
- Panthers: John Kasay 32 yard field goal
Top performers
- Troy Aikman: 165 pass yards on 18-of-36, 1 TD, 3 INT
- Anthony Johnson: 104 rush yards on 26 carries
- Kevin Williams: 6 catches for 89 yards
| Cowboys | Panthers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 21 | 18 |
| Total Yards | 244 | 227 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 18/36 | 12/22 |
| Pass yards | 165 | 100 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 3 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 17 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 148 | 100 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 24 | 37 |
| Rush yards | 96 | 127 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 6 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 61 | 38 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | |||||
| Troy Aikman | 18/36 | 165 | 1 | 3 | |
| CAR | |||||
| Kerry Collins | 12/22 | 100 | 2 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | ||||
| Emmitt Smith | 22 | 80 | 0 | 25 |
| Deion Sanders | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Troy Aikman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CAR | ||||
| Anthony Johnson | 26 | 104 | 0 | 12 |
| Winslow Oliver | 3 | 11 | 0 | 9 |
| Rocket Ismail | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Kerry Collins | 6 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Rohn Stark | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | ||||
| Kevin Williams | 6 | 89 | 0 | 23 |
| Kelvin Martin | 3 | 31 | 0 | 13 |
| Michael Irvin | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Daryl Johnston | 4 | 18 | 1 | 7 |
| Eric Bjornson | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Emmitt Smith | 3 | -2 | 0 | 3 |
| CAR | ||||
| Willie Green | 5 | 53 | 1 | 22 |
| Wesley Walls | 3 | 25 | 1 | 13 |
| Anthony Johnson | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Mark Carrier | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Winslow Oliver | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Howard Griffith | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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