Cowboys Renew Old Rivalry

The Cowboys Packers may not be the greatest rivalry of all time, but the history between the two teams is unmatched.

It began in the 60's when they played in back to back NFL Championship games. Green Bay won both, including the ice bowl of 1967. That was the first of a string of games that always seem meaningful.

Former Cowboys Quarterback Don Meredith remembers the ice bowl of 1967. “Green Bay had the better team in 1966, we weren't quite there, but in 1967, I really though we did. But, in my mind the best team doesn't always win.”

Of the 26-meetings, the most significant have been the 6-playoff games. In January 1983, the Cowboys and Packers played a second round divisional playoff game. It was won by Dallas before eventually losing their third straight NFC Championship game.

During the 90's there were three playoff games, all were played at Texas Stadium and all were won by the Cowboys. The biggest was in January 1996, the NFC championship game. Dallas won 38-27 reroute to winning their third super bowl in four years.

“It just seems like there is never an opportunity to relax when you play the Green Bay Packers,” Cowboys Fullback Daryl Johnston explained after advancing to the Super Bowl.

Cowboys Quarterback Troy Aikman agreed. “How sweet it is.!”

There were other memorable games. In 1994, Quarterback Jason Garrett beat the Packers on Thanksgiving Day 42-to-31 and he beat them again eight years ago, the last time the Packers played at Texas Stadium.


“It’s been a great rivalry for a long time, long before I was ever around,” says Jason Garrett, the teams Offensive Coordinator. “You think about the ice bowl and all those great games they played. It’s just been a great history between the two teams.”

The Cowboys and Packers have played twelve games in Texas stadium since it opened in 1971, and Dallas has lost only twice. In this series, home field means everything.

DeMarcus Ware Is Having A Pro Bowl Year

Cowboys Linebacker DeMarcus Ware's heads up play against the Redskins was the product of hours and hours of studying tape.

“The two people that get the ball the most in touches, are the center and the quarterback,” he explains. I mean they always have some type of tendency and I use it to my advantage.”

As a result, Ware was able to get a tremendous jump on the defensive end to make the play on Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell. But away from the tape room, Ware credits Head Coach Wade Phillips' defensive philosophy for giving him a leg up this year.

“This year you can be more aggressive, you can get to the passer a little bit more, and that's what they brought me in here to do,” he says, “so I'm able to do that.”

“I've never seen an outside linebacker make as many plays as he does, says Head Coach Wade Phillips. “I call him an all star. He's an all star kind of person that you want on your team. He’s a great pass rusher and has that sixth sense. Those type of players get off the ball quicker than everybody else.”

So far this season, Ware has nine sacks. That ties him for the lead in the NFC. He's a player whose effort never seems to stop.

“Its big, it’s big,” says Safety Ken Hamlin. “We have got to keep an air pump over there for him, because he's going so fast.”

“We trained together for the better part of two and a half years now,” says Linebacker Kevin Burnett. “When we train we try to out do each other, so for us you either leave it out on the field, or be embarrassed by what you see on the film.

As many sacks as Ware has this season, he's still not even close to the team record. That's held by Harvey Martin who had 23, thirty years ago. But despite that, Ware is having a Pro Bowl year.

Ware is in his third year and has already become the only player in Cowboys history to either lead or tie for the team lead in sacks in each of his first two pro seasons.