Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys: 1995 NFC Championship
By Tim Muma
As the Green Bay Packers head to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs once again, you can’t help but think back to the 1995 NFC Championship between these two historic franchises.
One season before their Super Bowl title, the Green Bay Packers were 15 minutes away from winning the NFC Championship in Dallas – an epic battle between storied teams.
In 1995, the Green Bay Packers had a chance to officially announce their arrival as an NFC powerhouse by knocking off the perennial favorites of the 1990’s, the Dallas Cowboys.
For the third straight season, the Packers traveled to Dallas for a playoff battle. This time, however, it was in the NFC Championship game, with Super Bowl 30 on the line.
Green Bay made everyone take notice that postseason by defeating the San Francisco 49ers one week earlier in California. San Francisco was the defending champion and had faced Dallas in the NFC title game in three consecutive years.
The Cowboys won the Super Bowl the previous two seasons.
Had they won, the Packers may have been seen as a dynasty again with their 1996 title and a legitimate chance to be the first to win three consecutive Super Bowls
Now the Packers had a shot to take down “America’s Team.” Despite Green Bay’s upset win over the 49ers, they were still installed as nine-point underdogs.
The Packers had been building up their talent base behind MVP quarterback Brett Favre and Hall of Fame pass rusher Reggie White. Meanwhile, the Cowboys were an established team with elite players in many spots across the field.
Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin – the Triplets – got all the attention, but they were loaded on both sides of the ball. The offensive and defensive lines in particular were nasty.
Not many people truly believed the Packers could go into Texas Stadium and come away victorious. With someone like Favre at the helm, anything was possible.
He wasn’t flawless, but he was nearly the only reason Green Bay had a chance to win that day. His 307 passing yards and three touchdowns were impressive. However, he also had one early interception and one late pick that added to the challenge.
Trailing 24-17 at halftime, Favre led Green Bay on scoring drives on their first two possessions of the 3rd quarter. The second drive, a 79-yard trip, ended in a TD pass. Favre hit Robert Brooks to give the Packers a 27-24 lead.
Unfortunately, Green Bay couldn’t hold on to that three-point lead in the 4th quarter. Had they won, the Packers may have been seen as a dynasty again with their 1996 title and a legitimate chance to be the first to win three consecutive Super Bowls
Alas, the Cowboys eliminated the Packers from the playoffs for a 3rd straight season. There was plenty of blame to go around for the 38-27 defeat, so let’s examine those main contributors.