Inside the Packers vs. Cowboys playoff history: From Dez Bryant catch controversy to the Ice Bowl

Bill Bender

Inside the Packers vs. Cowboys playoff history: From Dez Bryant catch controversy to the Ice Bowl image

The rivalry between "America's Team" and "Titletown" will be renewed in the 2024 playoffs. 

The Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers will meet at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Dallas (12-5) and Green Bay (9-8) have combined for nine Super Bowl victories, and their playoff history is littered with legendary moments. 

The Ice Bowl. The 1990s rivalry. Dez Bryant. Aaron Rodgers. Now, quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Jordan Love, who ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the NFL in touchdown passes, respectively, will add another chapter to what is always one of the best games the NFL has to offer. 

A look inside the Packers-Cowboys playoff rivalry, the quarterbacks who define it, and those legendary matchups: 

How many times have the Packers and Cowboys played in the playoffs? 

This marks the ninth postseason meeting between the Cowboys and Packers, which is tied for the most in NFL history. They have split the previous eight meetings. 

Dallas also has played San Francisco and the Los Angeles Rams nine times in the playoffs. 

The Cowboys are 5-4 against the 49ers and 4-5 against the Rams. 

Green Bay has played San Francisco in the playoffs nine times. The 49ers are 5-4 against the Packers in those games. 

Dallas vs. Green Bay: QB records in playoff games 

Jordan Love will be the 10th quarterback to start in a Packers-Cowboys playoff game. The other quarterbacks have shaped their legacies in those games. Troy Aikman (3-0), Bart Starr (2-0), and  Aaron Rodgers (2-0) had multiple victories. Don Meredith (0-2) and Brett Favre (0-3) had multiple losses. 

A look at the quarterbacks who started in Dallas-Green Bay playoff games and their respective records:

QUARTERBACK TEAM RECORD
Troy Aikman  Cowboys 3-0
Aaron Rodgers Packers 2-0
Bart Starr Packers 2-0
Danny White Cowboys 1-0
Tony Romo Cowboys 0-1
Dak Prescott Cowboys 0-1
Lynn Dickey Packers 0-1
Don Meredith Cowboys 0-2
Brett Favre Packers 0-3

Cowboys vs. Packers playoff history 

A look at the past eight meetings between the Cowboys and Packers: 

Green Bay 34, Dallas 27 (Jan. 1, 1966) 

1966 NFL championship game

Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry met in an ultimate coaching matchup. Lombardi let Bart Starr air it out with 304 passing yards and four TDs. Don Meredith countered with 238 yards and a TD pass. The Cowboys were in position to tie the game late, but Tom Brown intercepted Meredith at the goal line. The Packers went on to beat Kansas City 35-10 in Super Bowl I. 

Green Bay 21, Dallas 17 (Dec. 31, 1967)

1967 NFL championship game

The Ice Bowl had a temperature of -13 degrees with a wind chill of -48 – conditions that might lead to a game getting canceled today. Starr beat the elements by hitting 14-of-24 passes for 191 yards and two TDs, but the Cowboys still led 17-14 until the game's final drive. Starr led a drive, however, and he followed Jerry Kramer into the end zone on a quarterback sneak with 16 seconds remaining. The Packers went on to beat the Raiders 33-14 in Super Bowl II.  

Dallas 37, Green Bay 26 (Jan. 16, 1983) 

1982 NFC divisional playoffs

After a 16-year hiatus, the Cowboys and Packers met in the strike-shortened season. Dennis Thurman's 39-yard interception return for a TD gave Dallas a 20-7 halftime lead, but the Packers rallied behind Lynn Dickey, who had 332 passing yards. Dickey also threw three interceptions. Danny White's seven-yard TD to Doug Cosbie helped the Cowboys take control. Washington beat Dallas 31-17 the following week in the NFC championship game. 

Dallas 27, Green Bay 17 (Jan. 16, 1994) 

1993 NFC divisional playoffs

This was the only head-to-head playoff meeting between Jimmy Johnson and Mike Holmgren. The Packers were riding high off a wild-card victory against Detroit, but the Cowboys were too much in Dallas. Troy Aikman passed for 302 yards and three TDs, and Michael Irvin was unstoppable with nine catches for 126 yards, including a 19-yard TD in the third quarter that put the Cowboys up 24-3. Brett Favre threw a pair of fourth-quarter TDs, but it was not enough. Dallas went on to beat Buffalo 30-13 in Super Bowl XXVIII. 

Dallas 35, Green Bay 9 (Jan. 8, 1995)

1994 NFC divisional playoffs

This was the least competitive matchup between the teams in the postseason. First-year coach Barry Switzer and Holmgren were the coaches, and Dallas was off to a quick start again. Aikman hit Alvin Harper for a 94-yard touchdown and a 14-3 lead in the second quarter. Favre struggled with 211 passing yards and an interception. Emmitt Smith injured his hamstring in the second quarter, but Blair Thomas filled in with 70 rushing yards and a pair of TDs. San Francisco beat Dallas 38-28 the following week in the NFC championship game. 

Dallas 38, Green Bay 27 (Jan. 14, 1996)

1995 NFC championship game

The Packers' Texas Stadium nightmares continued despite a promising start. Green Bay took a 17-14 lead in the second quarter after back-to-back TD passes from Favre to Robert Brooks and Keith Jackson. Green Bay just didn't have an answer for Smith, who rushed for 150 yards and three TDs. Smith had a pair of fourth-quarter TDs that put the game away. Favre had 307 passing yards, but he threw two interceptions in the loss. The Cowboys went on to beat the Steelers 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX. 

Green Bay 26, Dallas 21 (Jan. 11, 2015)

2014 NFC divisional playoffs 

We all know the moment here. On a 4th-and-2 with 4:42 left in the fourth quarter, Tony Romo tried to hit Dez Bryant, who beat Sam Shields on a deep route. Bryant appeared to make the catch for a TD, but replay overturned the call. Aaron Rodgers, who led the Packers from an eight-point deficit with a pair of TD passes in the second half, did not give Dallas the ball back. Seattle beat Green Bay 28-22 in the NFC championship game the following week. 

Green Bay 34, Dallas 31 (Jan. 15, 2017) 

2016 NFC divisional playoffs 

Coaches Mike McCarthy and Jason Garrett met for the second time. Green Bay built a 21-3 lead in the second quarter behind Rodgers, who finished with 355 passing yards. Dak Prescott rallied the Cowboys to a 28-28 tie with a TD pass to Bryant with 4:08 left. The teams traded field goals, and Dallas tied it again with a 52-yarder by Dan Bailey with 35 seconds left. That was too much time for Aaron Rodgers, who hit Jared Cook for 35 yards on third-and-20 to set up a game-winning 51-yard field goal by Mason Crosby. Atlanta beat Green Bay 44-21 in the NFC championship game the following week.

Bill Bender

Bill Bender Photo

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.