The Cowboys–Eagles rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
The Cowboys joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960 season and were placed in the NFL Western Conference, where they faced the Eagles for the first time. In 1961, Dallas was moved to the NFL Eastern Conference, resulting in two annual meetings with Philadelphia. Following the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, both teams were placed in the NFC East, where they have remained divisional opponents. During the 1970s, the Cowboys held a significant advantage in the series, compiling a 17–3 record against the Eagles and establishing a substantial lead in the overall rivalry.
The rivalry has been filled with bitterly contested games that are typical of the NFC East. The matchups have been the most frequently featured on NBC Sunday Night Football with a total of 16.
The Cowboys lead the overall series, 75–59. The two teams have met four times in the playoffs, with the Cowboys holding a 3–1 record.
Notable moments
On November 12, 1979, Tony Franklin kicked what was then the longest field goal in Eagles history, 59 yards, to help the Eagles win their first-ever game at Texas Stadium, 31–21 (the kick has since been bettered by Jake Elliott's 61-yard kick in 2017). The Eagles were on a three-game losing streak when they went to Dallas for the Monday Night Football game and things did not look promising when quarterback Ron Jaworski was knocked out, but back-up John Walton threw a touchdown pass to Charlie Smith and Franklin kicked the long field goal that Landry said took the juice out right before the half. 1980 NFC Championship Game, January 11, 1981 – After losing to the Cowboys in all but 3 games from 1967 to 1979, the Eagles finished first in the NFC East in 1980 due to tie-breaking procedures (both teams 12–4 and splitting the meetings between each other, but the Eagles scored more points) and claimed the division, missed out on the #1 seed in the NFC (the latter proved inconsequential due to seeding restrictions and Dallas defeating Atlanta). Following 14-point deficits overcome by both teams in their respective Divisional playoff victories lead up to the 1980 NFC Championship Game, which was also called the "Blue Jersey Game", on the account that the Eagles, having the choice as the home team, made the Cowboys wear their seemingly cursed blue jerseys (a stigma that dated back to Super Bowl V). To the cheers of a roaring Veterans Stadium crowd, the Eagles defeated the Cowboys 20–7. The 1987 NFL season – With many of the Cowboys players crossing the picket line during the strike, Dallas humiliated the replacement-laden Eagles 41–22. Buddy Ryan accused Tom Landry of running up the score (something Buddy Ryan had accused him of before), and Ryan had his heart set on revenge. With little time remaining and the Eagles up by ten, Randall Cunningham faked a kneel down and tossed a long pass into the end zone, resulting in a pass interference call. With the Eagles at the one, a final touchdown made the score 37–20. The Bounty Bowls (I and II) and – The two 1989 meetings were nicknamed the Bounty Bowls, due to the accusation by Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson that the Eagles had set a bounty on Dallas players, particularly quarterback Troy Aikman and kicker Luis Zendejas. In the second game at Veterans Stadium, Eagles fans threw snowballs, ice, and beer onto the field. Several game participants were targeted, including back judge Al Jury and Cowboys punter Mike Saxon (both struck by snowballs), as well as Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson, who was hit with objects as he was escorted off the field by the Philadelphia Police Department. The Eagles won both Bounty Bowl games; 27–0 at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas and 20–10 in Philadelphia. In October 1990, the Eagles and Cowboys met for what became known as the "Porkchop Bowl". The week before game day at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, Philadelphia head coach Buddy Ryan and Ted Plumb, his offensive coordinator were out for dinner. Ryan was dining on pork chops and started to choke. Plumb quickly initiated the Heimlich maneuver and saved Ryan's life. Word of the incident spread at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, and hatred by Cowboys fans was so fevered towards Ryan that former Cowboys' president Tex Schramm dubbed the pending game on October 28 the "Porkchop Bowl." When the game began, Cowboys fans tossed pork chops and similar simulated meat products from the stands toward the Eagles bench. The Eagles would win this game 21–20. 1991 regular season – The Eagles began the 1991 season by defeating the Cowboys 24–0 at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas in week 3. During that game, the Eagles set a record with 11 sacks of Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. Meanwhile, riding a three-game winning streak, Dallas entered Veterans Stadium in week 16 with a chance at a playoff berth. The Cowboys benefited from Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham being injured and rode a Kelvin Martin punt return for a touchdown to a 25–13 victory. The loss eliminated the Eagles from the playoff picture. 1992–1995 – The Eagles started the 1992 season 5–0 and met the undefeated Cowboys on Monday Night Football. En route to a 31–7 win, the Eagles' number one-ranked defense held the Cowboys' offense to one first-quarter touchdown. However, later that year, Dallas ousted Philadelphia from the divisional round in a 34–10 rout at Texas Stadium. Three years later, the Cowboys bounced the Eagles from the divisional round of the playoffs a second time, winning 30–11. Dallas eventually advanced to, and won, the Super Bowl in both seasons. The Cowboys' win over the Eagles in the 1995 NFC Divisional playoffs currently marks Dallas' last appearances in both the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl. October 31, 1993: In the middle of a rainstorm on Halloween, Emmitt Smith ran for 237 yards; setting a Cowboys record for most yards by a running back in a single game as the Cowboys won 23–10. In November 1996, with the Eagles leading at 24–21, James Willis made a memorable play in what was a relatively unmemorable career as an Eagles linebacker when he intercepted a Troy Aikman pass in the end zone and lateraled the ball to Troy Vincent who took it the distance to complete a 104-yard touchdown. The Eagles would go on to win 31–21. Trailing by one point, the Eagles were a short field goal on the last play of the game from defeating the Cowboys at Texas Stadium on September 15, 1997. Punter Tom Hutton could not handle the snap for kicker Chris Boniol and, after a brief scramble, was tackled by the Dallas defense to secure a 21–20 Cowboys victory. On October 10, 1999, Dallas wide receiver Michael Irvin suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury while playing at Veterans Stadium. The crowd cheered when Irvin did not get up and chanted "Deion sucks" when Irvin's teammate, Deion Sanders, consoled him. The Cowboys went on to lose the game, 13–10. In September 2000, the Eagles and Cowboys met in what would later become known as the "Pickle Juice" game. With temperatures at 109+ degrees, the Eagles pulled their players off the field and had the players drink pickle juice to prevent cramping, a practice the club had begun during training camp as a means to combat both dehydration and cramping. The experiment proved to be a success as the Eagles handed the Cowboys their worst opening day loss since 1963: defeating them by a score of 41–14. In September 2002, during their final home opener at Veterans Stadium, the Eagles overcame a slow start and blasted the Dallas Cowboys 44–13. The defense collected four turnovers and sacked Quincy Carter four times. This marked the highest point total for an Eagles team that would finish the season with 415 points: the most they've ever scored in franchise history. October 12, 2003: In week 6 of the 2003 season, the 2–2 Eagles met the 3–1 Cowboys and fell to them 23–21; their first loss to the Cowboys since 1999. One of the most notable moments during that game occurred during the opening kickoff. Andy Reid had tried an onside kick to start the game; however, Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells, was not fooled and the gamble blew up in Philadelphia's face. Randal Williams fielded the bouncing kick and raced into the end zone untouched in three seconds – the fastest touchdown in NFL history. December 2003: In their first meeting at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles crushed the Bill Parcells-led Cowboys 36–10. The Eagles defense held the Cowboys to 150 yards rushing, collected 3 sacks of quarterback Quincy Carter, forced two interceptions and a safety. November 15, 2004: In a Monday Night Football game that is probably more remembered for a controversial pre-game promotion featuring Terrell Owens and Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan, the Eagles throttled the Cowboys in Texas Stadium, 49–21. In addition, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb redefined pocket presence by eluding Cowboys defenders for 14 seconds on one notable play before launching a 60-yard pass to Freddie Mitchell. At the time, this was the highest scoring game in the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry and was the highest point total ever for a visiting team at Texas Stadium. 5 weeks later, on December 19, 2004; the Eagles and Cowboys met again in a defensive struggle in which an Eagles' victory would clinch home field advantage. The Eagles won 12–7, and finished this season at 13–3, their best season in franchise history at the time. Unfortunately, this game also turned sour in the third quarter when Roy Williams made a horse-collar tackle on Terrell Owens, breaking his ankle. He was later ruled out until Super Bowl XXXIX. In week 5 of the 2005 season, quarterback Drew Bledsoe needed only four plays to lead the Cowboys to a touchdown to open the game. The Eagles defense made a nice goal-line stand on the Cowboys' next possession, but when Dallas got the ball back, Bledsoe connected with Terry Glenn for a 38-yard score, Glenn's second touchdown. A José Cortéz field goal left the Eagles in another 17–0 hole. Donovan McNabb and the Eagles managed a field goal on their first drive of the second quarter, but there would be no comeback this week. Bledsoe tossed another touchdown pass, this one to Lousaka Polite, making it 24–3 Dallas. Bledsoe led the Cowboys to field-goal drives to end the half and to start the third quarter, leaving the Eagles behind 30–3. The only bright moment of the game for Philadelphia was Lito Sheppard stripping receiver Keyshawn Johnson of the ball in the third quarter and Sheldon Brown recovering and racing 80 yards for the touchdown, Brown's second defensive touchdown in as many weeks. The Eagles were held to a paltry 129 offensive yards in the embarrassing 33–10 loss and their pass defense was mauled by Bledsoe. Even worse was to come for the Eagles five weeks later.