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Despite never being in the same division, the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have engaged in one of the great rivalries in sports for decades. Simply put, it’s impossible to talk about NFL history without mentioning it.

For one, each franchise has won five Super Bowl titles. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots have won more. So there’s that.

But perhaps the Cowboys-49ers rivalry has been so great due to the epic battles the two teams have had in the NFL Playoffs over the years. Don’t get it twisted. They’ve had some fantastic regular-season games as well. But there’s a reason you remember “The Catch.” Or their duels for dominance in the early 1990s when they met for the right to go to the Super Bowl three straight times.

Dallas Cowboys San Francisco 49ers
(L-R) Dallas Cowboys helmet; San Francisco 49ers helmet | Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images; Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

In total, Dallas and San Francisco have met nine times in the postseason, which is tied for the record for the most games played by two teams in the postseason against one another.

Their first playoff matchup took place in the NFC Championship Game following the 1970 season, with Dallas taking a 17-10 victory. The most recent postseason affair between the two was in the Divisional Round following the 2022 season, with the Niners earning a 19-12 win. Dallas currently holds a 5-4 overall edge in the postseason series.

Here’s a quick look at each playoff matchup between the two legendary franchises.

DateRoundAwayHomeResult
1/3/71NFC Champ.Dallas CowboysSan Francisco 49ersDAL-17, SF-10
1/2/72NFC Champ.San Francisco 49ersDallas CowboysDAL-14, SF-3
12/23/72NFC Div.Dallas CowboysSan Francisco 49ersDAL-30, SF-28
1/10/82NFC Champ.Dallas CowboysSan Francisco 49ersSF-28, DAL-27
1/17/93NFC Champ.Dallas CowboysSan Francisco 49ersDAL-30, SF-20
1/23/94NFC Champ.San Francisco 49ersDallas CowboysDAL-38, SF-21
1/15/95NFC Champ.Dallas CowboysSan Francisco 49ersSF-38, DAL-28
1/16/22NFC WCSan Francisco 49ersDallas CowboysSF-23, DAL-17
1/22/23NFC Div.Dallas CowboysSan Francisco 49ersSF-19, DAL-12
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Luke Norris

Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sportscasting.

Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes.

In addition to his work here at Sportscasting, Luke’s work has appeared on  The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.