Cowboys-Giants rivalry

The first game between the Cowboys from Dallas and New York Giants in December 1960 resulted in a 31-31. Nobody wanted to lose in that interdivisional battle. The next season Giants and Cowboys started as the Easter Divisional rivals and moved together to the NFC East division in 1970. Nothing impacted this status till the present day. Both teams play twice annually.

This rivalry started to heat since its first days. Giants swept all games between 1962 and 1964. Both teams regularly reached the NFL championship game in the 1960s, but they lost their attempts. New York Giants lost three consecutive games (1961, 1962, and 1963), and the Cowboys lost in 1966 and 1967. These teams had one game at Dallas in 1967 and 1969 because of splitting the conference into two divisions. The Cowboys were placed in the Capital Division, and the Giants changed it each year to the merger. One of the 1968 games ended in a tie.

The next decade was rich in events for these teams. Cowboys lost the Super Bowl in 1971, 1975, and 1978 but won the 1971 and 1977 titles. The Dallas team moved to the Texas Stadium in triumphal 1971. Giants moved to the Yale Bowl in Connecticut in 1973, where they played until relocation to East Rutherford, New Jersey, three years later. The Cowboys started the 12-game streak in 1974, which ended in 1980.

The player’s strike paused the derby in 1982. There were no critical events in the derby in these ten years. The Giants had won the Super Bowl in 1986. Jerry Jones became the Dallas Cowboys owner in 1988. He replaced the longtime head coach Tom Landry to Jimmy Johnson. Dallas team accused their rivals from Philadelphia in Bounty Bowls because the Eagles swept them twice. But this is doubtful because the Cowboys lost 15 matches out of 16.

The Giants won the 1990 Super Bowl. Two wins helped the Cowboys to win the East Division and get the #1 playoff seed in 1993. Giants moved to the Wild Card #4 place. But they didn’t reach the Super Bowl. The Dallas team triumphed twice in 1992 and 1993. Despite their frequent playoff appearances, the 1995 Super Bowl XXX was the latest title for the Cowboys.

The 2000s were the only epoch when Giants dominated the rivalry. They lost the Super Bowl XXXV in 2000. The Cowboys kicker Billy Cundiff kicked seven field goals in the 2003 New York game. They helped the Cowboys to win in the overtime 35-32. The only meeting in the playoff happened in the 2007 divisional round. NY team won the game and passed further, winning the title further. They spoiled the impression of opening the AT&T or Cowboys Stadium two years later.

Cowboys won their first meeting at branded new MetLife Stadium next year. Their next game in New York was de facto the game for the NFC East championship. The game was spectacular, and Giants won, putting the kibosh on the Cowboys’ 2011 playoffs. The 2012 game in New York was the season’s kickoff game where the Cowboys defeated their opponents. The final episode of the NJ adventures was the black cat in 2019, which helped the Cowboys to keep the streak starting in 2017. It ended the following year.