Dallas Cowboys vs 49ers: History suggests winner is Super Bowl bound
By Dink Kearney
Dallas Cowboys: 1993 NFC Championship
Like the previous year, both teams entered the NFCCG as the top seeds except this time Dallas were the favorites, had home advantage, more confident and more talented. Out of all of the games between these two powerhouses in their heated playoffs series, this game was the most lopsided one because Dallas jumped out to a convincing 28-7 lead by halftime and went on to win 38-21.
The game was never close, but when Bernie Kosar stepped in for an injured Aikman in the third quarter with the score 28-14, Kosar hit Harper for a 42-yard touchdown that ended any hopes of the 49ers mounting a comeback. The game was so embarrassing that even the great Hall of Famer Rice was shut down by second-year defensive back, Kevin Smith.
That was the second consecutive year Dallas beat the 49ers enroute to hoisting another Lombardi trophy. The next season would be different.
1994 NFC Championship Game : Deion Sanders is the difference maker
After losing two straight NFCCG to Dallas and getting routed in the 1993 game, the 49ers signed free agent All Pro defensive back Deion Sanders. Add the dynamic Sanders and the firing of Johnson to the equation, the 49ers had everything they needed to dethrone Dallas. Plus, Dallas had been losing several players to free agency, so they were not as stacked with talent like in previous years.
Sanders was what the 49ers needed to get back to the promise land because he helped defeat Dallas in the regular season meeting (21-14) and did the same in the championship game (38-28). With Dallas uncharacteristically committing five turnovers-Aikman threw a pick-6 to start the game-the 49ers jumped out to a 21-0 lead that made it hard for Dallas to come back from.
The refs did Dallas no favors either as Sanders had his way with non-pass interference calls as Dallas came within 10 points (31-21) but eventually loss. At the time, Aikman threw a career high for 380 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions (one of those interceptions was from Sanders holding Irvin), and Irvin caught 12 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns (most of those yards on Sanders).
The 49ers would go ahead and defeat the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in the Super Bowl.