Cardinals, Cowboys share plenty of history
Dec 2, 2011, 8:11 PM | Updated: 11:53 pm
The Cardinals and Cowboys renew their long rivalry Sunday,
one that dates back further than most fans remember.
The Cards and ‘Boys started playing when there was still
two football leagues, the AFL and NFL. The first meeting
between the two teams took place on October 23, 1960 with
the St. Louis Cardinals winning 12-10.
The Cardinals are losing the overall series 29-55-1, and
have been out scored by 552 total points. However, since
moving to Arizona the Cowboys hold a 23 to 12 lead.
After the team moved from St. Louis to Arizona, the two
teams remained in the same division, but the Cardinals
were only able to muster up nine wins from 1988 to 2001.
The teams remained in the same division until 2001, when
the NFL realigned. The Cardinals moved to the NFC West,
while the Cowboys stayed a part of the NFC East.
Since then the series is actually tied 3-3, with the
Cardinals winning the past two matchups. So even though
the rivalry hasn’t been completely even, there still have
been some memorable moments for the Cardinals.
After losing 13 straight to Dallas, the Cardinals finally
broke through thanks to Kevin Butler and a little bit of
luck. After quarterback Kent Graham threw two touchdowns
to bring the Cards back from a 22-7 deficit and force
overtime, Kevin Butler hit a 20 yard field goal off the
goal post to claim a 25-22 win. This meant fans could
celebrate, which they did by storming the field, ripping
out the goal post and carrying it down Mill Avenue.
The year after, fans witnessed their Cardinals lose twice
the Cowboys in the regular season, but saw the team win
when it mattered, beating the ‘Boys 20-7 in the first
round of the playoffs. It was the only postseason meeting
between the two teams.
Another memorable moment from the rivalry came in 2008. Up
24-14 early in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals let the
lead slip away, allowing the Cowboys to force overtime.
After the defense held Tony Romo and the offense to a
three and out on their first possession of overtime, the
Cardinals’ Sean Morey blocked Matt McBriar’s punt,
allowing Monty Beisel to pick the ball up and return it
for a touchdown, giving the Cardinals a 30-24 victory.
Even though the series has been lopsided, it is still very
much a rivalry — especially when two teams have played as
much these two have. The Cowboys seem to bring the best
out of the Cardinals and this season should be no
different since the Cards will have the opportunity to
hurt the Cowboys playoff chances.
