It is Day 93 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
We’re onto Day 93 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, where we revisit a loss that still matters in the larger story of the Dallas Cowboys’ rise. The 1968 Cowboys were one of Tom Landry’s best early teams, finishing 12-2, winning the Capitol Division, and leading the NFL in scoring at 30.8 points per game. But in the postseason, Dallas ran into a Cleveland Browns team that turned turnovers into points and handed the Cowboys a 31-20 defeat in the Eastern Conference Championship Game.
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Saturday, December 21, 1968
Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Final Score: Cleveland Browns 31, Dallas Cowboys 20
A year earlier, Dallas had crushed Cleveland 52-14 in the playoffs at the Cotton Bowl. The Cowboys also beat the Browns 28-7 during the 1968 regular season. But this one was in Cleveland, and the Browns got their revenge at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in front of 81,497 fans.
The Cowboys actually started well enough. Cleveland opened the scoring on a Don Cockroft 38-yard field goal, but Dallas answered when Chuck Howley forced a Bill Nelsen fumble and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. Mike Clark added a 16-yard field goal in the second quarter, and Dallas led 10-3. For a moment, it looked like Landry’s team might be on its way back to another NFL title game. Then the game turned.
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Nelsen hit Leroy Kelly for a 45-yard touchdown before halftime to tie it at 10-10, and the Browns blew it open in the third quarter. Dale Lindsey intercepted Don Meredith and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown, then Kelly broke a 35-yard touchdown run to push Cleveland ahead 24-10. Dallas never fully recovered.
Landry eventually went to Craig Morton, and the Cowboys did add points late. Clark hit a 47-yard field goal, and Morton found Walt Garrison for a two-yard touchdown pass. But Cleveland had already landed the decisive blow when Ernie Green scored from two yards out in the fourth quarter, making it 31-13 before Dallas’ late touchdown settled the final margin.
For Dallas, the loss was painful because the roster was clearly good enough to contend. The Cowboys had the league’s top scoring offense, a defense loaded with talent, and another postseason opportunity under Landry. But this was still the era when the Cowboys were fighting the ‘can’t win the big one’ label. The 1968 defeat in Cleveland did not stop the franchise’s ascent, but it was another hard postseason lesson on the road to finally becoming champions.
Interesting Facts About the Game
This was Don Meredith’s final NFL game. He started for Dallas but struggled badly, completing 3 of 9 passes for 42 yards with three interceptions before Craig Morton replaced him.
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