NFL game summary for 01/04/1976:
Roger Staubach, the heartbeat of the Cowboys' offense, Preston Pearson, a refugee from Pittsburgh, and a punishing defense were a combination the Rams were unable to handle as Dallas exploded for a 37-7 NFC championship victory in sun-swept Memorial Coliseum, and became the first wild card team ever to gain the Super Bowl. Dallas, which was the NFC East runner-up behind St. Louis with a 10-4 record, joined Super Bowl IV Champion Kansas City as the only team ever to move into the Super Bowl with consecutive postseason road victories, and did it in convincing fashion while achieving its third NFC title.
Staubach threw four touchdown passes while completing 16 of 26 for 220 yards, and running back Pearson caught three of the scoring passes to tie a postseason game record. Preston's touchdown catches covered 18, 15 and 19 yards as the Cowboys bolted into a 28-0 lead, with Staubach connecting for four yards to Golden Richards for the other touchdown. Pearson had been waived by the Steelers and cleared through the entire NFL before being signed by Dallas two days before the season opened, and was the only player on the Cowboys' roster who ever played for another NFL team.
Dallas free safety Cliff Harris set the tempo for the defense when he intercepted a James Harris pass at the Rams' 30 and returned it to the Los Angeles 18. On the first play from scrimmage, Staubach hit Pearson with a screen pass to the left and Preston crossed the goal line after only 6:27 elapsed. The Cowboys' defense limited the Rams to only 22 yards rushing and 118 total yards, while sacking the passer five times. Los Angeles' only first down rushing came on its only touchdown, a one-yard plunge by John Cappelletti with 14:03 remaining in the game.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 173.7 (5) | 185.2 (4) | 358.9 (3) | 35 |
| DEFENSE | 121.4 (4) | 145.7 (8) | 267.1 (5) | 44 | |
 | OFFENSE | 169.4 (7) | 156.8 (15) | 326.1 (9) | 25 |
| DEFENSE | 109.5 (2) | 127.8 (3) | 237.3 (2) | 40 |
Line: Rams by 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (12-4-0) | 7 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 37 |
| Los Angeles Rams (13-3-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
DAL LA
First Downs: 24 9
Rushes-yards: 50-195 16-22
Yards/rush: 3.9 1.4
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 18-28-246-1 11-24-147-3
Sacked-yards: 0-0 5-51
Net pass yards: 246 96
Net yards/pass: 8.8 3.3
Total net yards: 441 118
Total plays: 78 (64% run) 45 (35% run)
Yards/play: 5.7 2.6
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 1-0
Turnovers: 1 3
Penalties-yards: 5-59 4-25
Attendance: 88,919
DAL: Roger Staubach, 16 of 26 for 220 yards and 4 TDs (1 int); Clint Longley, 2 of 2 for 26 yards LA: Ron Jaworski, 11 of 22 for 147 yards (2 int); James Harris, 0 of 2 for 0 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Robert Newhouse, 16 for 64 yards; Doug Dennison, 13 for 35 yards; Roger Staubach, 7 for 54 yards; Preston Pearson, 7 for 20 yards; Charley Young, 6 for 17 yards; Jean Fugett, 1 for 5 yards LA: Lawrence McCutcheon, 11 for 10 yards; Ron Jaworski, 2 for 12 yards; Rob Scribner, 1 for 1 yard; John Cappelletti, 1 for 1 yard and 1 TD; Cullen Bryant, 1 for -2 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Preston Pearson, 7 for 123 yards and 3 TDs; Drew Pearson, 5 for 46 yards; Golden Richards, 2 for 46 yards and 1 TD; Jean Fugett, 2 for 5 yards; Charley Young, 1 for 15 yards; Doug Dennison, 1 for 11 yards LA: Ron Jessie, 4 for 52 yards; Lawrence McCutcheon, 3 for 39 yards; Terry Nelson, 3 for 28 yards; Cullen Bryant, 1 for 28 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Doug Dennison, 2 for 47 yards LA: Willie McGee, 5 for 103 yards; Cullen Bryant, 2 for 49 yards; Ron Jessie, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Golden Richards, 3 for 17 yards; Cliff Harris, 1 for 9 yards LA: Rob Scribner, 2 for 3 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: D.D. Lewis, 2 for 20 yards; Cliff Harris, 1 for 22 yards LA: Bill Simpson, 1 for 37 yards
Punting:
DAL: Mitch Hoopes, 4 for 139 yards LA: Duane Carrell, 7 for 248 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Toni Fritsch, 3/3 LA: Tom Dempsey, 0/2