1972 NFC Championship Game

This was the first title game contested by the Redskins since 1945.[lower-alpha 2] Washington won the NFC East with a 11-3 regular season record and defeated the NFC Central champion Green Bay Packers 16–3 at RFK Stadium in the Divisional Round to advance to the NFC Championship game.

This was the third consecutive NFC title game contested by the Cowboys, and their fifth title game in the Super Bowl era.[lower-alpha 3] While Dallas failed to defend their NFC East title, their 10-4 regular season record was good enough for the then-one NFC wild card berth. In a rematch of the first two NFC Championship Games, Dallas once again defeated the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers 30–28 at Candlestick Park in the Divisional Round to reach the NFC title game.

This was the first playoff meeting between Dallas and Washington.[lower-alpha 4]

This was the first NFC title game between division rivals, and the first not to feature a team from the NFC West. The teams split their regular season series, with Washington winning 24–20 at RFK Stadium and Dallas winning 34–24 at Texas Stadium.

Charley Taylor led the Redskins to the victory by recording 7 receptions for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. Washington massively outgained Dallas in total yards (316–169), first downs (16–8), and third-down conversions (10/18–3/12), while holding them to a single field goal and shutting them out in the second half.

However, the game seemed close before the final period. Washington took the opening kickoff and drove to the Cowboys 31-yard line, but Larry Brown lost a fumble there and safety Cliff Harris recovered the ball. However, Dallas fared no better, and ended up running just six plays in the entire quarter. Following a punt, Washington scored on a 13-play, 9-minute drive, with Brown rushing for 31 yards and catching a pass for 9. Curt Knight finished the drive with an 18-yard field goal in the second quarter. Later on, Redskins quarterback Billy Kilmer smoked the Cowboys with a 51-yard completion to Taylor, and eventually scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Taylor that gave his team a 10–0 lead. Near the end of the half, Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach's 29-yard run set up a Toni Fritsch field goal from 35 yards, cutting the score to 10–3. Fritsch later got another attempt on the last play before halftime, but missed a 23-yard attempt, his first miss of the season from under 30 yards.

The third quarter was scoreless, with Dallas unable to move the ball past their own 30-yard line, but they still had a few chances to score. At one point, Kilmer fumbled the ball at his own 32-yard line, and it rolled all the way back to the 18, but Washington recovered it. Mike Bragg's ensuing punt went 36 yards to the Dallas 44, but defensive back Charlie Waters lost five yards while attempting a return and a clipping penalty cost them another 15, pushing the Cowboys all the way back to the 24. To make matters worse, Waters (who was a starter on defense) suffered a broken arm on the play and had to miss the rest of the game.

Taylor had already had an excellent game while being covered by Waters, and now that he was matched up against second stringer Mark Washington, Kilmer sensed a huge opportunity to break the game open. On their next drive, he completed four passes, the last a 45-yard touchdown bomb to Taylor on the second play of the fourth quarter, increasing Washington's lead to 17–3. The Redskins then dominated the rest of the game, scoring with field goals from Knight on each of their next three drives to make the final score 26–3.

• First quarter
  • no scoring
• Second quarter
  • WAS – field goal Knight 18 WAS 3–0
  • WAS – Taylor 15 pass from Kilmer (Knight kick) WAS 10–0
  • DAL – field goal Fritsch 35 WAS 10–3
• Third quarter
  • no scoring
• Fourth quarter
  • WAS – Taylor 45 pass from Kilmer (Knight kick) WAS 17–3
  • WAS – field goal Knight 39 WAS 20–3
  • WAS – field goal Knight 46 WAS 23–3
  • WAS – field goal Knight 45 WAS 26–3

The NFC champion Redskins made their first Super Bowl appearance. Washington lost 14–7 to the undefeated Miami Dolphins of the American Football Conference in Super Bowl VII.

Following Washington's 1972 title, the next six NFC Championship Games would be contested exclusively by three teams, these being the Cowboys, the Minnesota Vikings (who defeated the Cowboys in the following title game) and the Los Angeles Rams. The next NFC team other than those three to make it to a title game was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team which did not even exist until 1976.

Washington would return to the NFC title game ten years later following the stike-shortened 1982 season, once again defeating Dallas and facing Miami in Super Bowl XVII, but on that occasion defeating the Dolphins to win their first Super Bowl.

As of 2021, no team has ever won three consecutive NFC championships. Besides the 1972 Cowboys, the only other two-time NFC champions to even reach the next conference title game are the 1990 San Francisco 49ers (who lost to the New York Giants) and the 1994 Cowboys (who lost to the 49ers).

• 1972 AFC Championship Game
• NFC Championship Game
• 1972-73 NFL playoffs
• 1972 NFL season
• National Football Conference
• National Football League