"Yes, we are back. The Steelers vs. the Cowboys ..."
That is how Howard Cosell closed the opening monologue to the last prime-time game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. It has taken 42 years, but we finally have another prime-time matchup between two of the NFL's blue-blood franchises.
The past five matchups have been played in the Sunday afternoon window.
Dallas (2-2) travels to Pittsburgh (3-1) on Sunday Night Football in Week 5, and that will evoke memories of their Super Bowl matchups in the 1970s. It also will bring back their last prime-time matchup into focus and the old-school rivalry between the franchises.
MORE: Week 5 NFL Power Rankings | Week 5 NFL picks | Week 5 NFL picks against the spread
When was the last Cowboys-Steelers prime-time game?
Pittsburgh and Dallas met in the Monday Night Football opener on Sept. 13, 1982.
The Cowboys had lost in the NFC championship to San Francisco on “The Catch" the year before, and the Steelers were coming off an 8-8 season. It was their first matchup since 1979, and they were not quite the same teams as their legendary Super Bowl showdowns.
It still made for an entertaining game at Texas Stadium. The Cowboys were looking for an 18th consecutive season-opening victory, and they had outscored opponents 489-164 in the previous 17 openers.
WEEK 5 FANTASY RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Who won the last Cowboys-Steelers prime-time game?
Pittsburgh broke that winning streak in a 36-28 shootout. The Steelers fumbled the opening kickoff, but they took advantage of Dallas mistakes throughout the game, including a botched handoff in the red zone and a blocked punt. The Steelers limited Tony Dorsett to just 30 rushing yards.
Terry Bradshaw passed for 246 yards and three TDs, and Franco Harris rushed for 103 yards. The Cowboys rallied in the fourth quarter behind Danny White with fourth-quarter TD passes to Tony White and Billy Joe Dupree, but it was not enough to beat their rivals.
This game opened the strike-shortened 1982 season — and it had the end-of-an-era feel to it on both sides. Sure enough, they would not meet in the Super Bowl again until Super Bowl XXX in the 1995 season.
NFL HQ: Live NFL scores | Updated NFL standings | Full NFL schedule
5 takeaways from 1982 Steelers-Cowboys MNF matchup
Peak Monday Night Football
Cosell, Frank Gifford, and Don Meredith — a former Dallas quarterback — were the three-man booth for the game (which can be seen here), and they wore those classic yellow Monday Night Football blazers. Cosell is just one of a kind, and that still resonates. He calls Pittsburgh's Frank Pollard, who had a touchdown in the second half, a “fire hydrant-type running back.” When was the last time you heard that description for a fullback?
Chuck Noll and Tom Landry
Noll won 193 games and four Super Bowls. Landry won 250 games and two Super Bowls. They were the best coaches of their era, and they did not get their wardrobe from the NFL Shop catalog. Noll wears a white polo. Landry wears that legendary hat and a beige suit. Can we get Mike Tomlin and Mike McCarthy in that kind of gear for Sunday Night Football?
Danny White – QB and punter
White faced a lot of pressure replacing Roger Staubach — and to be honest, every Dallas quarterback since has been held to that standard. White, however, was also the Cowboys' punter, and that was the key play in this game. Keith Willis blocked a punt, and that led to the Steelers scoring 20 unanswered points in the second half. White led Dallas to the NFC championship game that season, but he never reached the Super Bowl as the starting quarterback. Imagine if Dak Prescott played QB and punter today.
Hall of Fame talent everywhere
That is what made the 1970s showdowns between the Steelers and Cowboys so special. Roger Staubach was gone by the 1982 game, and Jack Lambert missed this matchup because of a knee injury. Lynn Swann suffers a hamstring injury during the game, as well. The stars, however, still came to play. Bradshaw uncorks a deep pass to John Stallworth, who makes a diving catch, on Pittsburgh's first drive. Jack Ham has a second-half interception. Drew Pearson caught a TD. We already Dorsett and Harris. Free agency wasn't prevalent, and these star-powered teams stayed together through the end.
Gary Anderson's debut
Gary Anderson, who wore a single-bar facemask, was not able to complete his first NFL kick when the first extra point had a botched snap. Anderson kicked three second-half field goals, which was foreshadowing for a 23-year career in which he scored 2,434 points. Only Adam Vinatieri (2,673) and Morten Andersen (2,544) scored more points in NFL history.
