Super Bowl power rankings: Who’s the best loser?
By John Buhler
37. 1975 Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl X
The 1975 Dallas Cowboys would go 10-4 during the regular season and finish second in the NFC East. They would beat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Divisional round and clobber the Los Angeles Rams in the 1975 NFC Championship to make it to Super Bowl X, Dallas’ third Super Bowl in franchise history.
Though Dallas had won a Super Bowl four years prior in Super Bowl VI, Dallas entered Super Bowl X against the defending Super Bowl Champions in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers dynasty picked up right where the Miami Dolphins’ left off, as the NFC had lost the three previous Super Bowls since Dallas’ victory in Super Bowl VI.
Dallas entered Super Bowl X in the Orange Bowl as a seven-point underdog to the defending-champion Steelers. While the Cowboys managed to cover the spread, they still lost to the Steelers by four points, 21-17.
The Cowboys would go on to win Super Bowl XII two years later over the Denver Broncos, but this was a time in the NFL where the AFC dominated the NFC. Dallas’ Super Bowl teams under head coach Tom Landry would go 2-3. Though Dallas became America’s Team around this team, nobody was beating the AFC, especially the Steel Curtain of Pittsburgh.
Next: 36. 1966 Kansas City Chiefs