Season Results - 1977
1977 Preseason Schedule (5-1)
DATE ATTENDANCE SCORE OPPONENT GAME SITE NOTES
Aug. 5 40,059 W 14-8 Baltimore Colts Mile High Stadium Friday night
Aug. 13 44,001 W 15-7 St. Louis Cardinals Mile High Stadium Saturday night
Aug. 20 21,239 W 10-2 Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Stadium Saturday night
Aug. 28 29,532 L 28-24 Philadelphia Eagles Veterans Stadium Sunday night
Sept. 2 54,916 W 27-10… More Seattle Seahawks Kingdome Friday night
Sept. 10 36,441 W 20-0 San Francisco 49ers Candlestick Park Saturday night
1977 Regular Season Schedule (12-2; 1st AFC West)
DATE ATTENDANCE SCORE OPPONENT GAME SITE NOTES
Sept. 18 75,002 W 7-0 St. Louis Cardinals Mile High Stadium
Sept. 25 74,737 W 26-6 Buffalo Bills Mile High Stadium
Oct. 2 53,108 W 24-13 Seattle Seahawks Kingdome
Oct. 9 74,718 W 23-7 Kansas City Chiefs Mile High Stadium
Oct. 16 53,616 W 30-7 Oakland Raiders Oakland Coliseum
Oct. 23 54,395 W 24-13 Cincinnati Bengals Riverfront Stadium
Oct. 30 75,007 L 24-14 Oakland Raiders Mile High Stadium
Nov. 6 74,967 W 21-7 Pittsburgh Steelers Mile High Stadium
Nov. 13 45,211 W 17-14 San Diego Chargers San Diego Stadium
Nov. 20 54,050 W 14-7 Kansas City Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium
Nov. 27 74,939 W 27-13 Baltimore Colts Mile High Stadium
Dec. 4 46,875 W 24-14 Houston Oilers Astrodome
Dec. 11 74,905 W 17-9 San Diego Chargers Mile High Stadium
Dec. 18 63,752 L 14-6 Dallas Cowboys Texas Stadium
1977 AFC Divisional Playoff Game
DATE ATTENDANCE SCORE OPPONENT GAME SITE NOTES
Dec. 24 75,011 W 34-21 Pittsburgh Steelers Mile High Stadium Saturday
1977 AFC Championship Game
DATE ATTENDANCE SCORE OPPONENT GAME SITE NOTES
Jan. 1 74,982 W 20-17 Oakland Raiders Mile High Stadium
Super Bowl XII
DATE ATTENDANCE SCORE OPPONENT GAME SITE NOTES
Jan. 15 75,583 L 27-10 Dallas Cowboys Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, La. Less

Playoffs
Further information: 1977–78 NFL playoffs
The Cowboys earned their second trip to the Super Bowl in three years by defeating the Chicago Bears, 37–7, and the Minnesota Vikings, 23–6, in the playoffs. Their "Doomsday Defense" proved as dominant as ever in those two games, forcing 7 turnovers against Chicago and 4 against the Vikings.

Meanwhile, the Broncos earned their first ever trip to the… More Super Bowl in team history by defeating the two previous league champions: the Pittsburgh Steelers, 34–21, and the Oakland Raiders, 20–17, in the playoffs. This made Morton the first quarterback to start a Super Bowl game for two different franchises (Kurt Warner was the second with St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals, and Peyton Manning was the third with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos). Morton is also the only quarterback to have started two different franchises' first Super Bowl appearances.

This was the final Super Bowl in the 14-game schedule era. The following season, the NFL went to a 16-game schedule, where it has remained since. Less

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DALLAS COWBOYS
DOOMS DAY FEFENCE
Staubach and the Cowboys' Doomsday Defense
With Staubach and his team's Doomsday Defense, the Cowboys won the NFC East with a 12–2 regular season record.

Staubach threw for 2,620 yards and 18 touchdowns with only 8 interceptions, while also gaining 171 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. Wide receiver Drew Pearson was the leading receiver on the team with 48… More receptions for 870 yards, while Pro Bowl tight end Billy Joe DuPree recorded 28 receptions for 347 yards and provided blocking support on running plays.

The Cowboys also had a new weapon on offense: rookie running back Tony Dorsett, the previous year's Heisman Trophy winner. Despite not becoming a full-time starter until the tenth game of the regular season, Dorsett led the team in rushing with 1,007 yards, scored 13 total touchdowns, and was the team's third leading receiver with 29 receptions for another 273 yards. Veteran fullback Robert Newhouse provided Dorsett with blocking, and was the team's second leading rusher with 721 yards, while also catching 16 passes for another 106 yards. Running back Preston Pearson contributed 341 yards rushing, caught 46 passes for 535 yards, and scored 5 touchdowns. The Cowboys' offensive line was led by All-Pro tackle Rayfield Wright.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys' Doomsday Defense remained in the superb form that helped lead the Cowboys' Super Bowl X appearance. Their defensive line consisted of Harvey Martin (who recorded 23 sacks), Jethro Pugh, Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Randy White. Behind them, the Cowboys had a trio of linebackers, Thomas Henderson (3 interceptions), D.D. Lewis, and Bob Breunig, who provided pass coverage and run stoppage. Dallas also had a secondary led by future Hall of Famer Mel Renfro and safeties Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters. Less

Morton and the Broncos' Orange Crush Defense
After spending three years with the Giants, Morton became the starting quarterback for the Broncos, a franchise with a dismal history. It had taken them 14 years (1960–1973) to record their first winning season and they had never once made the playoffs. But under the leadership of the newly arrived Morton and their new coach Red Miller, Denver finished 1… More977 with a 12–2 record and earned the #1 seed in the AFC.

Morton did not put up a large number of passing yards (1,929) during the regular season, but he threw 14 touchdown passes and only 8 interceptions, while also rushing for 125 yards and 4 touchdowns, earning him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Denver tight end Riley Odoms was his main target, with 37 receptions for 429 yards. Wide receiver Haven Moses was also a major deep threat, catching 27 passes for 539 yards, an average of 20 yards per catch. However, the Broncos main offensive strength was their rushing game. Denver had 3 running backs, Otis Armstrong, Lonnie Perrin, and Rob Lytle, who carried the ball equally, combining for 1,353 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. On special teams, multi-talented wide receiver Rick Upchurch led the NFL with 653 punt return yards, while also catching 12 passes for 245 yards and recording 456 yards returning kickoffs.

The backbone of the Broncos was their defense, a unit known as the "Orange Crush", which used a 3–4 formation anchored by four superb linebackers, including Randy Gradishar (3 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries) and Tom Jackson (4 interceptions, 93 return yards, 1 touchdown). Defensive End Lyle Alzado anchored the line, while their secondary was led by defensive backs Bill Thompson (who recorded 5 interceptions) and Louis Wright (who had 3 interceptions). The Broncos defense had given up just 148 points during the season, an average of just 10.6 per game and the 3rd-fewest in the NFL. Less

Morton and the Broncos' Orange Crush Defense
After spending three years with the Giants, Morton became the starting quarterback for the Broncos, a franchise with a dismal history. It had taken them 14 years (1960–1973) to record their first winning season and they had never once made the playoffs. But under the leadership of the newly arrived Morton and their new coach Red Miller, Denver finished 1… More977 with a 12–2 record and earned the #1 seed in the AFC.

Morton did not put up a large number of passing yards (1,929) during the regular season, but he threw 14 touchdown passes and only 8 interceptions, while also rushing for 125 yards and 4 touchdowns, earning him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Denver tight end Riley Odoms was his main target, with 37 receptions for 429 yards. Wide receiver Haven Moses was also a major deep threat, catching 27 passes for 539 yards, an average of 20 yards per catch. However, the Broncos main offensive strength was their rushing game. Denver had 3 running backs, Otis Armstrong, Lonnie Perrin, and Rob Lytle, who carried the ball equally, combining for 1,353 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. On special teams, multi-talented wide receiver Rick Upchurch led the NFL with 653 punt return yards, while also catching 12 passes for 245 yards and recording 456 yards returning kickoffs.

The backbone of the Broncos was their defense, a unit known as the "Orange Crush", which used a 3–4 formation anchored by four superb linebackers, including Randy Gradishar (3 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries) and Tom Jackson (4 interceptions, 93 return yards, 1 touchdown). Defensive End Lyle Alzado anchored the line, while their secondary was led by defensive backs Bill Thompson (who recorded 5 interceptions) and Louis Wright (who had 3 interceptions). The Broncos defense had given up just 148 points during the season, an average of just 10.6 per game and the 3rd-fewest in the NFL. Less

Super Bowl XII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1977 season. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos 27–10 to win their second Super Bowl. The game was played on January 15, 1978, at the Louisiana Superdome in… More New Orleans. This was the first time that the Super Bowl was played in a domed stadium, and the first time that the game was played in prime time in the eastern United States.

The game pitted Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach against their former quarterback, Craig Morton. Led by Staubach and the Doomsday Defense, Dallas advanced to its fourth Super Bowl after posting a 12–2 regular season record and playoff victories over the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings. The Broncos, led by Morton and the Orange Crush Defense, made their first Super Bowl appearance after also posting a 12–2 regular-season record and postseason wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders.

The Cowboys defense dominated most of Super Bowl XII, forcing eight turnovers and allowing only eight pass completions by the Broncos for just 61 yards. Two of those interceptions led to 10 first-quarter points. Denver's longest play of the game was just 21 yards, which occurred on their opening drive. Dallas expanded its lead to 20–3 in the third quarter after wide receiver Butch Johnson made a diving catch in the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown reception. Denver cut the lead down to ten, 20–10, after an ineffective Morton was replaced by Norris Weese late in the third period, but the Cowboys put the game out of reach in the fourth when fullback Robert Newhouse threw a 29-yard touchdown pass on a halfback option play to receiver Golden Richards.[5]

For the first and only time, two players won Super Bowl MVP honors: defensive tackle Randy White and defensive end Harvey Martin. This was also the first time that a defensive lineman was named Super Bowl MVP. Less

Super Bowl XII Logo.svg
Dallas Cowboys
(NFC) Denver Broncos
(AFC)
27 10
1 2 3 4 Total
DAL 10 3 7 7 27
DEN 0 0 10 0 10
Date January 15, 1978
Stadium Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
MVP Randy White, Defensive tackle; and Harvey Martin, Defensive end
Favorite Cowboys by 6[1][2]
Referee Jim Tunney
Attendance 75,583[3]
Future Hall of Famers
Cowboys: Tex Schramm (team administrator), Tom Landry (coach), Mi… Moreke Ditka‡ (asst. coach), Tony Dorsett, Mel Renfro, Roger Staubach, Randy White, Rayfield Wright‡ elected as a player.
Broncos: None
Ceremonies
National anthem Phyllis Kelly of Northeast Louisiana University
Coin toss Red Grange
Halftime show "From Paris to the Paris of America" with the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles, Pete Fountain, and Al Hirt
TV in the United States
Network CBS
Announcers Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Nielsen ratings 47.2
(est. 78.94 million viewers)[4]
Market share 67
Cost of 30-second commercial $162,000 Less