Cowboys freeze Pack,22-0.

George Andrie (#66) pressures Green Bay QB Bart Starr amid frigid conditions at Lambeau Field. Andrie registered two of the nine Cowboy sacks on the day as the Dallas Cowboys stopped the Green Bay Packers,22-0,to advance to the World Championship Game.

Green Bay,Dec. 31 –The Dallas Cowboys exacted revenge in the most unlikeliest of scenes –Lambeau Field amid the harshest playing conditions in professional sports –with a 22-0 blanking of the host Green Bay Packers to advance to the second annual NFL-AFL Championship Game. Green Bay defeated host Dallas last season,24-13,to advance to the inaugural game en route to the World’s Championship. With the temperature at kickoff registering negative thirteen degrees and a wind chill of forty eight degrees below zero,the Cowboys stymied the Packers with a relentless defensive attack that equaled the brutal cold that swept across the playing surface. The Cowboys sacked Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr nine times,and suitably finished the game with a end zone sack of Starr which resulted in a safety.

Under a heavy rush,Starr threw three interceptions which led to two first-half touchdowns by Dallas and the other ended a Packer scoring threat. On the Packers first series,Starr’s first attempt was intercepted by Mel Renfro at the Packer 34. Dallas quarterback Don Meredith connected with wideout Lance Rentzel for 24 yards,and tight end Frank Clarke reached the Packer 1 with an end-around. Don Perkins plunged ahead for the game’s first score,however kicker Danny Villanueva missed the extra point. Starr threw another interception on the opening play of the second quarter. Chuck Howley intercepted and returned the ball thirty yards to the Packer 13.

The Packer defense stuffed Perkins for no gain on the first play after the Howley interception. Dallas coach Tom Landry surprised Green Bay with another trick play in the shadow of the Packers goal posts. Dan Reeves completed a 13 yard touchdown pass to Lance Rentzel on a halfback option pass. Villenueva converted and Dallas held a 13-0 lead. Midway through the second quarter,the Packers appeared to be uplifted by Dave Roberson’s recovery of a blocked punt. The Packers capitalized on these types of game changing turnovers all season,but on this bitterly cold day,a pair of sacks by Bob Lilly and Howley denied Starr &Company of any such opportunity. Bob Jeter intercepted Meredith on Dallas’subsequent possession,but Green Bay hopes were stopped cold in their tracks when Dave Edwards intercepted Starr’s pass to Donny Anderson in the Cowboy end zone. The first half concluded with the Cowboys maintaining their thirteen point lead.

Green Bay blocked another Villanueva punt in the third quarter,and Starr was able to maintain possession to set up a field goal attempt. On this day,the kickers may have well attempted to kick a cinder block through the posts as Don Chandler’s 33 yard attempt fell short. The Packer hopes flickered with each second that ticked off the scoreboard clock. The flames were extinguished with ten minutes remaining when Boyd Dowler fumbled at the Packer 15 to again set up Dallas with a short field. Five rushing plays later,Perkins pushed across the goal line for another touchdown. Villanueva converted the extra point for an insurmountable twenty point lead. The next Packer possession was thwarted by another pair of Dallas sacks,and the next time Green Bay possessed the ball was at its own three yard line. Willie Townes burst through the Packer line for the ninth and final sack of Starr in the Green Bay end zone for a safety. The play encapsulated the afternoon for Starr and the Packers who were unable to gain any traction against the Cowboys defensive pressure. Dallas will face the AFL champions in Miami for the championship of professional football. The Cowboys appear to be a strong favorite against either the Raiders or the Oilers.