The 10 biggest what-ifs in Dallas Cowboys history
• What if Tony Romo was healthy in 2016?
• What if the refs knew what a catch was?
By Randy Gurzi
3. What if Dwight Clark didn't make "The Catch?"
As is often the case a handful of plays can determine a game, even in one where a singular play stands out.
We already discussed "The Catch" which was when Dwight Clark pulled down a game-winning touchdown pass from Joe Montana.
Down 27-21, Montana rolled to his right and looked for Freddie Solomon, who had slipped. He then saw Clark, who went up for the catch, pulling it down with his fingers. That allowed them to knock off the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship Game. From there, the 49ers ended up winning the Super Bowl as they knocked off the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 26-21.
This was the first of four Super Bowl wins for the 49ers and it started their dynasty of the 1980s. It also put the Cowboys dynasty on ice as they had to wait unitl the triplets came in the 1990s to once again start winning.
But had Dwight Clark not been able to pull down the finger-tip catch, the Cowboys could have headed into Super bowl XVI and likely handled the Cincinnati Bengals. They would then be able to boast six trophies and Danny White would be seen as more than just the quarterback between Roger Staubach and Troy Aikiman.