What’s Christmas without nostalgia?
As the Dallas Cowboys make final preparations for their Netflix Christmas clash with the Washington Commanders, a game sure to drive massive viewership even if my household inevitably defaults to K Pop Demon Hunters for the 300th time during halftime, it feels like the right moment to pause and reflect on Christmas past.
Dallas has long owned Thanksgiving. But Christmas has offered its own moments of meaning. A playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings stands among them. And then there was 1995.
Thirty years ago, the San Francisco 49ers appeared firmly in control, poised to defend their Super Bowl title and carry home field advantage through the NFC playoffs. Then the unthinkable happened. A one point loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the regular season finale cracked the door open.
The following night, Dallas kicked it down.
On Christmas night, the Cowboys made quick and emphatic work of the Arizona Cardinals, cruising to a 37 to 14 win that secured home field advantage. Troy Aikman found Kevin Williams for two early touchdowns, and the game was effectively decided before the holiday leftovers settled.
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The blowout also marked the final game of Buddy Ryan’s NFL head coaching career. Late intrigue centered on one question only. Whether Emmitt Smith would break the single season rushing record. He eventually did, adding another line to a résumé already etched into league history.
All of it unfolded while director Cameron Crowe was quietly filming game sequences that would appear in the following December’s box office hit Jerry Maguire.
This week, super agent Leigh Steinberg, the real life inspiration for Jerry Maguire, reflected on the film’s enduring legacy.
“The film connected with the public in an impactful way,” Steinberg told AllSportsPeople. “Cameron Crowe’s brilliant writing introduced a series of lines that are part of today’s pop culture. ‘Show me the money.’ ‘You had me at hello.’ ‘You complete me.’ It’s remarkable.
“And now, thirty years later, when I’m out at a restaurant or in an airport, people still say one of those lines. The movie continues to attract new audiences. It’s playing somewhere in the world every day. And that’s really gratifying.”
Christmas football has always been about more than the scoreboard. Sometimes it is about timing. Sometimes it is about memory. And sometimes it is about realizing that even as the years pass, certain moments, like great movies and great Cowboys teams, never really leave us.
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