As the 1996 season began, the Packers were more determined than ever to reach the Super Bowl. Beginning with an eight-game winning streak, they faced the hated Cowboys during Week 11 on a Monday Night game. The Packers suffered a smarting loss, the score being 21–6. After this, they won the last five regular season games, finishing with a record of 13–3. Reaching the top of the NFC Central division, they were able to skip the wild card round this time. In the divisional playoff, they easily defeated San Francisco at Lambeau, with a score of 35–14. Meanwhile, the Cowboys had lost to the Carolina Panthers, and so the Packers would have to face this two-year-old expansion team in the NFC Championship match. The Packers beat them 30–13 to advance to Super Bowl XXXI.