The significance of this NFC Championship Game is that it was the first, and to date, the only time that any Conference Championship game was played on a Saturday, instead of the usual Sunday. In their regular season meeting, Dallas had handed Washington their only loss of the year, 24–10, holding running back John Riggins to just 26 rushing yards while sacking quarterback Joe Theismann seven times and intercepting three of his passes. But this game, would turn out quite different as the Redskins sealed the victory by converting two turnovers in the final quarter into 10 points. Although Dallas outgained Washington in total yards 340–260, it wasn't enough to overcome their three turnovers versus none for the Redskins.