Finally the Super Bowl, the championship round of the playoffs, was played at a neutral site, with the designated home team based on an annual rotation by conference.

A 14-yard punt return by Dallas running back James Jones set up kicker Rafael Septién's 28-yard field goal to give the Cowboys a 3-0 lead.

Then Cowboys corner Aaron Mitchell picked off a pass from Ferragamo and returned it 12 yards, setting off a 70-yard Dallas drive that ended with White's 35-yard touchdown completion to Butch Johnson.

Now with a comfortable lead, Dallas put the game away early in the fourth quarter, driving 95 yards, including a 23-yard burst by Dorsett, to go up 34-13 on White's 11-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson.

Houston's offense also featured future hall of fame tight end Dave Casper, who had played for Oakland since 1974 until he was traded to the Oilers in week 6.

[2] at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Eagles forced eight turnovers, seven in the second half, en route to a 31–16 victory, while also holding the Vikings to just 215 total yards, with a mere 36 on the ground.

The Vikings scored 14 unanswered points in the first half, starting with wide receiver Sammy White's 30-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Tommy Kramer.

Early in the fourth quarter, Ken Clarke of the Eagles recovered a fumble from Doug Paschal, which was soon countered by Jaworski's interception to John Turner.

Then on the Vikings next drive, Edwards intercepted another pass and returned it 14 yards to the Minnesota 31, leading to Perry Harrington's 1-yard rushing touchdown to make the final score 31-16.

With 2:08 left in the fourth quarter, Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts threw the game-winning 50-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ron Smith to defeat the Bills, 20–14.

First they responded to the field goal by driving 72 yards, aided by a 37-yard pass interference penalty on linebacker Ray Preston, to score on Roosevelt Leaks' 1-yard touchdown run.

Late in the second quarter, Charles Romes forced a fumble from Charlie Joiner that defensive back Bill Simpson recovered for Buffalo on the Chargers 33-yard line.

Buffalo had a great chance to put the game away when Lou Piccone blocked a Chargers punt that was recovered by linebacker Ervin Parker on the San Diego 38.

But two plays later, defensive tackle Fred Dean dropped Joe Cribbs for a 1-yard loss on third and 1, and then Nick Mike-Mayer missed a 49-yard field goal attempt, giving the ball back to San Diego with 3:59 left.

With the game-time temperature at 4 °F (−16 °C), the coldest NFL playoff game since the Ice Bowl of December 31, 1967, the first quarter contained nothing but punts and interceptions, with Cleveland's Ron Bolton and Oakland's Lester Hayes each recording a pick.

On Oakland's ensuing drive, quarterback Jim Plunkett lost a fumble while being sacked, but their defense kept the Browns in check and Cockroft missed another field goal try, this one from 30 yards out.

After an exchange of punts, Oakland managed to get on the board, with Plunkett completing passes to Bob Chandler and Raymond Chester for gains of 15 and 26 yards on a 64-yard scoring drive.

Then after forcing a punt, Cleveland drove to the Raiders 24-yard line, but on a field goal attempt, holder Paul McDonald was unable to handle a bad snap and was downed for an 11-yard loss.

In the second quarter, Dallas recovered a fumble in Atlanta territory and tied the game on quarterback Danny White's 5-yard touchdown completion to tight end Billy Joe DuPree.

Then after forcing a punt, Atlanta mounted another drive into Dallas territory, but Steve Wilson intercepted a pass from Bartkowski and the score remained 17–10 at halftime.

After recovering the fumble, Atlanta stormed down the field and increased their lead to 24–10 with Bartkowski's 12-yard touchdown pass to running back William Andrews.

Dallas subsequently forced a punt, but Atlanta safety Tom Pridemore intercepted a pass from White and returned it 22 yards to the Cowboys 37-yard line, setting up a 34-yard field goal from Tim Mazzetti to increase the lead to 27–17.

Then two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Dallas lineman Ed "Too Tall" Jones appeared to jump offsides, which would have given the Falcons a first down, but managed to maintain his footing and avoid crossing the line of scrimmage before the snap.

Charlie Waters fumbled the snap on the extra point attempt, keeping the score 30–27 and giving Atlanta a chance to drive for the tying field goal.

Dallas was forced to a three and out on their opening drive, and the kick from quarterback Danny White (who also served as the team's punter) went just 26 yards before John Sciarra returned it to the Cowboys 42-yard line.

Dallas seemed to be in position to respond when tight end Jay Saldi made a leaping catch on the Eagles 40-yard line for a 28-yard gain, White's longest completion of the day.

On the next play rookie cornerback Roynell Young stripped the ball from Dorsett, and linebacker Jerry Robinson returned it 22 yards to the Dallas 38-yard line.

[2] at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California Oakland built a 28–7 first half lead, but had to hold off a furious comeback attempt to become the second wild card team in NFL history to make it to the Super Bowl.

Following Hank Bauer's 27-yard kickoff return to the 36-yard line, San Diego drove 64 yards in 13 plays, including a 24-yard reception by Thomas, to score on Fouts' 8-yard touchdown completion to Joiner, cutting their deficit to 28–14 with 1:05 left in the half.

Then after a three and out, Matthews returned Partridge's next punt six yards to the Oakland 49, where the Raiders added a 33-yard field goal from Bahr to increase their lead to 34–24 with 9:46 left in the game.