Super Bowl XIII was a rematch of Super Bowl X between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. This time they were facing off in front of 79,484 in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The Steelers' route to a third Super Bowl was marred by only two defeats. They suffered a 24-17 loss to Houston and a 10-7 setback at the hands of Los Angeles, after which they ran off seven consecutive victories, climaxed by a 33-10 thumping of Denver in the divisional playoff and a 34-5 whipping of Houston in the AFC title game. The Cowboys started the season sluggishly, winning only six of their first 10 games. Roger Staubach attributed the unimpressive record to "the Super Bowl syndrome, just not giving it everything you've got." The quarterback said the team was inconsistent, as if each player was waiting for another to do something to end the slump. The quarterback did not absolve himself from blame, pointing to his numerous interceptions. Running back Tony Dorsett was fumbling too frequently, Staubach said, while the offense and defense took turns playing ineffectively. Suddenly, however, the Cowboys found the combination for success. The various units started to mesh. After a 23-16 reversal by Miami, the Cowboys won their last eight games. Included were a 27-20 decision over Atlanta in the divisional playoff and a 28-0 whitewash of Los Angeles in the NFC championship game.

In the rout of the Rams', Staubach passed for two touchdowns and the Dallas defense made five interceptions, including one by Henderson that was converted into a 68-yard TD gallop -- finished off with Hollywood's patented slam-dunk over the crossbar. Dallas' defense was the most stubborn in the NFC, allowing only 107.6 rushing yards per game. Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain was the stingiest in the AFC, permitting an average of 107.8 yards rushing per game. "The first Super Bowl rematch (Pittsburgh won, 21-17, in Super Bowl X) was the game that everybody's been waiting for," said Dallas defensive end Harvey Martin. Teammate Ed (Too Tall) Jones thought that the key to the contest would be the Cowboys' degree of success in controlling Bradshaw. "If we do that well," he said, "we've got a good part of the battle won." Greene predicted that the winning team "will be the most successful at getting at the quarterback." Dallas Coach Tom Landry predicted that the champion would be the team that scored 21 points, a total achieved 12 times by each team during the season. Dallas Cowboys took the opening drive down to the Pittsburgh 34 before wide receiver Drew Pearson fumbled a handoff from Tony Dorsett on a double reverse. John Banaszak recovered the ball for the Steelers on their 47 yard line. Seven plays later, Terry Bradshaw hit John Stallworth with a 28-yard touchdown pass to give the Steelers a 7-0 lead. The Cowboys picked up their first score as time was running out in the first quarter.

After Bradshaw was forced into a fumble by Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Roger Staubach fired the ball to Tony Hill who tiptoed down the sideline for a 39-yard touchdown. Three minutes into the second quarter, Bradshaw was stripped by Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson and linebacker Mike Hegman picked up the football and ran it in for the touchdown. The Steelers came right back to tie the game when John Stallworth broke loose on a short pass and took it 75 yards for the score. The Cowboys appeared to be on their way to another score late in the second quarter before Mel Blount stepped in front of a Staubach pass and returned it to the Dallas 29. Several plays later, Bradshaw hit Rocky Bleier for seven yards and a touchdown. At the half Pittsburgh was up 21-14. Late in the third quarter, the Cowboys were threatening to score again when tight end Jackie Smith dropped a wide open pass in the endzone. Dallas was forced to settle for a field goal that pulled them to within four points. On their next possession, Pittsburgh was the beneficiary of a controversial pass interference call that set up a 22-yard burst by Franco Harris that gave the Steelers a 28-17 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Roy Gerela shanked the ball and it ended up in the hands of defensive lineman Randy White.

White fumbled the ball when he was hit by Tony Dungy. Dennis "Dirt" Winston recovered for the Steelers on the Dallas 18 and on the next play Bradshaw hit Lynn Swann in the endzone for a 35-17 lead. Dallas made a valiant comeback effort, scoring twice in the last two and a half minutes to cut the lead to 35-31, but their onside kick with 22 seconds left was unsuccessful and the Steelers held on to win the Super Bowl championship. Terry Bradshaw passed for a record four touchdowns to lead the Steelers to victory. The Steelers became the first team to win three Super Bowls, mostly because of Bradshaw's accurate arm. Bradshaw, voted the game's most valuable player, completed 17 of 30 passes for 318 yards. Pittsburgh defeated Dallas 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII at Miami to become the first team ever to win three Super Bowls, January 21. The NBC telecast was viewed in 35,090,000 homes, by an estimated 96.6 million fans.