The NFC East showdown between these heated rivals did not start out the way the Cowboys had wanted. On the Cowboys first two possessions of the game they fumbled and the Redskins took full advantage of the recoveries.

It took only two plays on the Cowboys first possession before rookie Ron Springs fumbled at the Cowboys 34 yard line. The Redskins took over and drove to the Cowboys three yard line. On third and goal Larry Cole sacked Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann and forced the Redskins to kick a field goal by Mark Mosley for an early 3-0 lead.

On the Cowboys second possession they once again fumbled the ball away. This time it was Robert Newhouse who gave the ball to the Redskins on the Cowboys 45 yard line. The Redskins drove to the Cowboys one yard line, but this time Theismann made sure there would be no field goal attempt as he scored himself, giving the Redskins a 10-0 lead.

With the Redskins leading 10-0 going into the second quarter and the Cowboys offense showing no signs of life, the Redskins offense went back to work with an 80 yard, 7 play drive. They finished the drive when Theismann connected with running back Benny Malone who eluded a tackle by D.D. Lewis. Malone raced down the right sideline for a 55 yard touchdown giving the Redskins a commanding 17-0 lead.

The Cowboys offense seemed to wake up on their next possession. They put together a 13 play, 70 yard drive. From the Redskins one yard line it was Ron Springs who would make up for his earlier fumble as he scored the Cowboys first touchdown of the game. The Redskins were now leading 17-7 with a little more then four minutes left in the first half.

With only 1:48 left in the first half the Cowboys got the ball back on their own 15 yard line. Staubach went to work as he connected with Tony Hill three times and Drew Pearson once to get to the Redskins 26 yard line. With only nine seconds remaining Staubach connected with Preston Pearson for the touchdown as Pearson made a diving catch in the end zone. The Cowboys had fought their way back into the game with two second quarter touchdowns. They went into the half down 17-14.

In the third quarter the Cowboys defense shutdown the Redskins offense. The Cowboys offense took advantage and scored the only touchdown of the quarter, which gave them their first lead of the game. After a short Redskins punt the Cowboys took over at their own 48 yard line. They needed only nine plays, which included a Butch Johnson reverse that gained 13 yards. Preston Pearson took a short pass from Staubach and got the Cowboys to the two yard line. Like Ron Springs in the first half, it was now Newhouse’s turn to make up for his earlier fumble. He scored from the two yard line, giving the Cowboys a 21-17 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter the Redskins drove to the Cowboys 7 yard line where they would have to settle for a Mark Mosley 24 yard field goal. That made the score 21-20 Cowboys.

Staubach threw his only interception of the game when he went deep over the middle from his own 13 yard line where there was no receiver in sight. Redskins safety Mark Murphy came down with the ball and returned it down to the Cowboys 25 yard line. On the Redskins first play Theismann threw into the end zone for receiver Ricky Thompson. Cowboys safety Cliff Harris bumped Thompson and was called for pass interference. The penalty placed the ball at the Cowboys one yard line where John Riggins scored to give the lead back to the Redskins, 27-21.

With less than seven minutes to play in the game, it was Riggins who seemed to put the game out of reach for the Cowboys.  Riggins broke to the outside at his own 34 yard line as he outran Cowboys linebacker Mike Hegman and then broke a tackle by Cliff Harris. Riggins then raced away from Cowboys cornerback Dennis Thurman down the right sideline and scored from 66 yards for a 34-21 Redskins lead.

With 3:49 left in the game, Randy White recovered a Redskins fumble. Roger Staubach only needed three plays to get the Cowboys closer as he connected with Ron Springs for a 26 yard touchdown. Springs caught the pass at the five yard line and dragged Redskins cornerback Ray Waddy into the end zone. The Redskins still had a 34-28 lead with 2:20 left in the game.

With time running out and the Redskins facing a third and one, veteran Larry Cole threw Riggins for a two yard loss and forced the Redskins to punt.

The Cowboys stood 75 yards away from an NFC Eastern Division title. Roger Staubach went back to work like he had done so many times in his career. He drove the Cowboys in only seven plays. During the drive he connected with Tony Hill for 20 yards, then to Preston Pearson for 22 yards. With 1:01 left in the game Staubach went back to Preston Pearson for a 25 yard gain to the Redskins 8 yard line. From there Staubach lofted a pass into the end zone that Tony Hill came down with.

The Cowboys won the game 35-34 over the Redskins and also won their 11th Eastern title in the teams 20 year history. The win also gave the Cowboys a week off and home field advantage in the playoffs. With the win it also knocked the Redskins out of the playoffs

Roger Staubach finished the game with 336 yards passing and three touchdown passes. It was also the 21st time he guided the Cowboys to a fourth quarter win and the 14th time he turned defeat into victory for the Cowboys in the final two minutes of a game.

Tony Hill led all receivers with eight receptions for 113 yards and the game winning touchdown. Preston Pearson followed Hill with five receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown. Rookie Ron Springs who started in place of the injured Tony Dorsett, rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown. He also added 58 receiving yards with one touchdown.

“What can I say about him?” asked Tom Landry. “Roger is simply super in these kinds of situations. He’s done it before and knows he can do it.”

You can see the games box score here.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912160dal.htm

Video of Larry Cole’s third down stop of John Riggins last in fourth quarter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLqUYWmsCug&feature=related

Video of some plays from winning Cowboys drive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs1saZ6tgCk

On the Cowboys side he tells of the relationship that coach Tom Landry had with his players. How he loved his players, but always knew where the line was as far as being too close because after all, this was a business and there was always that chance he would have to cut someone one day.

He tells the story about Danny White and how he could have been considered an elite quarterback in the NFL if he had just won one of the three NFC Championship games from the early 80′s. Also, how he began to lose the respect of this teammates during the 1982 strike when he sided with management.

Said Tom Landry…

“Danny White was probably as fine a winner as we have had in football. He wasn’t gifted as some quarterbacks were, but he knew how to win football games. I don’t think anybody could have followed Roger (Staubach) and done as well as Danny. If we got to the Super Bowl in 1981, we might have won the Super Bowl a couple more times. I think Danny would have gotten us there again. Danny was a solid winner and nobody recognized that too much”

Gary Myers also tells how coach Tom Landry passed on Joe Montana in the 1979 NFL Draft as well as Walter Payton in 1974 and Dan Marino in 1983.

The story of Bill Walsh and how the 49ers organization turned everything around and became the team of the 80′s. The relationship between Joe Montana and Dwight Clark and whether or not Montana really was throwing the ball to Clark on that last touchdown or was he simply trying to throw it away?

All of this and so much more as these were stories that led up to the 1981 NFC Championship game and how the two teams went in different directions after the game. Gary Myers captures it all and brings it all back after 29 years.

As far as myself, this game has always stayed with me. It’s always been a game that I thought the Cowboys should have won. A game that over the years I have also come to realize was one of the greatest games I have ever watched. The Cowboys and the 49ers were the two best teams in the NFL that year. This game was the Super Bowl as far as I’m concerned. They battled for four quarters. Back and forth with six lead changes. And it all came down to one play. Not “The Catch” as it became known as, but “The Fumble” that most fans don’t even remember.

There was only 47 seconds left in the game when the Cowboys got the ball back after Dwight Clark scored giving the 49ers a 28-27 lead. The Cowboys also had two timeouts. Plenty of time for America’s Team. On their first play Danny White connected with Drew Pearson (which was his only catch of the day) for a 31 yard gain to the 49ers 44 yard line. Pearson would have most likely scored, but it was Eric Wright who got hold of Pearson’s jersey and was able to drag him down. That tackle would have been a horse collar today. History would have changed if Pearson could have broke away from Wright’s tackle. Now with 38 seconds left on the clock all the Cowboys needed was another 14 yards to get in range for a Rafael Septien field goal attempt. Only 14 more yards! But on the next play with the 49ers rush all around Danny White, the ball came loose and the 49ers recovered.  White argued that his arm was going forward at the time.

“My arm was going forward. I was throwing the ball. I told Jim (Jim Tunney, who was the referee) , but he said no. He said my arm was coming up rather than throwing. Tony (Hill) was open on the sidelines. I knew the rush was closing in, but I didn’t feel any guy in particular. I didn’t want to take a sack. I was in the middle of throwing when I got hit”

It’s just amazing to think how so many things could have changed in those last 58 seconds for both teams. What if Dwight Clark never caught the ball? What if Drew Pearson was never tackled? What if Danny White never fumbled?

Danny White left the ball on the ground that afternoon as well as the Cowboys dreams of a Super Bowl. The team was in shock as well as the fans. But 29 years later the game is still talked about and is still considered one of the greatest games of all time.

Gary Myers “The Catch” is a book that once you start it you won’t want to put it down. There were many things that Mr. Myers wrote about that surprised me about the Cowboys over those years before and after the 1981 NFC Championship game. Here are a few…

It was defensive coordinator Ernie Stautner who with 4:54 left in the game and the 49ers on their own 11 yard line, wanted to run his nickel defense. It was also safety Charlie Waters who confronted Stautner about what a bad idea it was to be in the Nickel defense with so much time left on the clock. Stautner told Waters…

“Look, we’ll get out of the nickel, but it’s going to be all on you”

…meaning that Waters would have to answer to coach Landry. And Waters responded…

“No thanks”

For the entire 49ers final drive the Cowboys played their Nickel defense up until that last play when the 49ers scored.

Before the 1979 draft the Cowboys had their three quarterbacks (Roger Staubach, Danny White and Glenn Carano). Coach Landry thought Joe Montana was a wasted draft pick, saying…

“If we take him, I’ll probably cut him in training camp”

“I don’t know if initially he will be better than the guys we got”

Back in 1974 the Cowboys traded quarterback Craig Morton to the Giants for their 1st round pick in 1975, which turned out to be the 2nd pick overall. That pick turned out to be Randy White.

Before the 1981 Draft the Cowboys offered the New Orleans Saints who had the 1st overall pick that year, their own 1st rd pick (26th) along with running back Ron Springs, defensive tackle Larry Bethea and linebacker Guy Brown for the Saints 1st pick. The Cowboys wanted to trade up to draft Lawrence Taylor, but the Saints said no and then drafted running back George Rodgers and the Giants of course drafted LT with the #2 pick.

During the 1988 season (before Jerry Jones came to town), Tex Schramm wanted Jimmy Johnson to be the Cowboys defensive coordinator in hopes that he would replace coach Landry when he retired. This was mainly because the Eagles were interested in Johnson as their head coach in 1989. Of course we all know what happened after the 1988 season ended.

The difficult times of Drew Pearson as he lost his father before Thanksgiving in 1980, but still played in the Thanksgiving Day game. Then in 1984 the car he was driving crashed into a truck killing his younger brother. Pearson to this day has no idea what happened. The accident also ended his football career due to a lacerated kidney. His depression from the loss of his brother and his family never telling him that he was not to blame. Then on Christmas Eve 2001 teammate and best friend Harvey Martin passed away. Pearson stayed with Martin instead of going to see his mother for Christmas and a month later his mother passed away. All these things and more that he still lives with today.

The special friendship between Everson Walls and Ron Springs. The decision by Walls to give up one of his own kidneys to save Springs life. Also, how he lived with being the defender on the Dwight Clark touchdown pass. How he never put much thought into it being such an historic game.

“The Catch” has all of this and so much more. Gary Myers takes you back to one of the greatest games ever played and also takes you down roads that you have never been down before. Although the game still hurts 29 years later, it’s still one of the greatest games between two great teams. Thank you Gary Myers for writing such a great book.

1982 – Dallas loses to Minnesota 31-27

Although the Cowboys lost the game this could be the most memorable game in the Metrodome for the Cowboys, Tony Dorsett took center stage as he ran for 153 yards. He also scored one touchdown on a record breaking run that will never be broken. On their own one yard line and only ten players on the field. Dorsett took the hand-off from Danny White and broke through the middle of his offensive line. He got into the Vikings secondary and with the help of some down field blocking from Drew Pearson, Dorsett scored from 99 yards.

1983 – Dallas beats Minnesota 37-24

Minnesota took a 24-10 lead in the second quarter. But then the Cowboys scored the next 27 points and won the game 37-24. Once again Tony Dorsett led the way with 141 yards rushing. The defense held the Vikings to 272 yards on offense which included just 44 yards rushing. The defense also intercepted three passes, returning one for a touchdown by Ron Fellows.

1993 – Dallas beats Minnesota 37-20

The Cowboys entered this game with an 8-4 record, but there just seemed to be something wrong with the offense. Which continued into this game before Troy Aikman connected with Michael Irvin for a touchdown to take a 10-6 lead. From there the offense seemed to wake up and Dallas took a commanding 27-6 lead into the third quarter. Emmitt Smith led the running game with 104 yards and a touchdown and Irvin ended the day with 125 yards receiving.

1995 – Dallas beats Minnesota 23-17 in OT

This game was a battle from start to finish and ended in overtime with a great Emmitt Smith touchdown run from 31 yards out. Smith finished the game with 150 yards and two touchdowns and Michael Irvin collected 107 yards and one touchdown

1999 – Dallas loses to Minnesota 27-17

This could have been a career day for Emmitt Smith. One week after the passing of the great Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith wanted to dedicate this game in Payton’s memory. Smith ran wild in the first half gaining 140 yards on just 13 carries. He scored twice, once from 63 yards and the other from 24 yards. But on his second touchdown he got his fingers caught in a Vikings face-mask and had to leave the game. No one could predict what Smith could have gained if he didn’t leave the game. He left the game with the Cowboys leading 17-0. From that point on the Vikings scored the next 27 points and won the game.

1999 – Dallas losses to Minnesota 27-10 in Wildcard Round

This was their second meeting of the 1999 season, but not memorable as far as the Cowboys were concerned. They never really challenged the Vikings in this playoff match-up. Emmitt Smith ran for 99 yards and scored once. Rocket Ismail caught eight passes for 163 yards.

2004 – Dallas loses to Minnesota 35-17

This was the opening game of the 2004 season. Another game that was not memorable for the Cowboys as it was their first of ten losses during the 2004 season. Vinny Testaverde led the Cowboys with 355 yards passing and one touchdown. Receivers Antonio Bryant had 112 yards and Keyshawn Johnson had 111 yards.

Again, this history lesson does not mean a thing. What really means something is this Sunday’s divisional playoff game in the Metrodome. The Cowboys will face a Minnesota team that was on fire most of the 2009 season. It’s now the Cowboys who are on fire and confident in what they can do and what they want to do.

Good luck Cowboys!! Sunday can’t come soon enough.

“I didn’t hear no bell”

1980 – Dallas defeats the LA Rams 34-13

This was the very first Wildcard Playoff game the Cowboys played in. Both teams played to a 13-13 halftime tie before the Cowboys took full control in the second half behind the running of Tony Dorsett. The Cowboys outscored the Rams in the second half 21-0 as Dorsett ran for 160 yards and a touchdown. Dorsett also added a receiving touchdown from Danny White. The Cowboys offense out-gained the Rams offense 528 to 260. Of those 528 yards 338 were gained running the ball.

1982 – Dallas defeats Tampa Bay 30-17

1982 was the strike shortened season when the NFL threw out the divisions and made it so the top eight teams in the NFC and AFC made the playoffs. The Cowboys finished the season 6-3 and took on Tampa Bay in the first round. The Buccaneers actually had a 17-16 lead going into the fourth quarter before the Cowboys scored twice and took the game. Tony Dorsett ran for 110 yards and Danny White threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys out-gained the Bucs 456 to 218. The Cowboys defense collected five sacks and three interceptions off of Bucs quarterback Doug Williams.

1983 – Dallas loses to the LA Rams 24-17

This game did not start off well for the Cowboys as Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo led them down the field on their first possession and took a 7-0 lead. It was a game mostly dominated by the Rams as they held a 24-10 fourth quarter lead before the Cowboys scored late to make it closer than it actually was. The Rams held the Cowboys to only 63 yards rushing and collected four turnovers while sacking Danny White three times.

1996 – Dallas defeats Minnesota 40-15

This Wildcard game was kind of the end of the Dallas dynasty from the 90′s. It’s also the last time the Cowboys won a playoff game. The Cowboys took a commanding 30-0 lead at halftime behind the running of Emmitt Smith who ran for 116 yards and scored twice. The Cowboys out-gained the Vikings on the ground 255 to 63. Michael Irvin caught eight passes from Troy Aikman for 103 yards.

1998 – Dallas loses to Arizona 20-7

A game that was dominated by the Cardinals from the start. The Cowboys could not get anything going on offense or defense. The Cowboys offense was not able to score until the fourth quarter after the Cardinals already had a 20-0 lead. The offense also could only manage 260 yards as Emmitt Smith was held to 74 yards and Troy Aikman threw for just 191 yards and three interceptions.

So the Cowboys are 3-2 in Wildcard games at home. What does all this mean? Absolutely nothing! It’s just fun to look back at the games. Well, it’s fun to look back at the games they won.

Now as we move closer to the most recent Wildcard game which is this Saturday night. The Cowboys are red hot winning their last three games of the season and they are confident. They will need to continue everything they have done in recent weeks to beat the Eagles for the third time this season. Maybe even a trick or two if the timing is right.

Congratulations to the 2009 NFC Eastern Division Champion Dallas Cowboys. This ride is far from over.

And as Rocky Balboa said in Rocky V…”I didn’t hear no bell”.

I guess the term “coming out party” was the reason why I selected this game against the Eagles from 1991. It was coach Jimmy Johnson’s third year in Dallas. You could see the progress of the team. The talent level was also increasing. They just needed to get over that hump and get themselves into the playoffs. So on a cold mid December day in 1991 the Cowboys went to Philadelphia’s Veteran Stadium with a 9-5 record looking to get over that hump. The game was not too exciting and the stats will not jump out at anyone, but what you did see was a team coming together and doing something they had not done since 1985. They earned their way into the playoffs.

The Cowboys jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a Ken Willis 50 yard field goal. They increased their lead to 5-0 when Manny Hendrix tackled John Booty in the end zone after the Eagles fumbled the ensuing kickoff.

The Eagles came right back in the second quarter and took the lead 7-5 when quarterback Jeff Kemp connected with Maurice Johnson on a 31 yard touchdown pass. The Eagles added a field goal before halftime and took a 10-5 lead into the locker room.

The only points in the third quarter came from another Ken Willis field goal which cut the Eagles lead to 10-8. The Cowboys would take control of the game in the fourth quarter.

Dallas punt returner Kelvin Martin fielded an Eagles punt his own 15 yard line and raced up-field.  After breaking a few hand tackles Martin found himself at midfield with only Eagles punter Jeff Feagles in front of him. Feagles lunged at Martin’s feet, but Martin was able to keep his balance. After getting past Feagles it was Eagles running back Robert Drummond who was racing after Martin from behind. As Martin passed midfield he saw that Dallas cornerback Issiac Holt, who was now in front of him was directing Martin to go to his right. As Martin passed him, Holt took aim at Drummond and hit with a bone crushing block that made every highlight film that night. Martin finished his 85 yard punt return for a touchdown and gave the Cowboys the lead at 15-10. I tried my best to find the video of Issiac Holt’s block because it was one of the best blocks I have ever seen. You could actually see Drummond crumble to the ground.

“That block will make ESPN’s highlights,” Avezzano said. “That guy would have caught Kelvin.”

The Eagles answered back with a field goal and closed the Cowboys lead to 15-13. There was still 9:46 left in the game and the Cowboys had the ball at their own 20 yard line. Instead of going conservative, offensive coordinator Norv Turner ran a play-action pass on first down. Eagles linebacker Byron Evans bit on the fake which allowed Jay Novacek to run past him. Cowboys quarterback Steve Beuerlein hit Novacek in stride for a 32 yard gain putting the Cowboys in Eagles territory.

“It was very aggressive play-calling,” Beuerlein said. “Norv (Turner, the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator) knows you’ve got to make plays to win ball games – and he gave us a chance.”

Steve Beuerlein did not have a great game. He was only 9 of 31 for 145 yards. He also started the game with ten straight incompletions. But the important thing was that he never turned the ball over and neither did anyone else on the Cowboys.

The Cowboys continued their drive after the Novacek reception and found themselves at the Eagles four yard line. Beuerlein then found Michael Irvin in the end zone for the touchdown and a 22-13.

The Cowboys would add a third Ken Willis field goal to finish out the game and walked away with a 25-13 win. The win also clinched a playoff spot for the Cowboys for the first time since 1985 and the first time under coach Jimmy Johnson.

“We shocked the house,” Cowboys safety James Washington said.

“At halftime, the whole talk was that we were one play away from taking the lead,” Johnson said. “Just hang in there, be patient and execute the plan.”

“It’s our biggest win to this point,” Johnson said. “But we’ve got bigger wins coming.”

Dallas would finish the 1991 season with an 11-5 record. They would have to travel to Chicago in the first round of the playoffs where they upset the Bears 17-13. But then their season would come to an end in Detroit the following week as the Lions handed the Cowboys a horrible 38-6 loss.

You can view the box score here…

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199112150phi.htm

UPDATE: I was able to locate the video of Kelvin Martin’s punt return. This video starts with the punt return and then shows other highlights from 1991 and 1992.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9IWaI1NVL4

Unlike the 1983 season opener when the Cowboys had to come from a 23-3 deficit to win the game. This game the Cowboys took the lead and never looked back.

The only scoring in the first quarter came from Rafael Septien on a 53 yard field goal giving the Cowboys a 3-0.

In the second quarter the Cowboys put together a 98 yard drive that took up 8:49 of the clock. Timmy Newsome finished the long drive with a one yard touchdown run to put the Cowboys up 10-0.

The Redskins scored on a John Riggins touchdown run to make the score 10-7, but that would be as close as they would get to the Cowboys as the Cowboys took full control of the game.

The Cowboys closed out the first half scoring as Danny White connected with  receiver Mike Renfro on a 55 yard touchdown pass with only six seconds left in the half. Dallas went to the locker room leading the Redskins 17-7.

The second half would be a dominating performance by the Cowboys defense as they confused Joe Theismann and the Redskins offense with different coverages and blitzes. The Redskins first three possessions of the third quarter all ended in turnovers and resulted in points for the Cowboys.

Everson Walls got things started as he stepped in front of a Theismann pass and intercepted it, giving the Cowboys the ball at the Redskins 44 yard line. The Cowboys could only manage a Septein field goal and a 20-7 lead.

On the Redskins next possession linebacker Eugene Lockhart forced Redskins running back George Rodgers to fumble and Dexter Clinksdale recovered at the Redskins 40 yard line. But once again the Cowboys had to settle for a Septien field goal. Dallas was now up 23-7.

Third possession for the Redskins and third straight turnover as Ron Fellows intercepted Theismann and returned it to the Redskins 13 yard line. This time the Cowboys were able to get into the end zone as Tony Dorsett burst through the middle of his offensive line and scored from nine yards out. Dallas was now up on the Redskins 30-7.

With all the turnovers the Dallas defense was getting, they decided that they wanted to do some scoring themselves. Cornerback Victor Scott collected his own interception off of Theismann early in the fourth quarter and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown which put the Cowboys ahead 37-7.

The Redskins managed a touchdown of their own as all the Dallas scoring was going on and made the score 37-14.

Dallas cornerback Dennis Thurman finished the scoring as he intercepted Jay Schroeder who replaced Theismann and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys completed their domination of the Redskins and won the game 44-14.

Joe Theismann threw five interceptions to five different Cowboys and only managed 206 yards passing in the game. Joe Gibbs took him out of the game midway through the fourth quarter and as Theismann sat on the bench something began to be heard. It started low and then got louder and clearer. It was the Texas Stadium crowd who started singing Happy Birthday to Theismann over and over again.

“It was a hot night, and we were hot,” coach Tom Landry said.

“I’m really surprised,” Landry said. “It doesn’t happen like that very often. It was one of those nights when they didn’t have anything going for them, and we had everything going for us. You don’t ever expect to beat the Redskins like this. We shouldn’t have even been favored. Somebody must have been crazy.”

“I just couldn’t be more pleased with the play of our defensive backs,” Landry said. “They were in great position all game. When you win this way, the other team has a lot to do with it. We just kept on the pressure. Right now we are at an emotional high as you might expect.”

“Hey, if I hit a couple of passes after those turnovers, we could have scored 64 points,” White said. “We were just missing against the blitz. Our offense didn’t even have to show up tonight. The defense scored twice and set up up so many times in plus territory.”

You can see the box score of the game here…

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198509090dal.htm

I also found this video that shows all six of the Cowboys interceptions in the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_WGel23tU8

The Cowboys went into the game against the Saints with a 4-3 record. They started strong with their first drive of the game as Hogeboom drove them to the Saints 20 yard line before the drive stalled on a Hogeboom sack by Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson. Rafael Septien kicked a field goal and the Cowboys took a short lived 3-0 lead.

Early in the second quarter the Saints punted and pinned the Cowboys on their own one yard line. The Cowboys were forced to punt after three plays and no yards gained. Danny White could only manage a 36 yard punt and the Saints took over on the Cowboys 39 yard line. Two plays later the Saints took the lead on a Richard Todd (Yes, the same Richard Todd who played for the Jets in the late 70s and early 80′s) to Tyrone Young 36 yard touchdown pass as Young streaked across the middle beating Everson Walls and Ron Fellows. The Saints went ahead 7-3.

The Cowboys could only manage another Septien field goal before the Saints went back to work. The Saints alternated running backs in 1984. Their first back was Earl Campbell (67 yds rushing in the game) and they also had George Rodgers (52 yds rushing in the game). But it was fullback Hokie Gajan who took center stage in this game as he ran for 78 yards and a touchdown. His score came after Ed Jones got a hold of him in the backfield, but Gajan managed to break free and went untouched from that point and scored from 62 yards out. This gave the Saints a 14-6 lead with 2:54 left before halftime.

Saints kicker Morten Anderson added a field goal at the end of the first half increasing the Saints lead to 17-6. Things would only get worse for the Cowboys in the third quarter.

Morten Anderson kicked his second field goal of the game early in the third quarter. With the Saints leading 20-6 things went from bad to worse for the Cowboys as Hogeboom was intercepted by Dirt Winston who then returned it 43 yards for a Saints touchdown. The Saints now led 27-6.

On the interception Hogeboom hit his wrist on a Saints helmet and forced him to the bench for the rest of the game. With the injury, it forced Danny White into the game. The entrance of White seemed to wake the Cowboys up.

Early in the fourth quarter Cowboys special teams player Chuck McSwain blocked a Saints punt and the Cowboys recovered on the Saints three yard line. From there Tony Dorsett ran it in and got the Cowboys closer at 27-13.

Late in the fourth quarter with only 3:59 to play Danny White threw a 12 yard touchdown pass to receiver Mike Renfro. This closed the Saints lead to 27-20.

With 2:53 left in the game and veteran Kenny Stabler in at quarterback for the Saints because of Richard Todd’s injury early in the fourth quarter, the Dallas defense made a stand. Stabler attempted to pass from his own nine yard line as Randy White came crashing through the line and sacked Stabler forcing a fumble. The ball rolled into the end zone where Jim Jeffcoat fought through a wild scramble of players and recovered the fumble for the touchdown. With the extra point the Cowboys tied the game at 27-27.

The Cowboys actually got the ball back two more times in the final 1:20 of the game on two Stabler interceptions, but could not move the ball into scoring position. The game would go into overtime.

The Cowboys won the coin toss in overtime. From their own 29 yard line Danny White attempted a pass to Tony Hill who was interfered with, which resulted in a 24 yard penalty. Then White completed a 15 yard pass to Renfro to set up Septien for the winning field. Septein kicked a 41 yard field goal to complete the comeback and the Cowboys won the game 30-27. The comeback was the Cowboys biggest in team history.

“I always feel we can come back and win it,” coach Tom Landry said. “Our guys found out how hard you have to work to win a football game.”

“I feel good about our team now, said Landry. Better than I felt all year. We just haven’t played with the tough emotion we played with in the fourth quarter. It may be the difference the rest of the season. I’ve been saying all along we have to play hard to win.”

“I thought all along I should start. But I don’t think because of the way Gary played I should start,” White said. “I’d love to start to be back in there, where I should have been all along. But that’s up to coach Landry. It meant a lot for my confidence.”

You can view the box score here…

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198410210dal.htm

Both teams were filled with star players back in 1980. The Chargers had an explosive offense with quarterback Dan Fouts, running back Chuck Muncie, wide receivers John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner and tight end Kellen Winslow. The Cowboys were also filled with stars like Danny and Randy White, Tony Dorsett, Drew Pearson and Tony Hill, Harvey Martin, Ed Jones, Dennis Thurman.

The Chargers offense started off quick in the first quarter on their first possession. Dan Fouts worked the team down the field on a few completions to John Jefferson and they found themselves on the Dallas 27 yard line when the drive stalled. Chargers kicker Rolf Benirschke kicked a 45 yard field goal to take the lead 3-0.

The Cowboys put together a drive of their own on their first possession, but kicker Rafael Septien missed his field goal attempt which would have tied the game.

The Dallas defense collected what would be their first of seven turnovers by the Chargers. Cornerback Steve Wilson jumped in front of a Fouts pass at the Dallas 30 yard line and returned it all the way to the Chargers 35 yard line. Danny White drove the Cowboys down to the 4 yard line where Ron Springs scored, putting the Cowboys ahead 7-3.

Early in the second quarter Septien missed yet another field goal attempt. From that point on the Chargers offense put it in high gear. The Chargers first touchdown of the game came when Fouts passed to Charlie Joiner. But after being hit by Steve Wilson the ball bounced off of Wilson and into the hands of John Jefferson who raced for the score from 58 yards out. This gave the Chargers a 10-7 lead.

On the Cowboys next series Danny white threw his only interception of the game, but it turned out to be a score for San Diego. The Dallas offense was backed up on their own 8 yard line and White attempted a pass to backup running back James Jones. White was intercepted by San Diego’s Woodrow Lowe who returned it 16 yards for the touchdown. This increased the Chargers lead to 17-7.

The Cowboys put together a 75 yard drive on their next possession and closed the lead to three points. White connected with Butch Johnson on a 17 yard touchdown pass as the second quarter was winding down.

San Diego was not done with their second quarter scoring as they scored their third touchdown of the quarter. Fouts drove his team 65 yards in only five plays and capped it with his second touchdown pass of the half. Kellen Winslow caught the nine yard touchdown pass and the Chargers went into halftime with a 24-14 lead on the Cowboys.

As the second quarter would be owned by the Chargers with 21 points. It was the Cowboys turn in the third quarter. White drove the Cowboys to the Chargers 10 yard line. But on first down White fumbled the snap and backup tight end Jay Saldi alertly picked it up and ran it down to the two yard line. From there Timmy Newsome scored and pulled the Cowboys back to within three points, 24-21.

The Dallas defense got the ball back for the offense and once again it was Danny White who led the team deep into Chargers territory. During the drive it was White who faked a punt from his own 39 yard line on a fourth and 11. White gained 12 yards to keep the drive going. Sitting at the Chargers one yard line it was Timmy Newsome once again scoring and putting the Cowboys back in the lead 28-24.

The Dallas defense went back to work and got the ball back again. This time it was Randy White who forced Chuck Muncie to fumble and linebacker Anthony Dickerson recovered at the Chargers 11 yard line. Two plays later White threw his second touchdown pass of the game as he hit Jay Saldi from 12 yards out. The Cowboys had scored their second touchdown in a 2:31 span and also their third of the quarter. They took a 35-24 lead into the fourth quarter.

As the fourth quarter started Fouts and the Chargers tried to pull closer. Fouts went deep to Winslow. Charlie Waters tipped the ball and Winslow came down with it and raced towards the end zone. Dallas cornerback Aaron Mitchell hit Winslow and forced a fumble at the Dallas 15 yard line. Dennis Thurman scooped up the loose ball and returned it up to the 29 yard line.

The Dallas defense came up with another interception on the Chargers next drive. Dallas took advantage as White threw his third touchdown pass of the game as he connected with Billy Joe DuPree from nine yards out. Dallas took a commanding 42-24 lead on the Chargers.

The Cowboys could have added more points, but Septien missed his third field goal of the game from 44 yards out on the Cowboys next possession.

The Chargers made it a little closer as the game was about to end as Fouts threw his third touchdown pass of the game and second to Winslow.

The Cowboys came away with a 42-31 win against the San Diego Chargers which improved their season record to 6-2. The Dallas offense gained 425 yards on the Chargers as Danny White threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns. White also connected with nine different receivers. Keep in mind that the game was played without Tony Dorsett who was out with an injury.Ron Springs filled in for Dorsett and ran for 61 yards on 13 carries.

Although the Chargers came up short in this game their offense was still explosive as Fouts threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns. It was his four interceptions that really hurt his team. Chuck Muncie ran for 71 yards. John Jefferson had 160 yards for the game and Charlie Joiner had 110 yards. The Chargers offense gained 449 yards on the Dallas defense.

“Our offense played very well, particularly in the second half.” observed head coach Tom Landry. It was a great game, a very important one for us. It was one we needed to win.”

“No, things weren’t going by design out there tonight,” White said. “They had a great pass rush and we were able to salvage a lot of busted plays, particularly in the second half. Things seemed to bounce their way in the first half but we got ours in the second.”

You can view the box score here…

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198010260dal.htm

So I ended up making my decision on which game to write about. It wasn’t a classic showdown. It was a game that allowed the Cowboys to send a message to the NFL. A message that even though they lost the NFC Championship the last time they were on the field they were still one of the best teams, if not the best in the NFL in 1995.

The stage…Monday Night Football

The site…Giants Stadium

When…Opening night of the 1995 season

The Cowboys entered the 1995 season looking to bounce back from a tough defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. They were matched up against their division rival NY Giants. The Giants had finished second to the Cowboys in the NFC East in both 1993 and 1994 and they thought they were prepared to take over the division in 1995. But they seemed to forget one person who played for the Cowboys. His name? Emmitt Smith.

Emmitt Smith could not have started his 1995 season any better. On his first carry of the season he broke through a hole created by his offensive line and scored on a 60 yard run. As he got to the goal line he waved to the Giants cornerback who was chasing him. Some Giants player’s thought it was a sign of disrespect from Smith. But Smith later explained after the game that it was just a reaction due to all his hamstring problems from the 1994 season. The Cowboys were up 7-0 in the first quarter and that was only the beginning.

The Cowboys offense went back to work in the second quarter as Troy Aikman connected with Michael Irvin on a seven yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-0. Then Emmitt Smith would score his second touchdown of the game from one yard out to send the Cowboys into halftime with a commanding 21-0 lead on the Giants.

The Cowboys were dominating both sides of the ball, but the one piece of bad news from the first half was the season ending injury to cornerback Kevin Smith. The injury occurred in the end zone on a non-contact play and the result was a ruptured Achilles for Smith. It was just one day before that Smith had signed a $11 million contract. Although the injury was devastating to the Cowboys defense. It also opened an opportunity for owner Jerry Jones. Can anyone say Deion?

Emmitt Smith continued to slice up the Giants defense as he added his third touchdown of the game in the third quarter on the Cowboys first drive. Emmitt’s touchdown put the Cowboys on top 28-0 and that’s how the score would stay as the fourth quarter started.

In what would be a record breaking season for Emmitt Smith with his 25 rushing touchdowns and another rushing title. Smith got off to a great start in 1995 against the Giants as he scored his fourth touchdown of the game. His third from one yard out and increased the Cowboys lead to 35-0.

There was nothing better than beating the Giants on Monday Night Football, in Giants Stadium and not allowing them to score a single point. The Dallas defense only allowed the Giants offense 211 yards while sacking Giants quarterback Dave Brown twice and intercepting him once. The 35-0 nothing beating was probably one of most dominating performances against the Giants I’ve seen since becoming a Dallas fan.

“We were expecting a tougher ballgame, no question,” Aikman said. “I think they’re a better football team than that.”

“It was total domination in all areas,” Switzer said. “When the Dallas Cowboys run the football like that, we’re very difficult to beat.”

Emmitt Smith of course led the Cowboys offense with 163 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Aikman connected on 15 of 20 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown. Irvin caught 7 passes for 109 yards. When both Smith and Irvin gained over 100 yards in the same game the Cowboys were 11-0.

Also, with the season ending injury to Kevin Smith. It pushed owner Jerry Jones to go out and sign Deion Sanders to what would be a seven year contact.

“We’re devastated about Kevin Smith’s injury, said coach Switzer. I think it’s probably a season-ending injury. I told Jerry (Jones) after the ballgame to go get Deion. It’s not showtime anymore. It’s serious business.”

You can view the box score here…

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199509040nyg.htm

As the first quarter got under way the Dallas defense got their first of the Raiders  six turnovers on the night as quarterback Marc Wilson fumbled the snap from center and Ed (Too Tall) Jones recovered at the Raiders 33 yard line.

It would not be your normal night as coach Tom Landry went deep into his bag of tricks. With the Cowboys at the Raiders 15 yard line Danny White went into the shotgun. On the snap running back Ron Springs who was lined up in the slot got the hand-off from White as he ran from right to left like it was a sweep play. While this was happening White kind of wandered off to the right sideline. Springs then stopped and passed the ball to White who was all alone for the 15 yard touchdown pass. Dallas took the lead 7-0 with just over 2:00 gone in the first quarter.

The Raiders answered the Cowboys touchdown with ten of their own points in the first quarter. Their points came thanks to Cowboys rookie punter John Warren who could only manage a 30 yard punt and a 34 yard punt on back to back Cowboys possessions. On the 34 yard punt Warren twisted his knee and the punting went back to Danny White for the night.

Danny White’s first punt attempt of the night was fumbled by the Raiders and Cowboys special teams specialist Rod Hill recovered at the Raiders 38 yard line. Dallas took advantage again of the turnover and from the two yard line Ron Springs scored and gave Dallas the lead back, 14-10 early in the second quarter.

On the Raiders next possession Marcus Allen fumbled and the Cowboys once again recovered at the Raiders 20 yard line. Dallas converted that turnover into a Rafael Septien field goal for a 17-10 lead.

The Raiders got back into the game with the running of Frank Hawkins who rushed for 118 yard in the game. He ran untouched into the end zone from 23 yards out and score was tied 17-17.

Even without the benefit of a Raiders turnover the Cowboys drove on the Raiders number ranked defense. Dallas put together a 76 yard drive in 8 plays and then capped the drive with a Danny White to Butch Johnson touchdown. Dallas took the lead again 24-17. Those looking for Butch Johnson’s famous California Quake dance after the touchdown were disappointed. Johnson was unable to do his dance because before the season Landry said there would no end zone dancing during the season.

The wild second quarter continued as the Raiders tied the game again on another Frank Hawkins touchdown pass from Marc Wilson. As the first half was coming to an end Danny White threw an interception on the Raiders 22 yard line. This time it would be the Raiders who would take advantage of the turnover. Marc Wilson drove the Raiders into Dallas territory. With nine seconds left the Raiders lined up for the go ahead field goal. Marc Wilson was also the holder on field goals and when he took the snap he stood up to attempt the fake. As he threw the ball he was hit by Dallas cornerback Dennis Thurman. The ball landed well in front of the intended receiver, but Dallas linebacker Anthony Dickerson was called for pass interference on the receiver even though he had no chance to catch the ball.

The pass interference penalty put the ball at the Dallas one yard line with only three seconds left in the first half. Instead of going for the field goal, Raiders coach Tom Flores sent his offense onto the field. Marc Wilson found tight end Todd Christensen over the middle for the easy score. The Raiders ended the wild first half of football with the lead, 31-24.

I guess both teams must have been tired from all the first half excitement because only a field goal was scored in the third quarter. That was from the Raiders who recovered a Danny White fumble on his own 20 yard line. They converted that into a Chris Bahr field goal and entered the fourth quarter with a ten point lead on the Cowboys, 34-24.

Dallas got the scoring going early in the fourth quarter with Danny White throwing his second touchdown pass of the game. White connected with receiver Doug Donley from 17 yards and cut the Raiders lead to 34-31.

The Dallas defense went back to work on the Raiders. With a little over 13:00 to play Anthony Dickerson forced a Marc Wilson fumble. Linebacker Mike Hegman scooped up the ball and ran it in for the go ahead touchdown from nine yards out. Once again the Cowboys had the lead at 38-34.

The Raiders were able to put another field goal on the board to tighten the Cowboys lead to 38-37. From that point things seemed to be good for the Cowboys.

With 7:00 remaining and the Raiders at the Cowboys 35 yard line, Dennis Thurman forced a fumble by Raiders receiver Dokie Williams. Dallas linebacker Dexter Clinkscale recovered.

The Cowboys moved the ball into Raiders territory with just over 3:00 to play in the game. On a 3rd and 15 Danny White looked deep for Tony Hill, but was intercepted by the Raiders at the 13 yard line and it was returned up to the 25 yard line.

Marc Wilson started to drive the Raiders. With some great passes to receiver Dokie Williams the Raiders got to the Cowboys nine yard line with only 20 seconds left in the game. Chris Bahr lined up for a 26 yard field attempt. As Bahr kicked the ball and it sailed over his offensive line, up jumped Dallas cornerback Michael Downs from behind his defensive line. Downs came within maybe an inch or two from blocking the kick, but the ball continued to sail up and through for the winning points. The Raiders had pulled off the upset in a wild night at Texas Stadium, 40-38.

The loss for the Cowboys was their first of the 1983 season. They would go 5-3 the rest of the season and finish with a 12-4 record. Their 1983 season would end at home in the playoffs to the LA Rams, 24-17.

You can view the box score here..

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198310230dal.htm