| 1978 Dallas Cowboys season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Clint Murchison, Jr. |
| General manager | Tex Schramm |
| Head coach | Tom Landry |
| Home field | Texas Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Falcons) 27–20 Won NFC Championship (at Rams) 28–0 Lost Super Bowl XIII (vs. Steelers) 31–35 |
The 1978 Dallas Cowboys season was their 19th in the National Football League (NFL). For the third consecutive season, the Cowboys finished in first place in the NFC East. The Cowboys scored 384 points, which ranked first in the league, while the defense only gave up 208 points, 3rd best in the league. Twice, the Cowboys appeared on Monday Night Football .
The Cowboys became the first franchise to appear in five Super Bowls. With their loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XIII, they also became the first team to lose a Super Bowl after having won it the previous year.
| 1978 Dallas Cowboys draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Larry Bethea | DE | Michigan State | |
| 2 | 56 | Todd Christensen * | RB | BYU | |
| 3 | 84 | Dave Hudgens | OT | Oklahoma | |
| 4 | 110 | Alois Blackwell | RB | Houston | |
| 5 | 138 | Rich Rosen | OG | Syracuse | |
| 6 | 166 | Harold Randolph | LB | East Carolina | |
| 7 | 194 | Tom Randall | DT | Iowa State | |
| 8 | 222 | Homer Butler | WR | UCLA | |
| 9 | 250 | Russ Williams | DB | Tennessee | |
| 10 | 278 | Barry Tomasetti | OT | Iowa | |
| 11 | 306 | Dennis Thurman * | CB | USC | |
| 12 | 334 | Lee Washburn | OG | Montana | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
The defending Super Bowl champions were again led by quarterback Roger Staubach. Staubach finished the season as the top rated passer in the NFL (84.9) by throwing 231 out of 413 completions for 3,190 yards and 25 touchdowns, with 16 interceptions. He also rushed for 182 yards and another touchdown. Wide receivers Drew Pearson and Tony Hill provided the deep passing threats, combining for 90 receptions, 537 yards, and 7 touchdowns. Tight end Billy Joe Dupree contributed 34 receptions for 509 yards and 9 touchdowns. Running back Tony Dorsett had another fine season, recording a total of 1703 combined rushing and receiving yards, and scoring a total of 9 touchdowns. Fullback Robert Newhouse and halfback Preston Pearson also contributed from the offensive backfield, combining for 1,326 rushing and receiving yards, while Newhouse also scored 10 touchdowns. The Cowboys also had a superb offensive line, led by Herbert Scott and 6-time Pro Bowler Rayfield Wright
The Cowboys' "Doomsday Defense" finished the season as the top-ranked defense in the league against the run by only allowing 107.6 yards per game. Pro Bowl linemen Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Harvey Martin and Randy White anchored the line, while linebackers Bob Breunig, D. D. Lewis and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson provided solid support. Their secondary, led by safeties Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters, along with cornerbacks Benny Barnes and Aaron Kyle, combined for 16 interceptions.
The Cowboys started the regular season slowly, winning only six of their first ten games. Both the offense and the defense played ineffectively, including giving up interceptions and fumbles. Dallas finished strong, winning their last six regular season games to post a 12–4 record.
In the aftermath of the season, NFL Films produced its annual highlight reel as it does for every NFL team. Notable of the highlight reel was the title "America's Team". It would come to be a label that would define the Dallas Cowboys for the rest of their history. However, the label is most remembered for the Cowboys of this era, appearing in three Super Bowls in four years and claiming a unique spotlight in the American consciousness.
Division opponents are in bold text
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| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Cowboys (2-1) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Rams (3-0) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
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The week-3 contest between the Rams and Cowboys was a hard-fought early season match-up between two rivals who hated each other. Twice the Rams led by a touchdown during the game, only to have the Cowboys come back to even up the score. With the game tied at 14–14 in the 4th quarter, QB-Pat Haden connected with WR-Willie Miller for a 43-yard touchdown reception to increase the Rams lead by 6-points. But, after the Rams FG-kicker (Frank Corral) missed the easy extra point the score remained 20–14, leaving the Rams desperately clinging to a 6-point lead against a Cowboys team well known for pulling-out close games late in the 4th-quarter.
However, the Rams defense abruptly put an end to the Cowboys hopes of engineering another last minute victory after DB-Rod Perry intercepted a pass from QB-Roger Staubach and returned it for a 43-yrd TD to secure the Rams 27–14 victory. In response to Perry's game winning interception return, over 65,000 fans that filled Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that day simultaneously erupted into a bedlam of deafening cheers. Then, what started off as an extremely raucous celebration soon developed into jeering and taunting of the Cowboys during the last few minutes of the game, by both the fans and quite a few of the Rams players too. This provoked a very rare angry response from Staubach, who was seen pointing his finger at the boisterous Rams players on the sideline, telling them that the Cowboys "will get them" the next time they meet each other.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Cardinals (0-4) | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| Cowboys (3-1) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
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| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Cowboys (3-2) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Redskins (5-0) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
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| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
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| Cowboys (5-2) | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| Cardinals (0-7) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
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| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Eagles (4-4) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Cowboys (6-2) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Game information | ||
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| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Vikings (5-4) | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Cowboys (6-3) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Cowboys (6-4) | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
| Dolphins (7-3) | 17 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
at Orange Bowl
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| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Cowboys (7-4) | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| Packers (7-4) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Game information | ||
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| Team Stats | Dal | GNB |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 32 | 9 |
| Rush-yards-TDs | 58-313-4 | 17-66-1 |
| Net pass yards | 224 | 76 |
| Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT | 21-34-234-2-0 | 7-26-88-1-2 |
| Sacked-yards | 2-10 | 3-12 |
| Total yards | 537 | 142 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Penalties-yards | 9-80 | 6-41 |
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| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Redskins (8-5) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Cowboys (9-4) | 13 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 37 |
| Game information |
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| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Patriots (10-4) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Cowboys (10-4) | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Game information |
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| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Cowboys (11-4) | 14 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
| Eagles (8-7) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Game information |
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| NFC East | |||||||||
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| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Dallas Cowboys (2) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 7–1 | 9–3 | 384 | 208 | W6 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (5) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 270 | 250 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 273 | 283 | L5 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–5 | 6–6 | 248 | 296 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 5–9 | 264 | 298 | L1 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Game Site | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | First Round Bye | ||||||
| Divisional | December 30, 1978 | Atlanta Falcons (4) | W 27–20 | Texas Stadium | 60,338 | Recap | |
| NFC Championship | January 7, 1979 | at Los Angeles Rams (1) | W 28–0 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 67,470 | Recap | |
| Super Bowl | January 21, 1979 | vs Pittsburgh Steelers (A 1) | L 31–35 | Orange Bowl | 79,484 | Recap | |
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Falcons | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Cowboys | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Game information |
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Dallas' "Doomsday Defense" limited Atlanta quarterback Steve Bartkowski to only 8 completions in 23 attempts and intercepted him 3 times en route to victory. After the Falcons led 20–13 at halftime, the Cowboys scored 14 unanswered points in the second half.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
| Game information | ||
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After a scoreless first half, the Cowboys opened the floodgates in the second half while the "Doomsday Defense" kept top-seeded Rams off of the scoreboard by intercepting Pat Haden three times, including a late pick six by Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, to help Dallas advance to their second straight Super Bowl. This would be the Cowboys' last playoff win wearing their navy blue uniforms until the 2022 season.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Steelers (AFC) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| Cowboys (NFC) | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
| Game information |
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Super Bowl XIII can arguably be called the greatest collection of NFL talent ever to gather for a game. In additions to Coaches Noll and Landry, 16 players would go on to enshrinement in the Hall of Fame: 9 from Pittsburgh (Bradshaw, Harris, Swann, Stallworth, Webster, Greene, Lambert, Ham, and Blount), and 7 from Dallas (Staubach, Dorsett, Drew Pearson, Randy White, Rayfield Wright, Cliff Harris and Jackie Smith).
Much of the pregame hype surrounding Super Bowl XIII centered around Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Henderson caused quite a stir before the NFC Championship Game by claiming that the Rams had "no class" and the Cowboys would shut them out. His prediction turned out to be very accurate; the Cowboys did shut them out, aided by Henderson's 68-yard interception return for a touchdown.
In the days leading up the Super Bowl, Henderson began talking about the Steelers in the same manner. He predicted another shutout and then made unfriendly comments about several Pittsburgh players. He put down the talent and the intelligence of Bradshaw, proclaiming "Bradshaw couldn't spell 'cat' if you spotted him the 'c' and the 'a'". But the Steelers refused to get into a war of words with Henderson. Greene responded by saying the Steelers didn't need to say they were the best, they would just go out on the field and "get the job done".
There was a lot of bitter feelings between the Dallas Cowboys and the LA Rams prior to their '78 NFC Championship contest. Both the Cowboys and Vikings shared a common recent history of eliminating the LA Rams from the playoffs the last 5-seasons in a row. Consigning the Rams to being labeled, "next year's champions" for most of the 1970s. So, when the undefeated (2-0) Cowboys traveled to Los Angeles to play the undefeated (2-0) Rams during week-3 of the 1978 regular season, the Rams were looking for blood. Not only did the Rams want to beat the Cowboys for a measure of revenge and early bragging rights, but they could use a victory over last year's Super Bowl champions to make a statement to the media and the rest of the league, "That 1978 was the year the Rams finally win a championship".
The week-3 contest between the Rams and Cowboys was a hard-fought early season match-up between two rivals who hated each other. Twice the Rams led by a touchdown only to have the Cowboys come back to even the score. With the game tied at 14–14 in the 4th quarter, QB-Pat Haden connected with WR-Willie Miller for a 43-yard touchdown reception to increase the Rams lead by 6-points. But, after the Rams FG-kicker (Frank Corral) missed the easy extra point the score remained 20–14, leaving the Rams desperately clinging to a 6-point lead against a Cowboys team well known for pulling-out close games late in the 4th-quarter.
However, the Rams defense abruptly put an end to the Cowboys hopes of engineering another last minute victory after DB-Rod Perry intercepted a pass from QB-Roger Staubach and returned it for a 43-yrd TD to secure the Rams 27–14 victory. In response to Perry's game winning interception return, over 65,000 fans that filled Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that day simultaneously erupted into a bedlam of deafening cheers. Then, what started off as an extremely raucous celebration soon developed into jeering and taunting of the Cowboys during the last few minutes of the game, by both the fans and quite a few of the Rams players too. This provoked a very rare angry response from Staubach, who was seen pointing his finger at the boisterous Rams players on the sideline, telling them that the Cowboys "will get them" the next time they meet each other.
The Cowboys returned to Los Angeles later that same season to play for the NFC Championship against the #1 seeded Rams. Both teams entered the playoffs with a 12-4 regular season record. Both teams defeated their first round opponents at home, which included a Rams 34-10 blowout over their other playoff nemesis, the Minnesota Vikings. And, as a result of that emotionally charged week-3 loss to the Rams, the Cowboys had to win the NFC Championship at the Coliseum in front of 67,470 hostile LA fans to earn a return trip to the Super Bowl to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had already won the AFC Championship against the Houston Oilers earlier that same day.
The stage was set for an epic NFC Championship match, and fueling the already combustible tensions was Cowboys LB-Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Earlier in the week, the national (and international) media had descended upon Thomas Henderson the day after the Cowboys' 27-20 1st round playoff victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Thomas was more than eager to feed them some controversial meat to chew on. Thomas began the week by suggesting that the reason the Rams never went to a Super Bowl was because they had "no class" as a team and organization. Thomas later claimed the Rams are a team of chokers, and the Rams were going to choke again in their upcoming game against the Cowboys.
The much anticipated NFC Championship game between the Rams and Cowboys began as a scoreless defensive struggle for nearly three quarters of play, which included Rams kicker Frank Corral missing two field goal attempts in the first half. However, Dallas eventually broke the scoreless match wide open late in the 3rd-quarter after forcing five 2nd-half turnovers that would eventually lead to a 28-point victory for the Cowboys. Earning them the opportunity to defend their NFL championship in Super Bowl XIII.
As usual, the Rams defense proved to be a tough nut to crack for the Cowboys offense, but, it all began to go horribly wrong for the Rams after Dallas safety Charlie Waters intercepted a pass and returned it to the Rams 10-yard line with 1:52 left in the 3rd-quarter. Five plays later, RB-Tony Dorsett (who finished the game with 101 rushing yards) scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to give the Cowboys a 7–0 lead. On the Rams next possession, Charlie Waters snatched his 2nd interception of the game, which quickly set-up Staubach's 4-yard TD pass to FB-Scott Laidlaw, making it a 14-0 contest early in the 4th quarter. On the play that Rams QB-Pat Haden threw his 2nd interception, Haden's passing hand collided with DT-Randy White's helmet as he released the ball. Resulting in a broken right thumb and sidelining Haden for the rest of the game.
With 8:30 left in the 4th-quarter and the Rams still down 14–0, backup QB-Vince Ferragamo hit WR-Willie Miller along the sideline for a 65-yard pass, giving the Rams a 1st-down on the Cowboys 10-yard line and a chance to get back in the game. However, on a 1st-and-goal the Rams RB-Cullen Bryant fumbled the handoff and DE-Harvey Martin quickly recovered the ball at the 11-yard line. From there, the Cowboys marched 89-yards to score their 3rd offensive touchdown which featured a 53-yard run by Tony Dorsett, that eventually set-up an 11-yard TD reception from Staubach to TE-Billy Joe Dupree.
With the Cowboys sitting comfortably on top a 21–0 lead late in the 4th quarter, the CBS cameras panned over to Thomas Henderson standing on the sideline with their TV microphone on. Seizing the opportunity, Thomas looked directly at the camera and told the several million viewers, "It's 21-0, the Rams are choking, and I ain't through yet.". On the very next Rams possession, Thomas Henderson intercepted Ferragamo's pass along the sideline with 1:19 left in the game and returned it 68-yards for the final touchdown. While the touchdown interception return, and prior comments may have impressed millions of viewers, it was Henderson's celebratory football finger roll over the goal post that angered many others.
Henderson's TD celebration was later deemed by the media as "adding insult to injury", which amused Henderson and the millions of Cowboys fans worldwide. However, it also increased the huge divide between those who were already fans of the Cowboys and the people who hated them. With the win over the Rams the Cowboys advanced to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years to play a rematch of Super Bowl X against the Pittsburgh Steelers that would ultimately determine "The Team of the Decade".
Thomas Henderson's "controversial" comments before and during the NFC Championship game accelerated his already skyrocketing "Hollywood" persona into that of a pop-cultural phenomenon. Thomas Henderson was later featured on the cover of Newsweek Magazine the week before the Super Bowl, and NBC anointed Henderson the "Muhammad Ali of the NFL" during the pre-game player introductions for Super Bowl XIII. ABC-TV decided to jump on the "Hollywood" Henderson band wagon by inviting him to compete on their popular annual Superstars competition immediately following the 28–0 victory over the Rams.
Super Bowl X was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1975 season. The Steelers defeated the Cowboys by the score of 21–17 to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. They were the third team to win back-to-back Super Bowls. It was also the first Super Bowl in which both participating teams had previously won a Super Bowl, as the Steelers were the defending champions and the Cowboys had won Super Bowl VI.
The National Football League playoffs for the 1971 season began on December 25, 1971. The postseason tournament concluded with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI, 24–3, on January 16, 1972, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The National Football League playoffs for the 1973 season began on December 22, 1973. The postseason tournament concluded with the Miami Dolphins defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII, 24–7, on January 13, 1974, at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The 1977 Chicago Bears season was their 58th regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with a 9–5 record, which was their first winning season since 1967 and earned them a wild card spot against the Dallas Cowboys, who eventually beat the Bears en route to a Super Bowl victory. This was their first postseason appearance since winning the 1963 championship. They secured this by winning their last six games, including among others the last of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ record run of twenty-six losses.
The 1978 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 41st year with the National Football League and the 33rd season in Los Angeles. They improved on their 10–4 record from last year and finished 12–4.
The 1986 season was the New York Giants' 62nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth under head coach Bill Parcells. The New York Giants, who play in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL), won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during the season. Led by consensus league Most Valuable Player (MVP) linebacker Lawrence Taylor and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Phil Simms, the Giants posted a 14–2 record during the regular season, tied for the best record in the league with the defending Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears and the best in team history. The Giants improved on their 10–6 record from 1985, won their first division championship since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, and won Super Bowl XXI against the Denver Broncos.
The 1992 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 33rd season in the National Football League (NFL) and was the fourth year of the franchise under head coach Jimmy Johnson. The Cowboys made the first of three Super Bowl appearances between 1992–95.
The 1986 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 27th season in the National Football League. The team finished the regular season at 7–9 and finishing with a losing record for the first time since 1964.
The 1984 Dallas Cowboys season was the team's 25th in the National Football League. The Cowboys finished the season with a record of 9-5, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1974. A division record of 3–5 caused them to finish fourth in the NFC East, despite equaling the overall records of the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals. After 14 games, the Cowboys had a 9-5 record and would have made the playoffs had they won one of their two remaining games, and would have won the division had they won both games. However, the team gave up a 15-point lead against the Washington Redskins in week 15, and then lost to the Miami Dolphins by a touchdown surrendered with less than a minute to play in the final week of the season. The season was overshadowed by a quarterback controversy between Danny White and Gary Hogeboom, with Hogeboom getting the majority of the starts.
The 1983 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 24th season in the National Football League. The Cowboys finished second in the NFC East and improving their 6-3 record from 1982. The team broke the record for consecutive playoff appearances with 9.
The 1983 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 47th in Washington, D.C. The season began with the team trying to win consecutive Super Bowls, following their victory in Super Bowl XVII against the Miami Dolphins. Washington's 14–2 record was a franchise record and the best in the NFL. Their two losses were by a combined two points. Though the Redskins won the NFC Championship and advanced to a second consecutive Super Bowl, they were blown out by the Los Angeles Raiders 38–9 despite being 3-point favorites. They were the first defending Super Bowl champions to qualify for the playoffs since the 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 1974 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 38th in Washington, D.C. The team matched on their 10–4 record from 1973. It is also notable for being Deacon Jones' first and only season with the Redskins; as well as being his final year in the NFL.
The 1972 Washington Redskins season was the 41st in the National Football League (NFL) and the 36th in Washington, D.C. The Redskins were trying to build on the success of the previous season, in which they had finished 9–4–1 and made the postseason for the first time in 26 seasons. They ultimately finished the year 11–3.
The 1994 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 49th overall, and their sixth under head coach George Seifert. This season was highlighted by a victory in Super Bowl XXIX. The championship made San Francisco the first team to win five Super Bowls. After losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the previous two conference championship games, the 49ers made significant acquisitions in the 1994 free agent market. This included the signing of two-sport star Deion Sanders and Cowboys linebacker Ken Norton, Jr. Sanders had a major impact on the team's success, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and recording six interceptions. The 49ers won their division, the NFC West, for the eighth time in nine seasons.
The 1971 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League (NFL), the first at the new Texas Stadium in suburban Irving, Texas and the 12th season under head coach Tom Landry. The Cowboys led the NFL with 406 points scored. Their defense allowed 222 points.
The 1977 Dallas Cowboys season was their 18th in the National Football League (NFL). The club appeared twice on Monday Night Football. Rookie running back Tony Dorsett rushed for 1,007 yards and became the second member of the Cowboys to have a 1,000-yard rushing season. Dallas scored 345 points, which ranked first in the NFC, while its defense only gave up 212 points. Dallas finished with a 12–2 record. The Cowboys made it to their fourth Super Bowl and beat the Denver Broncos to capture their second Super Bowl title. They were the first team from the NFC East Division to win two Super Bowls. Their 15–2 (.882) record remains the highest single-season winning percentage in franchise history.
The 1978 Atlanta Falcons season was the Falcons' 13th season. After losing four of their first six games, Atlanta rebounded to win seven of their last ten, and their 9-7 record was the third best in a weak NFC. The NFC West runners-up thus not only secured their first-ever postseason berth in franchise history, but earned a home playoff game under the expanded ten team format.
The 1975 Dallas Cowboys season was the team's sixteenth season in the National Football League (NFL), all under head coach Tom Landry. The Cowboys finished second in the National Football Conference (NFC) East division with a 10–4 regular season record and advanced through the playoffs to Super Bowl X, where they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were also the first wild card team to reach the Super Bowl.
The 1984 New York Giants season was the franchise's 60th season in the National Football League (NFL). With a 9–7 record, the Giants finished in a tie for second in the National Football Conference East Division and qualified for the playoffs. In the Wild Card round, New York traveled to Anaheim Stadium and defeated the Los Angeles Rams 16–13 to advance to the Divisional round. Instead of traveling across the country back to New York, the Giants spent the week in Fresno, California. They used the facilities at Fresno State to prepare for the San Francisco 49ers. However, the Giants lost to the 49ers 21–10.
The 1979 Dallas Cowboys season was their 20th in the league. The team was unable to improve on their previous output of 12–4, winning eleven games. They qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the divisional round.
