1994: Cowboys Win Back-to-Back Titles With Super Bowl XXVIII Win Over Bills

Super Bowl XXVIII on January 30, 1994 featured a rematch of the last contest’s participants. The Dallas Cowboys had mauled the Buffalo Bills by a 52-17 score, an especially bitter blow for the Bills since it was their third straight Super Bowl defeat.

The Cowboys, under Head Coach Jimmy Johnson, topped the NFC East with a 12-4 record during the ’93 regular season, defeated Green Bay in the Divisional playoff round and then, also for the second straight year, defeated their nemesis, the San Francisco 49ers, to win the conference title. The offense centered most heavily on the nucleus of QB Troy Aikman, RB Emmitt Smith (the consensus league MVP, pictured above), and WR Michael Irvin, but also had outstanding players in FB Daryl “Moose” Johnston and TE Jay Novacek. The defense featured DE Charles Haley (even though hobbled by a disc injury), DT Russell Maryland, MLB Ken Norton, and FS Thomas Everett.


Head Coach Marv Levy’s Bills were also 12-4 in topping the AFC East and had beaten the Raiders and Chiefs to win their fourth consecutive AFC Championship. Like the Cowboys, they had a veteran core on offense that included QB Jim Kelly (pictured at left), RB Thurman Thomas, and WR Andre Reed. The tough defense included All-Pro DE Bruce Smith, NT Jeff Wright, linebackers Darryl Talley and Cornelius Bennett, CB Nate Odomes, SS Henry Jones, and FS Mark Kelso.

The game was played inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta with 72,817 on hand. The Cowboys scored on their first possession that followed a 50-yard return of the opening kickoff by WR Kevin Williams. Aikman immediately passed for 20 yards to Irvin to get to the Buffalo 28 yard line, and three plays later Eddie Murray kicked a 41-yard field goal.

The Bills responded in kind, driving 43 yards in seven plays. Kelly completed passes of 11 yards to Reed and 24 to Thurman Thomas, but a throw on third-and-seven was dropped by WR Bill Brooks and Buffalo settled for a Super Bowl-record 54-yard field goal by Steve Christie.

Dallas had to punt following its next possession, but Buffalo handed the ball back on its first play as Thomas fumbled after gaining seven yards on a shovel pass from Kelly. Safety Darren Woodson recovered at the 50 and the Cowboys drove to another field goal, this time of 24 yards, with Aikman completing a 24-yard pass to WR Alvin Harper along the way.

The Bills proceeded to put together a long, 17-play drive that extended into the second quarter and was helped along when CB Dave Thomas ran into punter Chris Mohr for a five-yard penalty in a fourth-and-three situation. Kelly completed seven passes and Thurman Thomas ran the ball seven times, including a four-yard touchdown run that put Buffalo back on top at 10-6.

Again Dallas had to punt, but John Jett’s kick was downed at the Buffalo one yard line. The Bills managed to advance to the Cowboys’ 46 in 11 plays and returned the favor when Mohr’s 45-yard punt was downed at the one by special teams star Steve Tasker. But just as Buffalo had, Dallas responded to being pinned back by mounting a long drive, primarily fueled by short throws by Aikman. However, after reaching the Bills’ 37, Aikman’s long pass was intercepted by Odomes, who returned it 41 yards to the Dallas 47.

With just over a minute remaining in the half, the Bills took over and, starting with throws by Kelly of 12 yards to Thomas and 22 to Reed, reached the Dallas nine before Christie kicked a 28-yard field goal to give Buffalo a 13-6 lead at halftime. It seemed as though Buffalo’s Super Bowl luck might be changing, but it was not to be.

On the third play of the second half, Thomas fumbled and FS James Washington (pictured below) recovered and ran 46 yards for a touchdown. With the successful extra point, the game was suddenly tied at 13-13. The Bills went three-and-out on their next possession, and the Cowboys drove 64 yards, virtually all accounted for by Emmitt Smith. The star running back ran the ball six straight times and a total of seven over the course of the drive, gaining 61 yards that included a 15-yard scoring carry. The Cowboys were now ahead 20-13 and just starting to roll.


The Bills got the ball back and drove into Dallas territory, but had to punt. The teams traded punts for the remainder of the third quarter. However, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Washington made another big play for the Cowboys as he intercepted a Kelly pass and returned it 12 yards to the Buffalo 46.

Once again, it was Emmitt Smith fueling the ensuing drive, carrying the ball six times and gaining nine yards on a screen pass. Along the way, Aikman threw to Harper for 16 yards and a first-and-goal at the six. The final run by Smith was for one yard and a TD, and Dallas led by a 27-13 margin with under 10 minutes remaining in the game.

Following another punt by the Bills, the Cowboys put together one last scoring drive, going 49 yards in nine plays, featuring a 35-yard pass play from Aikman to Harper and ending with Murray’s 20-yard field goal.

Buffalo held the ball for 17 plays, nearly using up the remainder of the clock, but could score no more points. Backup QB Bernie Kosar, who had been dealt to the Cowboys by Cleveland during the season, came in to take a knee and run out the last six seconds, participating in a Super Bowl for the only time in his career, and the Cowboys won a second straight title by the score of 30-13.

Dallas outgained the Bills (341 to 314 yards) although Buffalo had more first downs (22 to 20). But Buffalo’s running game was held to 87 yards on 27 carries and the Bills gave up three turnovers, to one suffered by Dallas.


Emmitt Smith, who dominated the second half and was the game’s MVP, ran for 132 yards on 30 carries with two touchdowns. Troy Aikman (pictured at right) completed 19 of 27 passes for 207 yards with no TDs and one interception. Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek caught 5 passes apiece, for 66 and 26 yards respectively, and Alvin Harper gained 75 yards on his three receptions.

For Buffalo, Jim Kelly went to the air 50 times, with 31 completions for 260 yards, and had one picked off. Thurman Thomas gained just 37 yards on 16 carries, including a touchdown, but caught 7 passes for 52 yards, although he also had the two fumbles. Bill Brooks also had 7 catches, for 63 yards, while Andre Reed gained 75 yards on 6 receptions. RB Kenneth Davis was the team’s leading ground gainer with 38 yards on 9 attempts.

The fourth straight Super Bowl loss was the end of the run for Buffalo, as the Bills sank to 7-9 in 1994. It was the end for Jimmy Johnson as well, as he quit the club due to differences with owner Jerry Jones. The Cowboys again went 12-4 in ’94 under Barry Switzer, but finally lost to the 49ers in the NFC title game. They regained the championship throne following the 1995 season.

2002: Texans Defeat Cowboys in Franchise’s Debut

For the first time since the Oilers departed for Tennessee following the 1996 season, NFL football returned to Houston on September 8, 2002. The Houston Texans hosted the Dallas Cowboys in their regular season debut at the equally new Reliant Stadium. There were 69,604 fans on hand on a Sunday night to watch the new team take on their intrastate rival in what Commissioner Paul Tagliabue dubbed “the Texas Super Bowl.”

The Houston franchise had been awarded to Bob McNair for $700 million in 1999. Charley Casserly was hired as general manager and began building a scouting organization two years prior to the team’s taking the field. Dom Capers was hired as head coach, who had the experience of coaching an expansion team previously in Carolina.

The club looked to sign younger veterans in the expansion draft, and picked up several notable players including OT Tony Boselli and DT Gary Walker from Jacksonville, CB Aaron Glenn of the Jets, and WR Jermaine Lewis and LB Jamie Sharper from Baltimore. With the first choice in the college draft, the Texans picked QB David Carr from Fresno State (pictured above).

The stadium’s retractable roof was closed and the decibel level high as the Texans came out throwing in their first series. Carr threw a deep pass intended for WR Corey Bradford, who drew an interference call that resulted in a 43-yard gain. Three plays later, Carr passed to TE Billy Miller for a 19-yard touchdown and the Texans were up 7-0.

The contest settled into a defensive struggle, with Houston scoring again early in the second quarter on a 42-yard field goal by Kris Brown. The Cowboys got on the board before the half when Billy Cundiff kicked a field goal from 33 yards out, but their offense had sputtered much of the way as the first seven possessions ended in six punts and an interception. QB Quincy Carter failed to complete a pass until the second quarter.

Nevertheless, the Cowboys tied the score at 10-10 in the third quarter when RB Michael Wiley ran 46 yards for a touchdown. The Texans went back in front to stay early in the fourth quarter when Bradford made an outstanding catch of a pass from Carr for a 65-yard touchdown.

Houston regained possession on the ensuing kickoff thanks to a fumble, but was unable to capitalize when a Carr pass was deflected for an interception. However, the Texan defense continued to frustrate the Dallas offense and scored the final points of the game when NT Seth Payne tackled Carter in the end zone for a safety with under three minutes remaining. The Texans won by a score of 19-10.


David Carr completed 10 of 22 passes for 145 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Ominously, he was sacked six times, which would be a chronic problem throughout the inaugural season – Carr took every snap for the Texans and was sacked an NFL-record 76 times. RB James Allen led the team in rushing with 56 yards on 19 carries. Corey Bradford (pictured at left) was the top receiver with four catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.

The Cowboys largely won the statistical battle, outrushing the Texans 155 yards on 24 carries to 87 yards on 35 attempts. They also had the most total yards, 267 to 210. RB Emmitt Smith, who was closing in on the career rushing record, led the team with 67 yards on 17 carries (Wiley’s 46-yard TD run was his only carry of the day). Quincy Carter completed just 13 of 30 passes for 131 yards with one picked off. WR Joey Galloway was the top receiver, catching 6 passes for 69 yards.

Both teams were heavily penalized, with the Texans drawing 11 flags and Dallas 9. There were few turnovers, as the Cowboys lost the ball twice (one fumble and one interception) and Houston gave up the one interception.

Said Dallas owner Jerry Jones afterward, “I’m disappointed for Cowboys fans everywhere.” An embarrassed Emmitt Smith added that “We did nothing good.” Nevetheless, there were some bright spots for the Cowboys, such as the play of the defense and in particular that of DT La’Roi Glover. Glover, a six-year veteran who had been signed as a free agent, recorded 1.5 sacks and intercepted Carr’s deflected pass in his regular season debut with the Cowboys. Dallas went on to a 5-11 record for the third consecutive season – the last under Head Coach Dave Campo.

As for Houston, it was the first time that a modern NFL expansion team had won its initial regular season game since the Vikings did so in 1961, and as was the case in that instance there were few wins thereafter. The Texans lost their next five games on the way to finishing the season with a 4-12 record, placing them at the bottom of the AFC South.

The opening game against the Cowboys set the tone for the rest of the year: the defense played respectably, but the offense ranked at the bottom of the NFL. David Carr showed toughness but also made plenty of rookie mistakes. The offensive line performance was spotty, and the loss of Tony Boselli to shoulder surgery (he ended up never playing for the team) was a major blow. The running game suffered accordingly, as rookie RB Jonathan Wells led the club with 529 yards on the ground, but with an average gain of only 2.7 yards-per-carry. And while veterans like Gary Walker and Aaron Glenn made the Pro Bowl, others were disappointments (Boselli and Jermaine Lewis).

But at least for one week, Carr and the Texans were 1-0 and had reason to exult.

2000: Duce Staley – and Pickle Juice – Help Eagles Defeat Cowboys

It was a hot day at Texas Stadium for the season-opening game between the host Dallas Cowboys and visiting Philadelphia Eagles on September 3, 2000. The temperature at game time was 109 degrees, with readings on the artificial surface of 150.

Second-year Head Coach Andy Reid pulled the Eagles off the field early from pre-game warmups. Trainer Rick Burkholder also had the players drink pickle juice, a practice the club had begun during training camp as a means to combat both dehydration and cramping.

Reid took an aggressive approach once play began. Dallas having won the toss, the Eagles took them by surprise by executing an onsides kick that they successfully recovered (WR Dameane Douglas made the play for Philadelphia). The offense proceeded to drive 58 yards in eight plays, ending with QB Donovan McNabb tossing a one-yard TD pass to TE Jeff Thomason.

Philadelphia’s defense sacked star QB Troy Aikman three times during the first Dallas possession; rookie DT Corey Simon recorded one in his first regular season play. Before the first quarter ended, the Eagles took a 14-0 lead when a pass interference penalty put the ball on the Dallas one yard line and RB Duce Staley plowed into the end zone. Two minutes later, and now into the second quarter, LB Jeremiah Trotter intercepted an Aikman pass and returned it 27 yards for another Eagles TD and a 21-0 tally.

Aikman was sacked a fourth time and took a total of six hits by the Eagles defense before leaving the game during the second quarter with a concussion, to be replaced by former Philadelphia QB Randall Cunningham. The Eagles scored once more, on a 33-yard field goal by David Akers, before the Cowboys got on the board with field goals of 34 and 38 yards by Tim Seder, both following interceptions. The score at halftime stood at 24-6.

Philadelphia’s offense took control once again in the third quarter, with a time-consuming 14-play drive that covered 61 yards and culminated in another Akers field goal, this one from 37 yards. After the Cowboys went three-and-out, the Eagles put together another long possession of 72 yards in nine plays, with McNabb running the last three yards for a touchdown.

The Eagles scored once more in the fourth quarter as Staley ran 60 yards to set up a six-yard TD run by RB Brian Mitchell. Dallas scored a touchdown on a four-yard pass from Cunningham to WR Joey Galloway, which was followed by a successful two-point conversion, but the outcome had long since been decided. The final score was 41-14, making it the worst opening-day defeat for the Cowboys since 1963.

Staley (pictured at top) was the star for the Eagles, gaining 201 yards rushing on 26 carries (just missing the franchise single-game rushing record by four yards) with one TD and also leading the club with four pass receptions for another 61 yards and a total of 262 yards from scrimmage. Overall, the team accumulated 306 yards on the ground, its highest single-game total since 1951.

Donovan McNabb passed for 130 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions while completing 16 of 28 throws; he also ran for 29 yards on five carries with a TD.

It was a hard day for Dallas across the board. Troy Aikman failed to complete any passes and threw the one interception that was returned for a score before leaving the contest. Randall Cunningham was successful on 13 of 26 passes for 135 yards with one touchdown and one picked off. The Cowboys, playing catch-up from the beginning, only ran the ball 13 times for 67 yards – RB Emmitt Smith had just 29 yards on 7 carries while WR Raghib “Rocket” Ismael led the team with 33 yards on two rushes. Joey Galloway was the top receiver with four catches for 62 yards and the late touchdown, but suffered a knee injury late in the game that knocked him out of action for the remainder of the season.

The opening win over the Cowboys didn’t generate immediate momentum for the Eagles, who lost their next two games, but, coming off of three straight losing seasons, they improved to 11-5, placed second in the NFC East, and secured a wild card spot in the postseason. Philadelphia defeated Tampa Bay in the first round but lost to the Giants in the Divisional playoff.

Dallas, going in the opposite direction, went 5-11 to place fourth in the division. After making it to the playoffs in eight of the previous nine years and winning three championships, the Cowboys would not make it back to the postseason (or have a winning record) again until 2003.

Duce Staley, who was coming off back-to-back thousand-yard rushing seasons in 1998 and ’99, was lost for the year due to a foot injury in Week 5 and gained just 344 yards on the ground in 2000. The running game suffered without him (he still ended up with the highest yardage total of any running back on the team), but the second-year quarterback McNabb emerged to account for 76 percent of the team’s offense, rushing for 629 yards and passing for 3365.