The Cowboys trailed 27-14 in the fourth quarter when White took over. But the Rams were fading to a 6-10 year and Dorsett rolled for 159 yards in a 29-17 win.Īnother late Sunday afternoon kick was up against the Miami Dolphins, who were on their way to the AFC East title. And as events unfolded, you could credibly argue that this October 11 game was the one that cost Dallas a Super Bowl title.ĭorsett came back strong the next week at home against the Los Angeles Rams, a team that had been a postseason foil for the Cowboys in the 1970s and then again in 1980. They trailed 21-0 by the end of the first quarter and suffered a stunning 45-14 rout. The Cowboys only rushed for 83 yards, while being carved up by Montana. San Francisco came ready to play and Dallas did not. The 49ers were off to a good start, the first time they were looking like a contender in the era of Bill Walsh and Joe Montana and anxious to use this nationally televised late Sunday afternoon game to demonstrate they belonged in the league’s elite. It wasn’t the best place on the schedule for a loss because it came just before a big game in San Francisco. Louis, as Dallas was unable to gain significant edges anywhere, the game stayed close and the Cardinals won 20-17 on a late field goal. The early season schedule hadn’t been tough for the Cowboys–of the first four opponents only the Giants finished with a winning record, and that was at 9-7–but undefeated was still undefeated and the calendar was flipping into October. He was 14/17 for 204 yards and no interceptions in the 18-10. White’s efficiency made the difference in a tough defensive game. In all three of their victories, the Cowboys had broken games open after halftime, a fruit of consistently winning the ground war by a substantial margin.ĭallas faced the New York Giants at home. The great back then went for 162 yards on Monday Night in New England, as Dallas won 35-21. Louis Cardinals, with Dorsett gaining 129 yards in a 30-17 win. The game was the coaching debut of the Redskins’ Joe Gibbs and while the Cowboys would eventually have their share of problems at Gibbs’ hand, they wouldn’t start today.Īnother strong running performance led Dallas past the St. Dallas broken open a 14-7 game in the second half thanks to a ground attack that piled up over 206 yards. They came out of the gate strong with a 26-10 at Washington. They had a legendary head coach in Tom Landry at the helm, and there was little the 1981 Dallas Cowboys didn’t do extremely well. Free safety Michael Downs had seven interceptions and the Cowboys had a reliable veteran presence in strong safety Charlie Waters. Dennis Thurman was a ballhawk on the other corner, with nine picks of his own. The secondary was outstanding, with a Pro Bowl rookie in Everson Walls, who picked off 11 passes. Defensive end, Ed “Too Tall” Jones also made the Pro Bowl. The defense was similarly strong up front, with a great player in tackle Randy White, a Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer. He completed an excellent 57 percent of his passes, threw for over 3,000 yards and had a solid 7.9 yards-per-attempt. White cut his interceptions nearly in half, while maintaining his already strong play elsewhere. Ron Springs chipped in 625 yards as a #2 back that a lot of teams would have gladly taken to be their starter.ĭanny White was in his second year as the starting quarterback, after replacing the legendary Roger Staubach. They cleared the way for 1,600-yard rusher Tony Dorsett, who made 1st-team All-Pro. The offense was anchored by the left side of the offensive line, with Pro Bowlers in tackle Pat Donovan and guard Herbert Scott. GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTSĭallas was a balanced team, ranking in the top 10 in the NFL in both scoring offense and scoring defense. No ending was more painful than that suffered by the 1981 Dallas Cowboys, the unfortunate legacy of an excellent team that won a tough NFC East going away. The first three years of the 1980s saw the Dallas Cowboys make three consecutive NFC Championship Games and come up short all three times.
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