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| Emmitt Smith would carry the ball 34 times for 132 yards and score one touchdown in the Cowboys' upset over the Redskins. |
But sometimes it could be a regular season victory that may be seen as historians as the moment that the foundation of greatness was laid.
For the Cowboys of the 1990s, they could point to their Week 12 encounter with the undefeated Washington Redskins in 1991 that was perhaps the moment where "America's Team" learned how to win a big game.
The Cowboys entered the game with a 6-5 record, just two years removed from their embarrassing 1-15 record in 1989 which was the first season for Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson.
But two years later, Johnson had his offensive nucleus put together in quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin, better known as "The Triplets".
The young Cowboys appeared on their way to their first playoff berth in six years as they started the season 5-2.
But after losing three of their previous four games, Dallas traveled to Washington D.C. needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
While the Cowboys were scrambling for a playoff spot, the Redskins were playing for immortality as they entered their game with the Cowboys with a 11-0 record, sparking talk amongst the NFL that the Redskins could go join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as undefeated Super Bowl Champions.
This was head coach Joe Gibbs' best Redskins team as it the league's top offense directed by quarterback Mark Rypien, along with a three-headed monster at running back with Earnest Byner, Ricky Ervins, and Gerald Riggs a wide receivers corps that consisted of Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders or better known as "The Posse".
Washington's defense was also pretty tough which was second best in the league.
Despite all this, the Redskins knew that their game with the Cowboys would not be easy as Dallas had taken Washington to the brink in their Week 2 matchup as the Redskins won the game 33-31.
The Redskins got the ball to start the game but were forced to punt the ball to the Cowboys, who took over at their 37-yard-line.
On the first play from scrimmage, Aikman connected with Alvin Harper for a 39-yard pass that put Dallas at the Redskins' 24-yard-line.
But the Redskins defense stiffened and after Washington linebacker Monte Coleman sacked Aikman for an eight-yard loss on 3rd & 11, the Cowboys called on Ken Willis to attempt a 51-yard field goal, only to have his kick fall short.
After another Redskins punt, the Cowboys got the ball back at their 20-yard-line only to have Aikman be intercepted on the second play of the drive by Redskins cornerback Martin Mayhew, who returned it 31 yards for the game's first touchdown, giving Washington a 7-0 lead with 4:53 left in the first quarter.
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| Michael Irvin would catch nine passes for 130 yards and one touchdown. |
With the score still 7-0 in favor of Washington, the Cowboys got the ball at their 25-yard-line just 21 seconds into the second quarter and proceeded to drive into Redskins territory as Aikman hit three straight passes for 36 yards, to go along with a one-yard run by Smith, gave the Cowboys a 1st & 10 at the Redskins' 38-yard-line.
However, the Cowboys would only pick up five more yards on its next three plays setting up a 4th & 5 from the Washington 33-yard-line.
Instead of attempting another long field goal, Johnson decided to go for the 1st down.
The gamble paid off as Aikman hit Irvin for six yards and a Cowboys 1st down at the Redskins' 27-yard-line.
Smith would pick up three yards on 1st & 10, which was followed by Aikman being sacked by Redskins linebacker Wilbur Marshall to set up 3rd & 15 from the Washington 32-yard-line.
The Cowboys seemingly decided to play it safe as Aikman handed the ball off to Smith and hope the second-year running back could put Dallas back in field goal range.
Smith did more than put the Cowboys back in field goal range as he busted though the middle for a 32-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 7 with 9:35 left in the first quarter.
The Redskins expected to get the ball back on the ensuing kickoff only to have Johnson call for a surprise onside kick which bounced off Redskins linebacker Andre Collins and was recovered by the Cowboys' Darrick Brownlow at the Washington 47-yard-line.
The Cowboys drove to the Redskins' 31-yard-line where they faced another 4th down situation, a 4th & 9, when Johnson continued to play aggressively as he went for it again on 4th down.
However, this gamble did not pay off as Aikman connected with tight end Robert Awalt for seven yards, just two yards short of a 1st down, forcing the Cowboys to give the ball back to the Redskins who took over at their 24-yard-line.
But the Cowboys' defense would force the Redskins to punt again, getting the ball at their 34-yard-line with 3:50 left in the first half and the game still tied 7-7.
After getting sacked on 1st down for a four-yard loss, Aikman hit Irvin for 16 yards and a 1st down at the Dallas 46-yard-line, which was followed by a three-yard run by Smith, and then another Aikman-to-Irvin connection, this time for 14 yards to give the Cowboys a 1st & 10 at the Redskins' 37-yard-line.
Then after getting sacked again on 1st down, this time for an eight-yard loss, Aikman hit passes to Alfredo Roberts and Tommie Agee, respectively, picking up 11 yards to set up a 4th & 7 at the Washington 34-yard-line when Johnson called timeout with 13 seconds left in the half.
For the third straight time, Johnson decided not to call on the field goal unit and instead go for the 1st down, or so it appeared.
Aikman dropped back to pass, but instead of going for a 10-yard or 15-yard pass, he went for the end zone, as he threw a Hail Mary pass that fell into the hands of Harper for a shocking 34-yard touchdown to end the first half with the Cowboys leading 14-7 and Dallas receiving the ball to start the second half.
Dallas began its initial possession of the second half from its 20-yard-line and began with three runs by Smith that picked up 14 yards and an incomplete pass which set up a 3rd & 6 for the Cowboys from their 36-yard-line.
That is when Aikman found Harper again, this time for 27 yards and a 1st down at the Redskins' 37-yard-line.
But while the Cowboys while celebrating being in Redskins territory, Aikman lied on the ground in pain after a being taken down by Washington defensive ends Charles Mann and Jumpy Geathers.
Aikman would limp off the field with a sprained right knee and would not return to the game, being replaced by Steve Beuerlein.
On his first play from scrimmage, Beuerlein threw a deep pass for Harper which fell incomplete but drew a pass interference penalty on Mayhew to give the Cowboys a 1st down at the Washington 17-yard-line.
The Cowboys would only pick up three more yards, forcing Johnson to call on Willis to attempt a 32-yard field goal.
But Willis' kick was no good, keeping the score 14-7 in favor of Dallas.
Neither team would mount another scoring threat until the Cowboys got the ball at their 19-yard-line with 3:55 left in the third quarter and proceeded to drive the 81 yards in seven plays as Beuerlein hit all four of his passes on the drive for 61 yards with the last completion being a 23-yard touchdown to Irvin on the third play of the 4th quarter that extended the Cowboys' lead to 21-7.
Now down by two touchdowns, the Redskins' offense, which had been held to just 107 yards of total offense up to this point, needing to put together a touchdown drive in hopes of keeping their undefeated season alive.
But on the first play from scrimmage following the ensuing kickoff, Rypien was picked off by Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown on a deep pass intended for Clark.
Brown returned the interception 20 yards to give the Cowboys the ball at their 47-yard-line, only for the Redskins defense force Dallas to go three-and-out.
Washington took over possession at its eight-yard-line with 11:48 remaining in regulation when Rypien and the Redskins offense went into their two-minute offense in order to score as quickly as possible.
The drive began with back-to-back completions to Clark totaling 26 yards, which was followed by an incomplete pass, and then two more completions to Clark for 24 more yards to put the Redskins at the Cowboys' 42-yard-line with a 1st & 10.
After an eight-yard run by Ervins, Rypien went back to the air, this time connecting with Monk for 10 yards and another 1st down at the Dallas 24-yard-line.
Rypien would three straight incomplete passes forcing the Redskins to go for it on 4th & 10.
That is when Rypien would find Ervins for 13 yards and a 1st down, which was followed up by a 10-yard run by Ervins to give the Redskins a 1st & goal at the Cowboys one-yard-line.
Riggs then punched it in for the touchdown to end the 13-play, 92-yard drive that took up almost up 3 1/2 minutes and cut the Cowboys' lead in half to 21-14 with 8:21 left in the fourth quarter.
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| Taking over for an injured Troy Aikman, Steve Beuerlein compeleted seven of 12 passes for 109 yards and threw a touchdown. |
With the pressure on them to put the game away, the Cowboys began their next possession at their 27-yard-line.
After Beuerlein hit Harper for a 16-yard completion to give the Cowboys a 1st down at their 43-yard-line, Smith was called upon as he carried the ball five straight times, picking up 14 yards to set up a critical 3rd & 9 situation from the Redskins' 43-yard-line.
That is when Beuerlein connected with Irvin for 13 yards and another 1st down, keeping the clock running as the Cowboys continued to drive down the field.
Smith would get the ball on the next Dallas plays, gaining 11 yards, including a critical eight yards on 3rd & 7 to give the Cowboys a 1st down at the Redskins' 19-yard-line.
The Redskins would not allow another 1st down, forcing the Cowboys to call on Willis to attempt a 42-yard field goal to make it a two-score game
Despite having missed his previous two field goal tries, Willis' 42-yard kick was true, extending the Cowboys' lead to 24-14 with just 74 seconds left in the game.
Rypien and the Redskins' offense were able to drive 63 yards in five plays, culminating with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Rypien to Sanders that cut the deficit to three points at 24-21 with just 18 seconds lost.
But the Cowboys fullback Darryl "Moose" Johnston would recover the ensuing onside kick allowing for Beuerlein to take a knee to run out the clock as Dallas came away with a 24-21 victory and handing the Redskins their first loss of the season.
The Redskins would recover to finish the regular season with a 14-2 record, good enough for the #1 seed in the NFC Playoffs as they ousted the Atlanta Falcons 24-7 in the Divisional Round, then blew out the Detroit Lions 41-10 in the NFC Championship Game to earn a trip to Super Bowl XXVI where the Redskins behind Rypien's MVP performance soundly defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24 for the team's third world championship in a decade.
As for the Cowboys, their upset over the Redskins help kick off a five-game winning streak which earned Dallas a Wild Card berth, meaning they would return to the playoffs for the first time since 1985.
In the playoffs, the Cowboys knocked off the Chicago Bears 17-13 in the Wild Card Round before being destroyed by the Lions 38-6 in the Divisional Round, ending their season.
But the experience the Cowboys gained over the 1991 season would carry over for the next several years as Dallas would win three out of the next four Super Bowls to become the "Team of the 90s".
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