The 1992 Dallas Cowboys season would mark their 33rd in the NFL and their first Super Bowl appearance in the 1990s. Since purchasing the team in 1989, team owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson guided one of the worst teams in the league to Super Bowl champions four seasons later. Headed by an explosive offense and the NFL's number one ranked defense, Dallas fielded at the time, the youngest team in the NFL and posted a franchise best 13-3 record throughout the regular season. In the playoffs, the Cowboys disposed of the Philadelphia Eagles, followed by a memorable victory against the San Francisco 49ers en route to a Super Bowl XXVII win over the Buffalo Bills.

Regular season

The season would start off with two crucial wins against the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants, both victors of the previous two Super Bowls. A ferocious Dallas defense, with not a single player nominated to the Pro Bowl, placed first in the NFL in total defense. Running back Emmitt Smith would also collect his second straight NFL rushing title.The 1992 season would also see a renewed rivalry between the Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game set nearly a decade after the famous play known as The Catch. This ultimately started the rise of the 49ers and fall of the Cowboys throughout the 1980s. The rise of the 1990s Cowboys was christened with a 30-20 victory against San Francisco at Candlestick Park. Both franchises would later meet again in the next two NFC Championship games in what many consider to be a classic series of contest of future Hall of Fame players.

At the Rose Bowl, site of Super Bowl XXVII, the Cowboys would struggle early finding themselves down 0-7, but later regroup when Aikman's pass to tight end Jay Novacek tied the game 7-7. From there, Dallas would gain all momentum and route the Buffalo Bills 52-17, forcing a record 9 turnovers and knocking Bills quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game. Troy Aikman would earn Super Bowl MVP honors, wrapping up a phenomenal post-season in which he completed 68% of his passes with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Notable additions to the team this year included defensive end Charles Haley, cornerback Kevin Smith, linebacker Robert Jones, safety Thomas Everett, safety Darren Woodson and wide receiver Jimmy Smith (though Smith would never catch a pass during his time with the team).

Schedule

Opponent			Result	TV Time
Washington Redskins	23	10	W	ABC 9:00pm
at New York Giants	34	28	W	CBS 1:00pm
Phoenix Cardinals	31	20	W	CBS 1:00pm
Bye
at Philadelphia Eagles	7	31	L	ABC 9:00pm
Seattle Seahawks	27	0	W	NBC 1:00pm
Kansas City Chiefs	17	10	W	NBC 4:00pm
at Los Angeles Raiders	28	13	W	CBS 4:00pm
Philadelphia Eagles	20	10	W	CBS 1:00pm
at Detroit Lions	37	3	W	CBS 4:00pm
Los Angeles Rams	23	27	L	CBS 4:00pm
at Phoenix Cardinals	16	10	W	CBS 4:00pm
New York Giants	30	3	W	CBS 1:00pm
at Denver Broncos	31	27	W	CBS 4:00pm
at Washington Redskins	17	20	L	CBS 4:00pm
at Atlanta Falcons	41	17	W	ABC 9:00pm
Chicago Bears	27	14	W	CBS 1:00pm

Division standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Dallas Cowboys	13	3	0	.813	409	243	W-2
Philadelphia Eagles	11	5	0	.688	354	245	W-4
Washington Redskins	9	7	0	.563	300	255	L-2
New York Giants	6	10	0	.375	306	367	L-1
Phoenix Cardinals	4	12	0	.250	243	332	L-2

Awards and records

• Troy Aikman, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
• Robert Jones, Linebacker, UPI NFL-NFC Rookie of the Year

References

• http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal1992.htm