1985 Dallas Cowboys season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Dallas Cowboys 1985 10–6 1st NFC East Tom Landry Ernie Stautner Tex Schramm Bum Bright Texas Stadium Lost Divisional Playoffs(at Rams) 0–20 TE Doug CosbieWR Tony HillCB Everson Walls DT Randy White Cowboys seasons thumb|right|The Cowboys defensive backs in action against the Bengals in December 1985. The 1985 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 26th season in the National Football League. The Cowboys improved on their 9-7 record from 1984 and made the playoffs after a one-year absence. This marked the final postseason appearance for the Cowboys under Tom Landry and Bum Bright, where they were shut out 20–0 in the divisional playoff game to the Los Angeles Rams. The team holds the record for consecutive winning seasons with 20. Summary thumb|left|The Cowboys' defense attempting to stop Rams' running back Eric Dickerson (29) in the 1985-86 NFC Divisional Playoffs Game. Tom Landry's team got off to a fast start, opening the season with 44–14 trouncing of their longtime nemesis, the Redskins, and later defeating the Steelers (their first victory over Pittsburgh since 1972) to give the team a 5–1 record and an early two-game lead over the rest of the division. However, the team was up and down the rest of the way, finishing out the season 5–5 and allowing both the Giants and Redskins to catch up with them at 10–6. Two wins each over both the Giants and Redskins allowed the Cowboys to win the division based on the tie-breaking rules. During the inconsistent stretch toward the end of the season, the Cowboys suffered two of the most embarrassing defeats in team history. On November 17, the undefeated Chicago Bears came to Texas Stadium and gave the Cowboys a 44–0 beating that was the 2nd worst loss in team history, and it was also the first time in 218 games that the Cowboys had not scored. Three weeks later the team traveled to Cincinnati, where the Bengals handed them a 50–24 loss, piling up 570 yards in the process, the most yards the Cowboys had given up in team history. The Cowboys proved to be a resilient bunch however, winning a crucial game at home against the Giants the following week that gave them their first division title since 1981, and the final for Tom Landry. That game would prove to be the last highlight of the season, as the team was shut out in the playoffs for the first time in team history, 20–0, by the Rams at Anaheim Stadium, which would prove to be the final playoff appearance for the Cowboys under Landry. With the previous season's quarterback controversy behind him, Danny White led the Cowboys' passing game to number three overall in the league. Wide receiver Tony Hill posted career highs in receptions and receiving yards, and Mike Renfro blossomed in his second season with the Cowboys. Tight end Doug Cosbie had another Pro Bowl season. Turnovers proved to be a problem though, as White and backup quarterback Gary Hogeboom combined to throw 24 interceptions. Running back Tony Dorsett was the only reliable ball carrier on the roster, rushing for 1,307 yards on the season, and going over 10,000 yards for his career. On the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys registered 62 sacks and 33 interceptions, with cornerback Everson Walls becoming the first player to ever lead the league in interceptions three times, with nine. The big plays covered up a pass defense that ranked 27th in the league, and a defense that ranked 23rd overall. The secondary allowed big plays through the air throughout the season, and the defense allowed running back Eric Dickerson to rush for a playoff record 248 yards in their playoff game against the Rams. NFL draft 1985 NFL draft 1985 Dallas Cowboys 1 17 Kevin Brooks DE Michigan yes no 2 44 Jesse Penn LB Virginia Tech yes 3 76 Crawford Ker OG Florida yes 4 103 Robert Lavette RB Georgia Tech yes 5 114 Herschel Walker RB Georgia yes yes 5 119 Matt Darwin C Texas A&M He chose not to sign and enter the 1986 Draft no 6 144 Kurt Ploeger DE Gustavus Adolphus yes 6 157 Matt Moran OG Stanford no 7 178 Karl Powe WR Alabama State yes 7 184 Jim Herrmann DE Brigham Young no 8 216 Leon Gonzalez WR Bethune-Cookman yes 9 243 Scott Strasburger LB Nebraska no 10 270 Joe Jones TE Virginia Tech no 11 297 Neal Dellocono LB UCLA no 12 324 Karl Jordan LB Vanderbilt no Undrafted free agents + 1985 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeBryan WagnerPunterCal State Northridge Personnel Staff 1985 Dallas Cowboys staff Front office Owner – Bum Bright President/General Manager – Tex Schramm Executive vice president of player personnel – Gil Brandt Research and Development – Neill Armstrong Head coaches Head coach – Tom Landry Assistant head coach – Jim Myers Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Jim Myers Quarterbacks – Jim Shofner Running backs – Al Lavan Wide receivers – Dick Nolan Offensive line – Jim Myers Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Ernie Stautner Defensive line – Ernie Stautner Linebackers – Jerry Tubbs Defensive backs – Gene Stallings Special teams coaches Special teams – Alan Lowry Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning coordinator – Bob Ward Roster 1985 Dallas Cowboys roster Quarterbacks 14 Gary Hogeboom 16 Steve Pelluer 11 Danny White Running backs 33 Tony Dorsett 46 Todd Fowler 23 James Jones 30 Timmy Newsome Wide receivers 87 Gordon Banks 86 Kenny Duckett 80 Tony Hill 81 Karl Powe 82 Mike Renfro Tight ends 85 Fred Cornwell 84 Doug Cosbie 89 Brian Salonen Offensive linemen 61 Jim Cooper T 65 Kurt Petersen G 75 Phil Pozderac T 64 Tom Rafferty C 70 Howard Richards T 66 Chris Schultz T 67 Broderick Thompson G 63 Glen Titensor G 71 Mark Tuinei C Defensive linemen 99 Kevin Brooks DE 78 John Dutton DT 77 Jim Jeffcoat DE 72 Ed Jones DE 60 Don Smerek DT 54 Randy White DTLinebackers 36 Vince Albritton OLB 55 Steve DeOssie MLB/LS 58 Mike Hegman OLB 56 Eugene Lockhart MLB 59 Jesse Penn OLB 50 Jeff Rohrer OLB Defensive backs 40 Bill Bates SS 47 Dextor Clinkscale SS 26 Michael Downs FS 27 Ron Fellows CB 22 Victor Scott CB/S 32 Dennis Thurman CB/S 24 Everson Walls CB Special teams  4 Mike Saxon P  1 Rafael Septién KReserve lists 76 Dowe Aughtman G (IR) 10px 62 Brian Baldinger G (IR) 10px 83 Leon Gonzalez WR (IR) 10px 68 Crawford Ker G (IR) 10px 29 Robert Lavette RB (IR) 10px 73 Kurt Ploeger DE (IR) 10px -- Chris Waltman TE (IR) 10px Rookies in italics 45 active, 7 inactive Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 September 9, 1985 Washington Redskins W 44–14 1–0 Texas Stadium 62,292 Recap 2 September 15 at Detroit Lions L 21–26 1–1 Pontiac Silverdome 72,985 Recap 3 September 22 Cleveland Browns W 20–7 2–1 Texas Stadium 61,456 Recap 4 September 29 at Houston Oilers W 17–10 3–1 Houston Astrodome 49,686 Recap 5 October 6 at New York Giants W 30–29 4–1 Giants Stadium 74,981 Recap 6 October 13 Pittsburgh Steelers W 27–13 5–1 Texas Stadium 63,062 Recap 7 October 20 at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–16 5–2 Veterans Stadium 70,114 Recap 8 October 27 Atlanta Falcons W 24–10 6–2 Texas Stadium 57,941 Recap 9 November 4, 1985 at St. Louis Cardinals L 10–21 6–3 Busch Stadium 49,347 Recap 10 November 10 at Washington Redskins W 13–7 7–3 RFK Stadium 55,750 Recap 11 November 17 Chicago Bears L 0–44 7–4 Texas Stadium 63,855 Recap 12 November 24 Philadelphia Eagles W 34–17 8–4 Texas Stadium 54,047 Recap 13 November 28 St. Louis Cardinals W 35–17 9–4 Texas Stadium 54,125 Recap 14 December 8 at Cincinnati Bengals L 24–50 9–5 Riverfront Stadium 56,936 Recap 15 December 15 New York Giants W 28–21 10–5 Texas Stadium 62,310 Recap 16 December 22 at San Francisco 49ers L 16–31 10–6 Candlestick Park 60,114 Recap Division opponents are in bold text Game summaries Week 1: vs. Washington Redskins Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys Redskins 0 7 0 7 Cowboys 3 14 13 14 Monday, September 9 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 8:00 p.m. CST 88 F, wind 10 mph on Jerry Markbreit Frank Gifford O. J. Simpson Joe Namath ABC Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com yes 1 Cowboys Rafael Septién 53 yard field goal Cowboys 3–0 2 Cowboys Timmy Newsome 1 yard run (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 10–0 2 Redskins John Riggins 1 yard run (Mark Moseley kick) Cowboys 10–7 2 Cowboys Mike Renfro 55 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 17–7 3 Cowboys Rafael Septién 39 yard field goal Cowboys 20–7 3 Cowboys Rafael Septién 43 yard field goal Cowboys 23–7 3 Cowboys Tony Dorsett 9 yard run (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 30–7 4 Cowboys Victor Scott 26 yard interception return (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 37–7 4 Redskins Clint Didier 19 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) Cowboys 37–14 4 Cowboys Dennis Thurman 21 yard interception return (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 44–14 yes Week 5 Cowboys 7 7 7 9 Giants 3 3 20 3 October 6 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 9:00 p.m. 59 °F °C; wind 16 mph km/h knots Chuck Heberling Frank Gifford, O. J. Simpson, Joe Namath ABC Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 6: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys October 13, 1985 1:00 pm EDT Steelers 0 3 0 10 Cowboys 0 10 10 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 62,932 79 F C 1, relative humidity 68%, wind 15 mph km/h knots Tom Dooley NBC Charlie Jones (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys – October 13th, 1985 Steelers Cowboys collapsed 2 Steelers FG 48 Gary Anderson 3 0 2 Cowboys RecTD Tony Dorsett Danny White 56 good Rafael Septién 3 7 2 Cowboys FG 38 Rafael Septién 3 10 3 Cowboys FG 39 Rafael Septién 3 13 3 Cowboys IntTD Eugene Lockhart 19 good Rafael Septién 3 20 4 Steelers FG 34 Gary Anderson 6 20 4 Steelers RushTD Walter Abercrombie 1 good Gary Anderson 13 20 4 Cowboys RushTD Tony Dorsett 35 good Rafael Septién 13 27 13 27 Week 15: vs. New York Giants Giants 0 14 0 7 Cowboys 7 14 0 7 December 15 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 12:00 p.m. 36 F; Wind 11 mph on Fred Silva Verne Lundquist and Terry Bradshaw CBS Standings Playoffs 1985–86 NFL playoffs Round Date Opponent Result Game Site Attendance Recap Wild Card First Round Bye Divisional January 4, 1986 F j, Y at Los Angeles Rams (2) L 0–20 Anaheim Stadium 66,351 Recap Divisional playoffs January 4, 1986 NFC: Los Angeles Rams 20, Dallas Cowboys 0 text-align:center; background:#eee Game summary Cowboys 0 0 0 0 Rams 3 0 10 7 Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST 67 °F °C, fog, drizzle CBS Jack Buck, Hank Stram and Dick Vermeil 66,581 Dick Jorgensen Scoring RAMS – field goal Lansford 33 RAMS 3–0 RAMS – Dickerson 55 run (Lansford kick) RAMS 10–0 RAMS – field goal Lansford 34 RAMS 13–0 RAMS – Dickerson 40 run (Lansford kick) RAMS 20–0 Awards The Cowboys sent four players to the Pro Bowl following the 1985 season. Wide receiver Tony Hill went to his first since 1979, tight end Doug Cosbie was named to his third consecutive game, cornerback Everson Walls achieved his fourth, and defensive tackle Randy White was named to his ninth consecutive pro bowl. Randy White was named to the associated press All-NFL first team, while Everson Walls was named to the second team. Everson Walls, NFL Leader, Interceptions, (9) Publications The Football Encyclopedia 0-312-11435-4 Total Football 0-06-270170-3 Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes 0-446-51950-2 References External links 1985 Dallas Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys Official Site Category:Dallas Cowboys seasons Dallas Category:NFC East championship seasons Dallas