1991 Dallas Cowboys season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Dallas Cowboys 1991 11–5 2nd NFC East Jimmy Johnson Norv Turner Dave Wannstedt Jerry Jones Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson Texas Stadium Won Wild Card Playoffs(at Bears) 17–13 Lost Divisional Playoffs(at Lions) 6–38 Emmitt Smith RB Michael Irvin WR Troy Aikman QB Jay Novacek TE Cowboys seasons The 1991 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and was the third year of the franchise under the ownership of Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson. This also marked Norv Turner's first year as offensive coordinator under head coach Jimmy Johnson. The Cowboys improved on their 7–9 record from 1990, finishing 11–5 (their first winning season in six years), made the playoffs for the first time since 1985, and won their first playoff game in 9 years (1982). The young offensive nucleus of what soon became known as “The Triplets,” Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith, continued to develop as did the offensive line and the defense also improved. Though the Cowboys would lose in the playoffs to the Detroit Lions in the divisional round, the season was considered a resounding success, and a glimpse of things to come. Notable additions to the team this year include defensive tackle Russell Maryland, wide receiver Alvin Harper, offensive tackle Erik Williams, defensive tackle Leon Lett, cornerback Larry Brown and linebacker Dixon Edwards. Offseason NFL draft 1991 Dallas Cowboys 1 1 Russell Maryland DT Miami (FL) yes yes 1 12 Alvin Harper WR Tennessee yes 1 20 Kelvin Pritchett DT Ole Miss He was immediately traded to the Detroit Lions 2 37 Dixon Edwards LB Michigan State yes 3 62 Godfrey Myles LB Florida yes 3 64 James Richards OG California 3 70 Erik Williams OT Central State (OH) yes yes 4 97 Curvin Richards RB Pittsburgh yes 4 106 Bill Musgrave QB Oregon 4 108 Tony Hill DE Tennessee-Chattanooga yes 4 110 Kevin Harris DE Texas Southern 5 132 Darrick Brownlow LB Illinois yes 6 153 Mike Sullivan OG Miami (FL) yes 7 173 Leon Lett DT Emporia State yes yes 7 235 Damon Mays WR Missouri 7 264 Sean Love OG Penn State 7 291 Tony Boles RB Michigan yes 7 320 Larry Brown CB TCU yes Undrafted free agents + 1991 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeCary BlanchardKickerOklahoma StateReggie CooperLinebackerNebraskaRicky MartinWide receiverMiddle Tennessee StateDuane MillerGuardTexasKeith PoweDefensive endUTEPLance ZenoCenterUCLA Staff Head Coach – Jimmy Johnson *Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Norv Turner Receivers – Hubbard Alexander Running Backs – Joe Brodsky Tight Ends – Robert Ford Offensive Line – Tony Wise *Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Dave Wannstedt Defensive Backs – Dave Campo Defensive Line – Butch Davis Defensive Assistant – Ron Meeks *Special Teams – Joe Avezzano Kickers/Quality Control – Steve Hoffman *Strength and Conditioning – Steve Woicik Trainer – Kevin O'Neill *Director of Player Personnel – Bob Ackles Director of College Scouting – Dick Mansperger Scouts – Jim Garrett, Walter Juliff, Ron Marciniak, Jeff Smith, and Walt Yowarsky Dallas Cowboys 1991 Owner/General Manager – Jerry Jones Roster Dallas Cowboys 1991 roster Quarterbacks  8 Troy Aikman  7 Steve Beuerlein  9 Craig Kupp Running backs 34 Tommie Agee 48 Daryl Johnston FB 22 Emmitt Smith Wide receivers 80 Alvin Harper 88 Michael Irvin 83 Kelvin Martin PR 81 Alexander Wright KR Tight ends 89 Rob Awalt 84 Jay Novacek 87 Alfredo Roberts Offensive linemen 63 John Gesek G 66 Kevin Gogan G 61 Nate Newton T 53 Mark Stepnoski C 71 Mark Tuinei T 76 Alan Veingrad G 79 Erik Williams T Defensive linemen 75 Tony Casillas DT 90 Tony Hill DE 77 Jim Jeffcoat DE 97 Jimmie Jones DT 78 Leon Lett DT 67 Russell Maryland DT 73 Danny Noonan DT 92 Tony Tolbert DELinebackers 59 Darrick Brownlow MLB 93 Reggie Cooper OLB 55 Jack Del Rio MLB 58 Dixon Edwards OLB 51 Ken Norton Jr. OLB 52 Mickey Pruitt OLB 57 Vinson Smith OLB Defensive backs 40 Bill Bates SS 24 Larry Brown CB 29 Kenneth Gant CB 45 Manny Hendrix CB 30 Issiac Holt CB 20 Ray Horton FS 42 Stan Smagala FS 37 James Washington SS 23 Robert Williams CB Special teams 70 Dale Hellestrae LS  4 Mike Saxon P  1 Ken Willis KReserve lists 36 Vince Albritton S (IR) 10px 46 Ricky Blake RB (IR) 10px 44 Michael Brooks S (IR) 10px -- Kevin Harris DE (NF-Inj.) 10px -- Chad Hennings DT (Military Reserve) 10px 98 Godfrey Myles LB (IR) 10px 27 Curvin Richards RB (IR) 10px 82 Derrick Shepard WR (IR) 10px Practice squad -- Lorenzo Graham RB -- Damon Mays WR 39 Donald Smith CB -- James Richards C/LS -- Mike Sullivan G/T Rookies in italics 47 active, 8 inactive, 5 practice squad Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 3, 1991 at Kansas City Chiefs W 24–14 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium 56,038 2 August 12, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders L 12–17 1–1 Texas Stadium 55,981 3 August 18 at Houston Oilers L 20–30 1–2 Houston Astrodome 53,314 4 August 23, 1991 Atlanta Falcons W 20–17 (OT) 2–2 Texas Stadium 53,689https://www.profootballarchives.com/1991nfldal.html 1991 Dallas Cowboys (NFL) season Pro Football Archives October 28, 2023 Regular season The season began with a strong 26–14 victory over Cleveland and a close Monday night loss to Washington, 33–31. However, in Week Three the Cowboys were defeated at home by Philadelphia, 24–0. The Eagles sacked Troy Aikman eleven times, limited the Cowboys to just 90 yards of offense, and served notice that the Cowboys were still behind the "contenders" in the NFC East. A narrow victory the next week over the Cardinals did little to change that contention. However, in Week 5, the Cowboys scored on a 23-yard touchdown to Michael Irvin and upset the defending Super Bowl champion Giants 21–16 (snapping a 6-game losing streak to the Giants). The momentum from the Giants win carried the Cowboys to three wins in the next four games, besting the slumping Packers and winless Bengals. After a turnover-plagued humiliation at Detroit, the Cowboys manhandled the Cardinals again and now stood at 6–3. But then the Cowboys lost to the Oilers in overtime (the Cowboys were driving close to field goal range in the overtime period when Emmitt Smith committed a rare fumble). The next week, they lost at the Giants in a game Jimmy Johnson said was "officiated as poorly" as any he had ever coached in. At 6–5, the playoff chances seemed in serious jeopardy, especially with their upcoming opponent being a road game against the undefeated (and eventual Super bowl champion) Washington Redskins. However, Jimmy Johnson presented a gambling game plan for the Redskins game, including a first-half onside kick, several decisions to "go for it" on 4th down at unusual times, and opting to throw for the end zone on the final play of the first half even though the team was within field goal range at the Redskins' 34-yard line. Alvin Harper made the catch for a TD. The gambling game plan worked and the Cowboys completed a titanic 24–21 upset of the Redskins. Troy Aikman was injured in the Redskins game and was replaced early in the 2nd half by Steve Beuerlein (who had been signed late in the pre-season so as to avoid the problems at backup QB that plagued the Cowboys late in the 1990 season). Aikman's injury was serious enough for him to miss the rest of the regular season. After the Washington win, Beuerlein led the Cowboys to four straight victories to end the season. In Dallas's final game against Chuck Noll, the Cowboys defeated the Steelers 20–10, then defeated Dallas's former starter Steve Walsh and the Saints 23–14. The Eagles were downed 25–13 and then the Cowboys edged the Falcons 31–27; Jimmy Johnson, fearing complacency in his young players, called a snap full pads practice in driving rain the Friday before. The Cowboys' 11–5 record was good enough to earn a wildcard playoff berth. In most of the games, the Beuerlein-led offense was limited in passing yardage but the passing offense avoided serious mistakes and was helped by strong defensive performances and by Emmitt Smith, who finished the season with his first NFL rushing title. The biggest win of the Cowboys' late-season streak was a 25–13 win road win over the Philadelphia Eagles. It snapped a 7-game losing streak to the Eagles in "non-replacement games" and avenged the 24–0 loss back in week 3. In fairness, the Eagles were down to their third quarterback for this game (starter Randall Cunningham was lost for the season in week 1 and Jim McMahon, who had led the Eagles to their earlier win over Dallas, was also injured, leaving the reins to Jeff Kemp). The special teams coached by Joe Avezzano were a strength of the Cowboys: Dallas led the NFC in special teams effectiveness and ranked second in the NFL behind the Los Angeles Raiders. It led the league in special teams touchdowns (3) and average kickoff return (21.7 yards). The Cowboys placed a player in the top three in the NFL in both punt and kickoff return averages in the same season for the first time in team history. In addition, Alexander Wright's 102 yard kickoff return against the Atlanta Falcons and Kelvin Martin's 85 yard punt return against the Philadelphia Eagles were NFL season-bests. Kicker Ken Willis tied a club record with 27 field goals and set another with four 50-yarders. Punter Mike Saxon finished tied for fourth in the NFL with a career best 36.8 yard net average. Blocked three punts, returning one for a touchdown against the Houston Oilers. The special teams also recovered an onside kick against the Washington Redskins, forced a safety and recovered two punts fumbled by opponents. Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 1 at Cleveland Browns W 26–14 1–0 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 78,860 2 September 9, 1991 Washington Redskins L 31–33 1–1 Texas Stadium 63,025 3 September 15 Philadelphia Eagles L 0–24 1–2 Texas Stadium 62,656 4 September 22 at Phoenix Cardinals W 17–9 2–2 Sun Devil Stadium 68,814 5 September 29 New York Giants W 21–16 3–2 Texas Stadium 64,010 6 October 6 at Green Bay Packers W 20–17 4–2 Milwaukee County Stadium 53,695 7 October 13 Cincinnati Bengals W 35–23 5–2 Texas Stadium 63,275 8 Bye 9 October 27 at Detroit Lions L 10–34 5–3 Pontiac Silverdome 74,906 10 November 3 Phoenix Cardinals W 27–7 6–3 Texas Stadium 61,190 11 November 10 at Houston Oilers L 23–26 (OT) 6–4 Astrodome 63,001 12 November 17 at New York Giants L 9–22 6–5 Giants Stadium 76,410 13 November 24 at Washington Redskins W 24–21 7–5 RFK Stadium 55,561 14 November 28 Pittsburgh Steelers W 20–10 8–5 Texas Stadium 62,253 15 December 8 New Orleans Saints W 23–14 9–5 Texas Stadium 64,530 16 December 15 at Philadelphia Eagles W 25–13 10–5 Veterans Stadium 65,854 17 December 22 Atlanta Falcons W 31–27 11–5 Texas Stadium 60,962 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 6: at Green Bay Packers Dallas Cowboys 1991 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Six: Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers October 6, 1991 12:00 p.m. CST Cowboys 0 14 3 3 Packers 0 3 7 7 Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Overcast, 44 F C CBS James Brown and Randy Cross First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers DAL – Troy Aikman – 31/41, 287 yards, TD GB – Blair Kiel – 18/35, 212 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers DAL – Emmitt Smith – 32 rushes, 122 yards GB – Vince Workman – 6 rushes, 22 yards Top receivers DAL – Jay Novacek – 11 receptions, 121 yards, TD GB – Sterling Sharpe – 4 receptions, 65 yards, TD Week 14: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Dallas Cowboys 1991 2; text-align:center collapsed Week forthteen: Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys November 28, 1991 3:00 p.m. CST Steelers 0 0 3 7 Cowboys 7 3 0 10 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 62,253 Overcast, 68 F C NBC Dick Enberg, Bill Walsh First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers PIT – Neil O'Donnell – 17/36, 136 yards DAL – Steve Beuerlein – 14/25, 217 yards, TD Top rushers PIT – Warren Williams – 8 rushes, 59 yards, TD DAL – Emmitt Smith – 32 rushes, 109 yards, TD Top receivers PIT – Louis Lipps – 5 receptions, 54 yards DAL – Michael Irvin – 8 receptions, 157 yards, TD Playoffs 1991–92 NFL playoffs Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Wild Card December 29 at Chicago Bears (4) W 17–13 1–0 Soldier Field Divisional January 5, 1992 at Detroit Lions (2) L 6–38 1–1 Pontiac Silverdome Standings Playoffs Amid making the playoffs for the first time since 1985, there was controversy at the quarterback position. Troy Aikman was considered healthy enough to return for the playoffs. However, Beuerlein hadn't lost as a starter and there was an argument for "riding the hot hand". The "hot hand" argument won and Jimmy Johnson made the decision to play Beuerlein in the wildcard playoff game against the Chicago Bears, and the Cowboys won a hard-fought 17–13 decision at Soldier Field. It was the team's first playoff win since 1982 and first road playoff win since 1980. After the Chicago win, some thought the Cowboys were Super Bowl contenders (since they had beaten the NFC favorite Redskins at RFK Stadium during the regular season, there was a belief they could do it again if they met the Redskins in the NFC Championship game). However, the Cowboys would first have to beat Detroit at the Silverdome, where the Lions had not lost in 1991. Heading into the Detroit game, the QB controversy continued as the Cowboys prepared for their divisional playoff game. Pressure was mounting to return Aikman to the lineup but Beuerlein was announced as the starter. Beuerlein started but Aikman would replace him late in the first half with the Cowboys trailing 17–6. The other main issue in the Detroit game was stopping the Lions' running back Barry Sanders, one of the great players in the NFL. When the game began, the Cowboys defense did an excellent job stopping Sanders, holding him to one of his lowest outputs of the season. However, the Cowboys were torched by unheralded Lions quarterback Erik Kramer through the air, resulting in the final score being 38–6 in favor of Detroit. NFC Wild Card Dallas Cowboys 17, Chicago Bears 13 text-align:center; Dallas Cowboys Cowboys 10 0 7 0 Bears 0 3 3 7 Soldier Field, Chicago 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 p.m. CST 34 °F °C, partly cloudy CBS Pat Summerall and John Madden Dick Hantak 62,594 NFC Divisional Playoff Detroit Lions 38, Dallas Cowboys 6 text-align:center; Dallas Cowboys Cowboys 3 3 0 0 Lions 7 10 14 7 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 4:00 p.m. EST Played indoors, domed stadium CBS Pat Summerall and John Madden Gordon McCarter 79,835 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 1991 Dallas Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys Official Site Category:Dallas Cowboys seasons Dallas Dallas