The 1995 Dallas Cowboys were a formidable force in the NFC. Under the wing of Barry Switzer, the Boys were lead by the triplets: Quarterback Troy Aikman, Running Back Emmitt Smith and Wide Receiver Michael Irvin. All three players are Hall of Famers, but this wasn’t their first rodeo, this season became their third title in four years.
Taking a Look at the 1995 Dallas Cowboys After 25 Years
Revenge Tour
Coming into the 1995-’96 season, Dallas was reeling from a defeat at the hands of a familiar foe. They were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship the previous year. In a season where they went 12-4, they quickly dispatched the Green Bay Packers 35-9. They then surrendered 38 points in a loss to Steve Young‘s Niners. The Cowboys came out with a vengeance the following season, averaging almost 28 points per game. To make things even better, the defense only allowed 18 a game.
Emmitt Smith had a record setting season, where he rushed for 1773 yards, but had 25 rushing touchdowns. That record would later be broken by Priest Holmes in 2003 with 27 that season with the Kansas City Chiefs. This kind of year was almost commonplace for Smith, who is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, as he punished defenses across the league. Emmitt averaged 111 yards per game, and almost 5 yards per attempt.
Irvin also had a crazy season to couple with Smith’s rushing title. He hauled in 111 catches for 1603 yards and 10 touchdowns. That gives him an average of 100.2 yards a game, and 14.4 yards per reception. Irvin was explosive on the field and thankfully contributed to the Cowboys success before he became explosive off the field just a couple years later.
The only member of the team who seemingly had a mediocre year was Troy Aikman. Handing the ball off to Emmitt Smith obviously made his job a lot easier, but he could also sling it around the field. He finished the season with 3304 yards, 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. When compared to that of the other members of the triplets, it pales in comparison, regardless, he was the general.
Stingy Defense
“Defense wins championships”, that has always been the saying. In the ’95-’96 season, that rang true for the Cowboys. After shutting out the New York Giants 35-0 in Week 1, the ‘Boys doubled down and changed the football landscape. They signed then free-agent Deion Sanders, and took off from there. The defense, behind a set of triplets of their own, wreaked havoc on most teams, forcing 28 total turnovers. Sanders, Larry Brown, and Darren Woodson combined for 11 of those turnovers, 10 coming by interception.
The Great Wall of Dallas
Although Emmitt Smith is one of the greatest RBs of all time, he can give some big kudos to his offensive line and his fullback. Lead by Nate Newton, Larry Allen and Daryl “Moose” Johnston, Smith ran wild for years on the league. The offensive line became so good in fact, that the media named them “The Great Wall of Dallas”. Unfortunately, over time, this group of men saw some dark times, including jail time. After this particular season, the luster of the “Great Wall” started to wear off.
Playoff Time
When it came time to play in the NFC playoffs, Dallas was well rested and ready to go. They had clinched the 1st seed and a bye. They were coming off a 37-13 thrashing of Arizona Cardinals in Week 17 in which most of their starters didn’t play after halftime, and the Philadelphia Eagles stood no chance. Dallas had their way with them and beat them 30-11. Smith had 21 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. Aikman finished with 243, a touchdown and an interception.
Dallas’s next opponent, the Green Bay Packers, didn’t have it so easy. They had to hold off a late rally by the 49ers to advance. Green Bay rolled into Dallas and hung with the Cowboys for three quarters, then sputtered out in the fourth as Emmitt Smith flexed his muscles. Dallas beat the Pack 38-27. Smith rushed 35 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns. Two of which iced the game in the fourth quarter. Irvin also added in two touchdowns of his own as the Packers were worn out by a run heavy offense. For the third time in four years, Dallas was crowned the NFC Champs.
Super Bowl XXX
Dallas was taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers to end the year in Tempe, AZ. The Steelers were coming off a close game with the Indianapolis Colts, whereas Dallas took care of Green Bay. Each team had multiple all-pros and pro-bowlers. This game also certainly brought about good memories of the previous matchups between Tom Landry‘s “Doomsday Defense” and Chuck Noll‘s “Steel Curtain”. Dallas immediately took the fight to Pittsburgh, as they raced out to a 10-0 lead. This game was just the second time all season that Emmitt Smith failed to rush for more than 65 yards. He carried the ball 18 times for only 49 yards, but he did have two important touchdowns.
The most important plays though, came from the defense. Ask any Steelers fan old enough to remember this game who Larry Brown is. They will most likely tell you they don’t want to talk about it. Brown had a huge 44-yard INT return to set up a Dallas touchdown. He added in another 33-yard INT return to set up a second TD to ice it down. The Dallas Cowboys were once again Super Bowl Champions for the third time in four years.
As we come up on Super Bowl 54 where the Chiefs will take on the 49ers, we reflect on one of the best NFL teams of all time. The 1995 Dallas Cowboys, 25 years later.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
