Gailey would revitalize the Cowboys offense, particularly the running game, which had seen a recent decline despite the presence of
running back Emmitt Smith. The trio of Smith,
Troy Aikman, and
Michael Irvin helped the Cowboys be the first ever NFC East team to sweep their division en route to capturing the
NFC East title, the team's sixth of the 90's. The Cowboys would later encounter the
Arizona Cardinals for the third time that season in the NFC Wild Card Game, but would lose in a stunning upset in the first round at
Texas Stadium.
Cornerback Deion Sanders suffered an injury to his toe in a regular season victory over Arizona and made a surprise return against them in the playoff loss. Aikman was injured in a week two loss at Denver and missed the next five games. Future Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett started all games during Aikman's absence and went 3–2 as the starting quarterback. Notable additions to the team that year include
defensive end Greg Ellis and
offensive tackle Flozell Adams. Ellis was drafted with the 8th pick in the first round. Many were stunned that the Cowboys didn't draft
Randy Moss (most likely for his off-the-field issues).
Schedule Note: Intra-division opponents are in
bold text.
Standings ==Playoffs==