1985 Season

The Cowboys finished the 1985 season with a record of ten wins and six losses, good for first place in the NFC East, and earning a trip to the playoffs (the final postseason appearance for the Cowboys under Tom Landry), where they lost in a divisional playoff game to the Los Angeles Rams.

Tom Landry's team got off to another fast start, opening the season with a 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 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 Bengalshanded 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 in Anaheim, California, 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.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	NFL Recap	Attendance
1	September 9, 1985	Washington Redskins	W 44–14	Texas Stadium	Recap	62,292
2	September 15, 1985	at Detroit Lions	L 21–26	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap	72,985
3	September 22, 1985	Cleveland Browns	W 20–7	Texas Stadium	Recap	61,456
4	September 29, 1985	at Houston Oilers	W 17–10	Astrodome	Recap	49,686
5	October 6, 1985	at New York Giants	W 30–29	Giants Stadium	Recap	74,981
6	October 13, 1985	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 27–13	Texas Stadium	Recap	63,062
7	October 20, 1985	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 14–16	Veterans Stadium	Recap	70,114
8	October 27, 1985	Atlanta Falcons	W 24–10	Texas Stadium	Recap	57,941
9	November 4, 1985	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 10–21	Busch Memorial Stadium	Recap	49,347
10	November 10, 1985	at Washington Redskins	W 13–7	RFK Stadium	Recap	55,750
11	November 17, 1985	Chicago Bears	L 0–44	Texas Stadium	Recap	63,855
12	November 24, 1985	Philadelphia Eagles	W 34–17	Texas Stadium	Recap	54,047
13	November 28, 1985	St. Louis Cardinals	W 35–17	Texas Stadium	Recap	54,125
14	December 8, 1985	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 24–50	Riverfront Stadium	Recap	56,936
15	December 15, 1985	New York Giants	W 28–21	Texas Stadium	Recap	62,310
16	December 22, 1985	at San Francisco 49ers	L 16–31	Candlestick Park	Recap	60,114

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 1985 roster
Quarterbacks 14 Gary Hogeboom 16 Steve Pelluer 11 Danny White Running Backs 33 Tony Dorsett 46 Todd Fowler FB/TE 23 James Jones KR 30 Timmy Newsome FB/RB 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 G 66 Chris Schultz T 67 Broderick Thompson G 71 Mark Tuinei C/T/DT 63 Glen Titensor G Defensive Linemen 99 Kevin Brooks DT 78 John Dutton DT 77 Jim Jeffcoat DE 72 Ed Jones DE 60 Don Smerek DE/DT 54 Randy White DT		Linebackers 55 Steve DeOssie MLB 58 Mike Hegman OLB 56 Eugene Lockhart MLB 59 Jesse Penn OLB 50 Jeff Rohrer OLB Defensive Backs 36 Vince Albritton SS 40 Bill Bates SS/PR 47 Dextor Clinkscale SS 26 Michael Downs FS 27 Ron Fellows CB 22 Victor Scott FS 32 Dennis Thurman CB 24 Everson Walls CB Special Teams  4 Mike Saxon P  1 Rafael Septien K		Reserve Lists 76 Dowe Aughtman DT (IR)  62 Brian Baldinger G (IR)  68 Crawford Ker G (IR)  29 Robert Lavette RB (IR)  73 Kurt Ploeger DE (IR)  Rookies in italics 45 Active, 5 Inactive