14. 1989 AFC CHAMPION DENVER BRONCOS at 3. 1978 NFC CHAMPION DALLAS COWBOYS
3. 1978 NFC CHAMPION DALLAS COWBOYS
Record: 12-4
Pythag: 13-3
Off: 1st
Def: 3rd
1st NFC East
d. Falcons Div Rnd 27-20
d. Rams NFC Title 28-0
Lost Steelers Super Bowl 35-31
HC: Tom Landry OC: Dan Reeves, DC: Ernie Stautner
Frank Gleiber/Verne Lunquist/Brad Sham
Texas Stadium 60 degrees
Offense
QB Roger Staubach (36 Navy)
RB Tony Dorsett (24 Pitt)
FB Robert Newhouse (28 Houston)
WR Tony Hill (22 Stanford)
WR Drew Pearson (27 Tulsa)
TE Billy Joe DuPree (28 Mich St)
LT Pat Donovan (25 Stanford)
LG Herbert Scott (25 Va Union)
C John Fitzgerald (30 B College)
RG Tom Rafferty (24 Penn St)
RT Rayfield Wright (33 F Valley St)
Defense
LDE Too Tall Jones (27 Tenn St)
LDT Jethro Pugh (34 Eliz City St)
RDT Randy White (25 Maryland) All Pro
RDE Harvey Martin (28 Tex A&M Comm)
LLB Hollywood Henderson (25 Langston)
MLB Bob Breunig (25 Ariz St)
RLB DD Lewis (33 Miss St)
LCB Benny Barnes (27 Stanford)
RCB Aaron Kyle (24 Wyoming)
SS Charlie Waters (30 Clemson)
FS Cliff Harris (30 Ouachita Baptist) All Pro
K Rafael Septien (25 Louisiana)
P Danny White (26 Ariz St)
KR/PR Butch Johnson (24 UC Riverside)
Let's kick off the bottom half of Region 3 with a battle of conference champions who fell short in the Super Bowl. We saw the '83 Cowboys win the first game of the tournament and then fall to the '07 Pats - back up 5 years and it's really the same core - with Roger Staubach as the trigger man. Dallas had the top offense in '78, Staubach's 36, 26 total scores and 16 picks. 1700 combined yards from scrimmage for 24 year old Tony Dorsett. Both Cowboys All Pros are on the third ranked defense, 25 year old Randy White, 30 year old Cliff Harris.
14. 1989 AFC CHAMPION DENVER BRONCOS
Record: 11-5
Pythag: 12-4
Off: 8th
Def: 1st
1st AFC West
d. Steelers Div Rnd 24-23
d. Browns AFC Title 37-21
Lost Super Bowl 49ers 55-10
HC: Dan Reeves, OC: Chan Gailey, DC: Wade Phillips
Offense
QB John Elway (29 Stanford)
RB Bobby Humphrey (23-R Alabama)
FB Jeff Alexander (24-R Southern)
WR Mark Jackson (26 Purdue)
WR Vance Johnson (26 Arizona)
TE Clarence Kay (28 UGA)
LT Gerald Perry (25 Southern)
LG Doug Widell (23-R B College)
C Keith Kartz (26 Cal)
RG Jim Juriga (25 Illinois)
RT Ken Lanier (30 Florida St)
Defense
LDE Alphonso Carreker (27 Florida St)
NT Greg Kragen (27 Utah St)
RDE Andre Townsend (27 Ole Miss)
LOLB Simon Fletcher (27 Houston)
LILB Karl Mecklenberg (29 Minn) All Pro
RILB Rick Dennison (31 Colorado St)
ROLB Michael Brooks (25 LSU)
LCB Tyrone Braxton (25 N Dakota St)
RCB Wymon Henderson (28 UNLV)
SS Dennis Smith (30 USC)
FS Steve Atwater (23-R Arkansas)
K David Treadwell (24 Clemson)
P Mike Horan (30 L Beach St)
KR/PR Ken Bell (25 B College)
Dan Reeves spent his entire playing career in Dallas, he's coaching the Broncos in '89 and with him are Wade Phillips and Chan Gailey who one day will be Cowboy coaches. Denver's here because of the best defense in the league. 29 year old Karl Mecklenberg is the All Pro, 7.5 sacks and 27 year old Simon Fletcher had a dozen. The offense is okay; Elway's 29, 21 total scores and 18 picks. Couple of teams who run the ball in this 3/14 matchup; lets head to Texas Stadium.
First Qtr
Denver starts at the 31, 1st and 15 after a penalty.
1/15 - Bobby Humphrey stopped at the line.
2/15 - Humphrey again, 7.
3/8 - 5 receivers come out in the package, wild look for these '78 Cowboys - Elway finds Mike Young for 11 and the Broncos are near midfield.
1/10 - Jeff Alexander is the FB, he gets 1.
2/9- Incomplete, another 3rd and long, again, Denver spreads the field out again with a multi receiver package. Elway goes deep - Vance Johnson - 47 yards -- all the way to the Cowboy 5 - the '89 Broncos have come out firing away.
1/goal - Humphrey for 2.
2/goal - incomplete
3/goal - Elway finds Vance Johnson at the goal line - tremendous tackle by Hollywood Henderson to keep him out of the end zone and it's 4th and goal from like 6 inches away.
Reeves is going for it. Big play.
4/goal - Humphrey is stacked up at the line of scrimmage - just splattered to the turf by the middle of that Dallas defense and it's Cowboy ball.
3 and out. Denver in great field position at the Dallas 35, 9:21 left.
1/10 - Humphrey for 4.
2/6 - Elway sideline to Ricky Nattiel, really nice grab out of the air and once again the Broncos are deep in Dallas territory.
The next 3 plays lose 7 yards, Too Tall Jones sacks Elway - David Treadwell hits a GD and Dallas takes over - Butch Johnson tries to run the ball out from deep in the end zone and is slapped down at the 6. Dallas again starts deep in their own end.
3 and out. Denver starts at the Cowboy 42 - the whole quarter played on the Dallas half of the field.
1/10 - Randy White sacks Elway.
2/15 - Humphrey for 4.
3/11 - Humphrey for 9 on the draw - 4th and 2 at the Dallas 34, in 2022, a clear go for it - and Dan Reeves decides to do the same thing. Denver was stopped on a 4th down already today, 4th and 2 here.
4/2 - And once again - Bobby Humphrey is met by a wall of Cowboy white - stopped cold at the line and again - again, the Broncos turn it over on downs.
3 and out. Dallas has run 9 plays and has yet to get a first down.
Denver at the 31.
1/10 - Elway's on the move, he gets 4.
2/6 - Humphrey - nothing.
3/6 - Elway goes downfield - 27 yards to Vance Johnson as the quarter expires.
Second Quarter
Just nothing for the Dallas offense in the first quarter; top offense from '78 totally shut down by the top defense from '89 - Denver only with a FG after failing on two 4th downs.
Denver has 1st down at the Dallas 38, then goes back 10 on a holding call.
1/20 - Elway is picked off by Benny Barnes - Barnes into Denver territory at the 42.
1/10 - Tony Dorsett gets a yard.
2/9 - It's the first Cowboy first down of the day, 11 for Dorsett to the 30.
1/10 - Robert Newhouse for 6.
2/4 - Staubach scrambles for a yard.
3/3 - Staubach to Newhouse out of the backfield - it's 11 yards and Dallas is at the 12.
That's it - Dallas gets 2 yards in 3 plays - Rafael Septien FG ties it up.
Denver at the 28. 10:08.
3 and out. Dallas at the 40. 8:34.
3 and out. Denver at the 19. 6:26.
1/10 - Elway scrambles for 6.
2/4 - Humphrey picks it up.
And that's it - 3 plays net 3 yards. Dallas starting at the 37, 2:48.
3 and out. Just no offense, none, zero for the Cowboys today.
Denver at the 27. 1:09.
Denver gets a first down on a ten yard pass to Vance Johnson - but that's it and the half will end after a punt and two harmless Dallas plays.
Third Qtr
All defense in the first half - Denver had some chances, moved the ball a little bit -but a goal line stand, an interception, and a couple of sacks by the Cowboys keep them in the game. 3-3 as we go back to the second half.
Dallas opens at their own 14.
1/10 - Staubach going deep on the first play of the half - fly pattern to Tony Hill -- he's got it - breaks a tackle - And He Is Going All The Way TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS - a real bolt of lightning on the very first play of the second half - Staubach throws an 86 yard TD pass and that's more yards that the Cowboys had in the entire first half of play.
Broncos at the 34. 3 and out.
Cowboys at the 25 - they'll get a first down on a Dorsett 19 yard run - but have to punt around midfield.
Broncos at the 7. They'll pick up a first down on an 11 yard Elway to Mark Jackson pass, but then punt from their own 23.
Dallas at their own 44. They'll get a first down when Staubach hits Dorsett for 8 yards, but they'll punt from around midfield.
Broncos from their own 5. 3 and out - great field position for the Cowboys, at the Bronco 31, 1:11 left in the third.
It takes one play - Robert Newhouse running between Rafferty and Wright - buts through the Bronco defense and goes all the way to the house - TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS - the second 1 play TD drive of the quarter for Dallas, a 31 yard Robert Newhouse TD run.
Denver gets the ball at the 24 and has time for two plays, a Bobby Humphrey 16 yard run and a Sammy Winder 1 yard run. That takes us to the 4th.
4th Qtr
Dallas hasn't had anything even remotely approaching a real drive today - but they're up 17-3 with a stifling defense and 2 big third quarter strikes. Denver at their own 41, 2nd and 9.
They get 1 more yard and punt.
Dallas at the 24.
1/10 - Preston Pearson gets a carry. 6 yards.
2/4 - Dorsett gets 1.
3/3 - Staubach finds Drew Pearson over the middle for 19 - he takes a huge shot from Steve Atwater but holds on - spins the ball on the field, makes the first down motion and the Cowboys are in Bronco territory.
But that's it - the next 3 plays get 7 yards, Landry has a 4th and 3 at the Denver 38 but punts.
Denver at the 15. 10:08 left. 17-3 Dallas.
3 and out. Doomsday just choking the life out of Denver today.
Dallas starting at the Denver 39. 8:26 left.
1/10 - Preston Pearson gets 2.
2/8 - Newhouse for 1
3/7 - Staubach to Tony Hill for 11 and the first.
1/10 - Another big Newhouse run, 20 yards and it's first and goal at the Denver 5.
1/goal - Dorsett gets the goal line, just short.
2/goal - Dorsett plows his way home. TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS it's a 24-3 lead when Dorsett scores, Denver is taking possession at their own 18, only 4:53 left and this one is all done.
4 and out. Dallas gets it back on downs at the Denver 17 - the Cowboy defense has just wiped Denver off the map today.
Dallas runs the ball 3 times and kicks the short FG. 27-3.
Denver gets the ball at their own 33, 2:13 left.
3 and out - Staubach's gonna take a couple knees and this game is in the books.
Final: Cowboys 27 Broncos 3
This was a real woodshed game for the Dallas defense, Denver held to 8 first downs (Dallas only had 10, don't let the final score fool you, Dallas did not move the ball today).
Staubach: 7 for 17, 132 yards, 1 TD
Elway: 10 for 26, 142 yards, 1 INT
Newhouse: 12 carries, 79 yards, TD
Humphrey: 21 carries, 50 yds
Hill: 2 catches, 97 yds, TD
Johnson: 5 catches, 94 yds
Player of the Game - Randy White
