| Team: | Dallas Cowboys |
| Year: | 1982 |
| Record: | 6–3 |
| Division Place: | 2nd NFC (also 2nd NFC East) |
| Coach: | Tom Landry |
| General Manager: | Tex Schramm |
| Owner: | Clint Murchison, Jr. |
| Stadium: | Texas Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Buccaneers) 30–17 Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Packers) 37–26 Lost NFC Championship (at Redskins) 17–31 |
| Pro Bowlers: | 8 |
| Shortnavlink: | Cowboys seasons |
The Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 23rd season in the National Football League. The Cowboys finished with a record of 6–3, placing them second in the NFC. After losing the season opener to the Pittsburgh Steelers (the first time the Cowboys lost a season opener in 17 years), the Cowboys won the next six, including five after the strike had ended. However, two losses at the end of the regular season cost them home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. After beginning their playoff run with victories over the Buccaneers 30–17 and the Packers 37–26, the Cowboys traveled to Washington, where they met defeat at the hands of their arch-rival, the Redskins 31–17. It was the third straight season that the Cowboys lost in the NFC championship game. The Redskins would advance and won Super Bowl XVII.[1]
The Cowboys featured big-play capability on both sides of the ball in 1982. The offense relied on running back Tony Dorsett, who led the NFC in rushing (and during the season set an NFL record with a 99-yard run from scrimmage against Minnesota), and quarterback Danny White, who finished second in the NFL in passer rating. Despite the retirement of longtime starters Charlie Waters and D.D. Lewis before the season, the Cowboys still tied for the NFC lead in sacks, and cornerback Everson Walls led the league with seven interceptions.[2]
The Cowboys were the only team to defeat the Redskins in the 1982 season, winning a regular season matchup in Game 5 at RFK Stadium (the scheduled meeting at Texas Stadium was cancelled by the strike). The Cowboys were also the only team in the NFL who never trailed at halftime in '82.
For the only time in franchise history, Dallas did not play the New York Giants, as both meetings fell victim to the strike.[3]
Tex Schramm and Gil Brandt, proposed to the NFL competition committee a centralization of the evaluation process for the NFL draft prospects. Before this, teams had to schedule individual visits with players to run them through drills and tests. This proposition created the NFL Scouting Combine, which was first held in Tampa, Florida, in 1982.[4]
Coincidentally, the 1982 NFL draft was one of the worst in Dallas Cowboys history. It is mostly remembered because it was the year the Cowboys drafted cornerback Rod Hill in the first round. Hill would go on to become the symbol of the team's failed draft strategy of the eighties, when the Cowboys took too many gambles. From that draft only Jeff Rohrer and Phil Pozderac made contributions.
See main article: article and 1982 NFL draft.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 28–36 | 0–1 | Texas Stadium | 63,431 | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 19 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 24–7 | 1–1 | Busch Stadium | 50,705 | Recap | |
| 3 | Rescheduled to January 3 | |||||||
| 4 | New York Giants | Cancelled due to the 1982 NFL strike | ||||||
| 5 | Washington Redskins | |||||||
| 6 | at Philadelphia Eagles | |||||||
| 7 | at Cincinnati Bengals | |||||||
| 8 | at New York Giants | |||||||
| 9 | St. Louis Cardinals | |||||||
| 10 | at San Francisco 49ers | |||||||
| 11 | November 21 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 14–9 | 2–1 | Texas Stadium | 49,578 | Recap | |
| 12 | November 25 | Cleveland Browns | W 31–14 | 3–1 | Texas Stadium | 46,267 | Recap | |
| 13 | December 5 | at Washington Redskins | W 24–10 | 4–1 | RFK Stadium | 54,633 | Recap | |
| 14 | at Houston Oilers | W 37–7 | 5–1 | Houston Astrodome | 51,808 | Recap | ||
| 15 | December 19 | New Orleans Saints | W 21–7 | 6–1 | Texas Stadium | 64,506 | Recap | |
| 16 | December 26 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 20–24 | 6–2 | Texas Stadium | 46,199 | Recap | |
| 17 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 27–31 | 6–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 60,007 | Recap | ||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
See main article: 1982–83 NFL playoffs.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game Site | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | January 9, 1983 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7) | W 30–17 | Texas Stadium | 65,042 | Recap | |
| Second Round | January 16, 1983 | Green Bay Packers (3) | W 37–26 | Texas Stadium | 63,972 | Recap | |
| NFC Championship | at Washington Redskins (1) | L 17–31 | RFK Stadium | 55,045 | Recap |
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