| Team: | Dallas Cowboys |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Record: | 12–4 |
| Division Place: | 2nd NFC East |
| Coach: | Tom Landry |
| General Manager: | Tex Schramm |
| Owner: | Clint Murchison Jr. |
| Stadium: | Texas Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Rams) 17–24 |
| Pro Bowlers: | 5 |
| Shortnavlink: | Cowboys seasons |
The 1983 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 24th season in the National Football League. The Cowboys finished second in the NFC East and improving their 6-3 record from 1982. The team broke the record for consecutive playoff appearances with 9 (the 2010 Colts later tied the record).
The team started the season with seven straight victories, including a memorable Monday night win over the Washington Redskins in which the team erased a 20-point halftime deficit and prevailed, 31–30. The Cowboys were particularly strong on offense, led by quarterback Danny White and running back Tony Dorsett. The Cowboys scored a team record 479 points and staged a few come-from-behind victories during the season. However, the defense gave up many points, despite strong play from Randy White, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, and Everson Walls. In particular, the young secondary was guilty of giving up many big plays throughout the season.
Late in the season, the Cowboys met the Redskins at Texas Stadium with the NFC East crown up for grabs. Both teams entered the game with 12–2 records, but the defending champion Redskins proved too much for the Cowboys and emerged with a 31–10 victory, giving them the NFC East title. With the Cowboys trailing 14–10 in the third quarter, the Cowboys failed on a fourth and one at midfield. The play was a key turning point. There appeared to be a miscommunication between quarterback Danny White and Tom Landry as to whether to run the play. The failed play led to a rare emotional outburst from Landry as he yelled "No, Danny, no." After a 42–17 drubbing at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers the following week, the Cowboys faced the Los Angeles Rams in the wild card game of the NFC playoffs. Despite having the home field advantage, the Cowboys fell, 24–17.
See main article: article and 1983 NFL draft.
| Raúl Allegre | Kicker | Texas | |
| Jerry Schmidt | Def. Line | Cal Poly SLO | |
| Bill Bates | Safety | Tennessee | |
| Broderick Thompson | Tackle | Kansas | |
| Mark Tuinei | Tackle | Hawaii |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Washington Redskins | W 31–30 | 1–0 | RFK Stadium | 55,045 | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 11 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 34–17 | 2–0 | Busch Stadium | 48,532 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 18 | New York Giants | W 28–13 | 3–0 | Texas Stadium | 62,347 | Recap | |
| 4 | September 25 | New Orleans Saints | W 21–20 | 4–0 | Texas Stadium | 62,136 | Recap | |
| 5 | October 2 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 37–24 | 5–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 60,774 | Recap | |
| 6 | October 9 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–24 | 6–0 | Texas Stadium | 63,308 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 37–7 | 7–0 | Texas Stadium | 63,070 | Recap | |
| 8 | October 23 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 38–40 | 7–1 | Texas Stadium | 64,991 | Recap | |
| 9 | October 30 | at New York Giants | W 38–20 | 8–1 | Giants Stadium | 76,142 | Recap | |
| 10 | November 6 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 27–20 | 9–1 | Veterans Stadium | 71,236 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 13 | at San Diego Chargers | L 23–24 | 9–2 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 46,192 | Recap | |
| 12 | November 20 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 41–21 | 10–2 | Texas Stadium | 64,103 | Recap | |
| 13 | November 24 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 35–17 | 11–2 | Texas Stadium | 60,974 | Recap | |
| 14 | December 4 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 35–10 | 12–2 | Kingdome | 63,352 | Recap | |
| 15 | December 11 | Washington Redskins | L 10–31 | 12–3 | Texas Stadium | 65,074 | Recap | |
| 16 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 17–42 | 12–4 | Candlestick Park | 59,957 | Recap |
The October 16 and November 6 games against the Philadelphia Eagles were played with locations switched from the original schedule, because of October 16 conflict with game 5 of the baseball World Series.
See main article: 1983–84 NFL playoffs.
Five players represented the Cowboys in the 1984 Pro Bowl: Doug Cosbie, Tony Dorsett, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Everson Walls, and Randy White. White and Walls were voted to the Associated Press' All-NFL first team, while Dorsett was voted to the AP's All-NFL second team.
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