| Year: | 1992 |
| Nflchampion: | Dallas Cowboys |
| Regular Season: | September 6 – December 28, 1992 |
| Playoffs Start: | January 2, 1993 |
| Afcchampion: | Buffalo Bills |
| Nfcchampion: | Dallas Cowboys |
| Sb Name: | XXVII |
| Sb Date: | January 31, 1993 |
| Sb Site: | Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California |
| Pb Date: | February 7, 1993 |
The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that weekend off. This marked the first time since the 1966 NFL season and the AFL seasons of 1966 and 1967 that there were byes in week 1.
The season ended with Super Bowl XXVII when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills 52–17 at the Rose Bowl. This would be the third of the Bills' four consecutive Super Bowl losses; as of 2023, no other team has ever lost more than two Super Bowls in a row. Buffalo joined the Miami Dolphins of the early 1970s as the second team to reach three straight Super Bowls (the New England Patriots of the late 2010s became the third).
The 1992 NFL draft was held from April 26 to 27, 1992 at New York City's Marriott Marquis. With the first pick, the Indianapolis Colts selected defensive tackle Steve Emtman from the University of Washington.
After one season as referee, Stan Kemp stepped down after he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Tom Dooley also retired during the off-season. Gary Lane and Ed Hochuli were then promoted to referee.
Kemp's son, Alex, became an NFL official in 2014 and was promoted to referee in 2018.
A selection of the Washington Redskins in the 1943 NFL draft, Akins died on July 6, 1992.
An offensive lineman with the Detroit Lions, Andolsek was working in the yard of his Thibodaux, Louisiana home when a semi-trailer truck ran off Louisiana Highway 1 in front of his house and struck and killed him on June 23.[5]
On May 14, 1992, at age 43, Alzado died from brain cancer. He was buried at River View Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.[6]
A starter for the Dallas Texans for the 1962 AFL Championship Game, Branch was also a charter member of the Miami Dolphins in 1966. He died on April 21, 1992
A two-time All-Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles, Brown died on June 25, 1992, at the age of 27, following an automobile accident in Brooksville, Florida, in which both he and his 12-year-old nephew were killed when Brown lost control of his ZR1 Chevrolet Corvette at high speed and crashed into a palm tree. Brown was buried in his hometown of Brooksville.[7]
A selection of the Indianapolis Colts in the 1991 NFL draft, Curry was shot and killed outside a Cincinnati nightclub during an argument over a blocked vehicle on May 4, 1992.[8] [9]
Was a backup for the Raiders before being released after a fight instigated by a teammate, and had serious injuries which made it impossible for him to resume his career. Committed suicide at his home in California.
A series of National Football League pre-season exhibition games that were held at sites outside the United States, a total of three games were contested.
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score | Stadium | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2, 1992 | 34 | 23 |  Tokyo | |||
| August 15, 1992 | 31 | 27 | Berlin | |||
| August 16, 1992 | 17 | 15 |  London | |||
| Inter-conference AFC East vs NFC West AFC Central vs NFC Central AFC West vs NFC East |
Highlights of the 1992 season included:
Two games were played on Thursday, November 26, featuring Houston at Detroit and the New York Giants at Dallas, with Houston and Dallas winning.
There was an unusual deviation between good teams and bad teams in the NFL in 1992. Only one team, the Denver Broncos; finished with eight wins and eight losses, nine teams had at least 11 wins, and eight teams had at least 11 losses. Only six teams had between seven, eight or nine wins in 1992.
See main article: 1992–93 NFL playoffs.
| Most Valuable Player | Steve Young, quarterback, San Francisco | |
| Coach of the Year | Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh | |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Steve Young, quarterback, San Francisco | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Cortez Kennedy, defensive tackle, Seattle | |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Carl Pickens, wide receiver, Cincinnati | |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Dale Carter, cornerback, Kansas City | |
| NFL Comeback Player of the Year | Randall Cunningham, quarterback, Philadelphia | |
| NFL Man of the Year | John Elway, quarterback, Denver | |
| Super Bowl Most Valuable Player | Troy Aikman, quarterback, Dallas |
Dave Shula replaced the fired Sam Wyche.
Mike Holmgren replaced the fired Lindy Infante.
Ted Marchibroda was named the permanent replacement, after Ron Meyer was fired after five games in 1991 and Rick Venturi served as interim for the final 11 games. Marchibroda had previously served as head coach of the Colts (then based in Baltimore) from 1975 to 1979.
Chuck Knox replaced the fired John Robinson, having previously served as Rams head coach from 1973 to 1977.
Dennis Green replaced the retired Jerry Burns.
Bill Cowher replaced the retired Chuck Noll.
Bobby Ross replaced the fired Dan Henning.
Tom Flores replaced Chuck Knox, who resigned to become the Rams' head coach.
Sam Wyche replaced the fired Richard Williamson.
The Atlanta Falcons played their first season in the new Georgia Dome, replacing Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium. The Falcons would play at the Georgia Dome until 2016.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers began wearing orange pants with their white jerseys.
This was the third year under the league's four-year broadcast contracts with ABC, CBS, NBC, TNT, and ESPN. ABC, CBS, and NBC continued to televise Monday Night Football, the NFC package, and the AFC package, respectively. Sunday night games aired on TNT during the first half of the season, and ESPN during the second half of the season. With Bill Walsh leaving NBC to become head coach of the Stanford Cardinal college football team, Bob Trumpy was named to replace him as the network's lead color commentator, alongside Dick Enberg. Gary Bender replaced Skip Caray as TNT's play-by-play announcer.[11]