# 1988 Dallas Cowboys season

The 1988 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 29th season in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their 7–8 record from 1987, finishing at 3–13 and missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season. The 3–13 record in the 1988 season was the Cowboys' second worst season to that point in team history, surpassed only by its winless inaugural season in 1960.
The 1988 season was the final year for head coach Tom Landry, general manager Tex Schramm, and owner Bum Bright. It also featured the rookie season debut of Michael Irvin, one of the franchise's most accomplished players and a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

1988 Dallas Cowboys draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 11 | Michael Irvin * $^†$ | WR | Miami (FL) |
| 2 | 41 | Ken Norton * | LB | UCLA |
| 3 | 67 | Mark Hutson | OG | Oklahoma |
| 4 | 94 | Dave Widell | OT | Boston College |
| 6 | 151 | Scott Secules | QB | Virginia |
| 7 | 178 | Owen Hooven | OT | Oregon State |
| 8 | 205 | Mark Higgs | RB | Kentucky |
| 9 | 232 | Brian Bedford | WR | California |
| 10 | 263 | Billy Owens | DB | Pittsburgh |
| 11 | 290 | Chad Hennings | DE | Air Force |
| 12 | 317 | Ben Hummel | LB | UCLA |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

1988 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Jean Austin | Cornerback | Rutgers |
| Sanjay Beach | Wide receiver | Colorado State |
| Kenny Blacknell | Linebacker | Appalachian State |
| Rodney Branch | Cornerback | Grambling State |
| Alvin Briggs | Safety | Auburn |
| Chase Brown | Wide receiver | Idaho State |
| Craig Burnett | Quarterback | Wyoming |
| David Caylor | Kicker | Long Beach State |
| Curtis Chappell | Wide receiver | Howard |
| Matt Clark | Wide receiver | Baylor |
| Ray Coleman | Defensive line | Florida A&M |
| Jason Cooper | Tight end | Duke |
| James Crawford | Running back | Eastern Kentucky |
| Kent Dean | Tight end | Kansas State |
| David Demore | Linebacker | Duke |
| David DenBraber | Quarterback | Ferris State |
| Bob Driscoll | Tight end | Northwestern |
| Tommy Duhart | Defensive tackle | Southeastern Oklahoma State |
| Jerry Dunlap | Defensive back | Youngstown State |
| Todd Friewald | Defensive end | VMI |
| John Garrett | Wide receiver | Princeton |
| Al Huge | Defensive tackle | Hillsdale |
| John Kropke | Defensive tackle | Illinois State |
| Jim Malosky | Quarterback | Minnesota Duluth |
| Stanley Monk | Running back | Duke |
| Kelly Ryan | Quarterback | Yale |
| Dewayne Terry | Safety | Duke |
| Sean Washington | Cornerback | Rutgers |

## Summary

The 1988 season was the last of the Tom Landry era. After the 1988 season, the team would undergo drastic changes including a new head coach, and change of ownership from Bum Bright to current owner Jerry Jones.
Notable additions to the team in 1988 included wide receiver Michael Irvin and linebacker Ken Norton Jr. Defensive tackle Chad Hennings was also drafted in 1988 but, due to his obligations to the U.S. Air Force, he would not join the team until 1992.
The 1988 season was the first time since 1976 that future hall-of-fame running back Tony Dorsett was not on the Dallas roster. Dorsett had been relegated to a backup role to Herschel Walker for most of 1987 and was traded to the Denver Broncos during the offseason.
The 1988 season faced hardship from the release of the schedule. In 1987, Dallas had finished at 7–8, in a 3-way tie for second place in the NFC East and tiebreaking rules gave Dallas the “second place position”, even though Dallas finished fifth (last) in the NFC East in 1987 in “union games” (i.e. a strong replacement team had inflated the Boys’ ‘87 record). As a result, their 1988 schedule was primarily against teams that were strong in 1987 (and also in 1988).
Steve Pelluer had won the starting quarterback job from veteran Danny White late in the 1987 season and won the job in training camp for 1988. Early in the season, White appeared briefly in relief roles before suffering a season-ending injury in week 7, which elevated Kevin Sweeney to the backup position. Sweeney briefly took over the starting job for Pelluer in weeks 11 and 12, but the results were poor and Pelluer regained the job.
In the season opener, Dallas lost to Pittsburgh, 24–21. The Cowboys had the ball inside the Pittsburgh 10 in the game's closing seconds in position to tie or win the game, but Pelluer was intercepted. After a close win over Phoenix in week two, Dallas lost to the New York Giants, 12–10 (the margin of defeat being a strange safety on the opening kickoff). A last-second goal line stand brought victory over Atlanta in week four but the following week, the Cowboys lost to New Orleans on a last-second Morten Andersen field goal. Two convincing losses followed and at 2–5, the season was in jeopardy.
In week 8, Dallas traveled to Philadelphia. Bad blood still existed from 1987, when Philadelphia coach Buddy Ryan, in the game's closing seconds, called a deep pass play when the Eagles were already leading the game by 10 points. The Cowboys roared to a 20–0 lead in the first half, but the Eagles came back to win 24–23 by scoring a touchdown on the game's final play. The next week, Dallas blew a 10–0 second-half lead to lose to the Phoenix Cardinals and fell to 2–7. The losing streak extended to 10 games before Dallas upset the defending Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins in week 15 in RFK Stadium, which eliminated the Redskins from 1988 playoff contention. The Redskins win marked the end of an era (and Landry's last win) but was also a harbinger as rookie (and future hall-of-fame) wide receiver Irvin caught three touchdown passes. The team lost the next week at Texas Stadium to the Philadelphia Eagles to finish the season 3–13, the worst record in the entire NFL and the team's worst record since 1960, the Cowboys' first season as an expansion team. A bright spot for the season was Walker, who led the NFC in rushing yards.
In addition to Landry, this was also the final season for long-time Cowboys such as president-general manager Tex Schramm, personnel director Gil Brandt, defensive tackle Randy White, quarterback Danny White, linebacker Mike Hegman, and defensive coordinator Ernie Stautner.

### Roster
## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 4 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 21–24 | 0–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | 56,813 | Recap |
| 2 | September 12 | at Phoenix Cardinals | W 17–14 | 1–1 | Sun Devil Stadium | 67,139 | Recap |
| 3 | September 18 | New York Giants | L 10–12 | 1–2 | Texas Stadium | 55,325 | Recap |
| 4 | September 25 | Atlanta Falcons | W 26–20 | 2–2 | Texas Stadium | 39,702 | Recap |
| 5 | October 3 | at New Orleans Saints | L 17–20 | 2–3 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,474 | Recap |
| 6 | October 9 | Washington Redskins | L 17–35 | 2–4 | Texas Stadium | 63,325 | Recap |
| 7 | October 16 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–17 | 2–5 | Soldier Field | 64,759 | Recap |
| 8 | October 23 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 23–24 | 2–6 | Veterans Stadium | 66,309 | Recap |
| 9 | October 30 | Phoenix Cardinals | L 10–16 | 2–7 | Texas Stadium | 42,196 | Recap |
| 10 | November 6 | at New York Giants | L 21–29 | 2–8 | Giants Stadium | 75,826 | Recap |
| 11 | November 13 | Minnesota Vikings | L 3–43 | 2–9 | Texas Stadium | 57,830 | Recap |
| 12 | November 20 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 24–38 | 2–10 | Texas Stadium | 37,865 | Recap |
| 13 | November 24 | Houston Oilers | L 17–25 | 2–11 | Texas Stadium | 50,845 | Recap |
| 14 | December 4 | at Cleveland Browns | L 21–24 | 2–12 | Cleveland Stadium | 77,683 | Recap |
| 15 | December 11 | at Washington Redskins | W 24–17 | 3–12 | RFK Stadium | 51,526 | Recap |
| 16 | December 18 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 7–23 | 3–13 | Texas Stadium | 46,131 | Recap |
Division opponents are in bold text

### Game summaries
#### Week 1

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Steelers | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 4, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CST
* Game attendance: 56,813
* Referee: Gordon McCarter
* TV announcers (CBS): Tim Brant (play-by-play) and Hank Stram (color commentator)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Cowboys
Steelers :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DAL | PIT |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 21 | 24 |

#### Week 2 at Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
* Date: September 12, 1988
* Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 89 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 67,139
* Referee: Red Cashion
* TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, and Frank Gifford
* Box Score
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Cowboys | Passing | Steve Pelluer | 12/24, 162 Yds, INT |
| Cowboys | Rushing | Herschel Walker | 29 Rush, 149 Yds, TD |
| Cowboys | Receiving | Kelvin Martin | 5 Rec, 72 Yds |
| Cardinals | Passing | Neil Lomax | 20/34, 266 Yds, 2 TD |
| Cardinals | Rushing | Earl Ferrell | 11 Rush, 65 Yds |
| Cardinals | Receiving | Jay Novacek | 4 Rec, 78 Yds, TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DAL | PHO |
| 1 | 6:55 | | | | Cowboys | 47-yard field goal by Luis Zendejas | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | 12:18 | | | | Cardinals | Earl Ferrell 16-yard touchdown reception from Neil Lomax, Al Del Greco kick good | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | 4:35 | | | | Cowboys | Herschel Walker 3-yard touchdown run, Luis Zendejas kick good | 10 | 7 |
| 4 | 5:23 | | | | Cowboys | Steve Pelluer 1-yard touchdown run, Luis Zendejas kick good | 17 | 7 |
| 4 | 3:52 | | | | Cardinals | Jay Novacek 23-yard touchdown reception from Neil Lomax, Al Del Greco kick good | 17 | 14 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 17 | 14 |

#### Week 3

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 12 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas
* Date: September 18, 1988
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C); Wind 16 mph (26 km/h)
* Game attendance: 55,325
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) (blacked out locally)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Giants
Cowboys :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | NYG | DAL |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 12 | 10 |

#### Week 4

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Cowboys | 14 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 26 |
at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas
* Date: September 25, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CDT
* Game attendance: 39,702
* Referee: Bob McElwee
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel (play-by-play) and Ken Stabler (color commentator) (blacked out locally)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Falcons
Cowboys :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | ATL | DAL |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 20 | 26 |

#### Week 5

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Saints | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
at Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: October 3, 1988
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 68,474
* Referee: Gene Barth
* TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play-by-play) and Dan Dierdorf (color commentator)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Cowboys
Saints :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DAL | NO |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 17 | 20 |

#### Week 6

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins | 7 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas
* Date: October 9, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CDT
* Game attendance: 63,255
* Referee: Gordon McCarter
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Redskins
Cowboys :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | WSH | DAL |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 35 | 17 |

#### Week 7

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Bears | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Soldier Field • Chicago, Illinois
* Date: October 16, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CDT
* Game attendance: 64,759
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan (play-by-play) and Dan Jiggetts (color commentator)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Cowboys
Bears :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DAL | CHI |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 7 | 17 |

#### Week 8

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
at Veterans Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 23, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CDT
* Game attendance: 66,309
* Referee: Dick Hantak
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play-by-play) and Dan Jiggetts (color commentator)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Cowboys
Eagles :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DAL | PHI |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 23 | 24 |

#### Week 9

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 16 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas
* Date: October 30, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CST
* Game attendance: 42,196
* Referee: Bob McElwee
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Dan Fouts (color commentator) (blacked out locally)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Cardinals
Cowboys :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | PHO | DAL |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 16 | 10 |

#### Week 10

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| Giants | 10 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 29 |
at Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: November 6, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CST
* Game attendance: 75,826
* Referee: Johnny Grier
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play-by-play) and Terry Bradshaw (color commentator)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Cowboys
Giants :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DAL | NYG |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 21 | 29 |

#### Week 11

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 17 | 0 | 17 | 9 | 43 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas
* Date: November 13, 1988
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 57,830
* Referee: Red Cashion
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick (play-by-play) and Joe Theismann (color commentator) (blacked out locally)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Vikings
Cowboys :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | MIN | DAL |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 43 | 3 |

#### Week 12

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas
* Date: November 20, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CST
* Game attendance: 37,865
* Referee: Gordon McCarter
* TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan (play-by-play) and Ken Anderson (color commentator) (blacked out locally)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Bengals
Cowboys :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | CIN | DAL |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 38 | 24 |
Until 2024, this was the last home loss to the Bengals.

#### Week 13

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 0 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 25 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas
* Date: November 24, 1988
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 50,845
* Referee: Gene Barth
* TV announcers (NBC-blacked out locally): Dick Enberg (play-by-play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator) (blacked out locally)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Oilers
Cowboys :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | HOU | DAL |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 25 | 17 |
This was the last home loss to the Houston-based team until 2024.

#### Week 14

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Browns | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
at Cleveland Stadium • Cleveland, Ohio
* Date: December 4, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CST
* Game attendance: 77,683
* Referee: Jerry Seeman
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Ken Stabler (color commentator)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Cowboys
Browns :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DAL | CLE |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 21 | 24 |

#### Week 15

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Redskins | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
* Date: December 11, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CST
* Game attendance: 51,526
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan (play-by-play) and Dan Jiggetts (color commentator)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Cowboys
Redskins :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DAL | WSH |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 24 | 17 |

#### Week 16

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas
* Date: December 18, 1988
* Game time: 12 Noon CST
* Game attendance: 46,131
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (CBS): Tim Brant (play-by-play) and Hank Stram (color commentator) (blacked out locally)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Eagles
Cowboys :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | PHI | DAL |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 23 | 7 |

### Standings

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Philadelphia Eagles$^{(3)}$ | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 379 | 319 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 9–5 | 359 | 304 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 345 | 387 | L2 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–5 | 6–6 | 344 | 398 | L5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 265 | 381 | L1 |

## Publications

* The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0-312-11435-4
* Total Football ISBN 0-06-270170-3
* Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes ISBN 0-446-51950-2