# 1978 Dallas Cowboys season

The 1978 Dallas Cowboys season was their 19th in the National Football League (NFL). For the third consecutive season, the Cowboys finished in first place in the NFC East. The Cowboys scored 384 points, which ranked first in the league, while the defense only gave up 208 points, 3rd best in the league. Twice, the Cowboys appeared on Monday Night Football.
The Cowboys became the first franchise to appear in five Super Bowls. Their post season run included a comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons 27–20. As well as a shut out of the Los Angeles Rams 28–0.
With their loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XIII, they also became the first team to lose a Super Bowl after having won it the previous year.

## Draft

1978 Dallas Cowboys draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 28 | Larry Bethea | DE | Michigan State |
| 2 | 56 | Todd Christensen * | RB | BYU |
| 3 | 84 | Dave Hudgens | OT | Oklahoma |
| 4 | 110 | Alois Blackwell | RB | Houston |
| 5 | 138 | Rich Rosen | OG | Syracuse |
| 6 | 166 | Harold Randolph | LB | East Carolina |
| 7 | 194 | Tom Randall | DT | Iowa State |
| 8 | 222 | Homer Butler | WR | UCLA |
| 9 | 250 | Russ Williams | DB | Tennessee |
| 10 | 278 | Barry Tomasetti | OT | Iowa |
| 11 | 306 | Dennis Thurman * | CB | USC |
| 12 | 334 | Lee Washburn | OG | Montana |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season

The defending Super Bowl champions were again led by quarterback Roger Staubach. Staubach finished the season as the top rated passer in the NFL (84.9) by throwing 231 out of 413 completions for 3,190 yards and 25 touchdowns, with 16 interceptions. He also rushed for 182 yards and another touchdown. Wide receivers Drew Pearson and Tony Hill provided the deep passing threats, combining for 90 receptions, 537 yards, and 7 touchdowns. Tight end Billy Joe Dupree contributed 34 receptions for 509 yards and 9 touchdowns. Running back Tony Dorsett had another fine season, recording a total of 1703 combined rushing and receiving yards, and scoring a total of 9 touchdowns. Fullback Robert Newhouse and halfback Preston Pearson also contributed from the offensive backfield, combining for 1,326 rushing and receiving yards, while Newhouse also scored 10 touchdowns. The Cowboys also had a superb offensive line, led by Herbert Scott and 6-time Pro Bowler Rayfield Wright
The Cowboys' "Doomsday Defense" finished the season as the top-ranked defense in the league against the run by only allowing 107.6 yards per game. Pro Bowl linemen Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Harvey Martin and Randy White anchored the line, while linebackers Bob Breunig, D. D. Lewis and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson provided solid support. Their secondary, led by safeties Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters, along with cornerbacks Benny Barnes and Aaron Kyle, combined for 16 interceptions.
The Cowboys started the regular season slowly, winning only six of their first ten games. Both the offense and the defense played ineffectively, including giving up interceptions and fumbles. Dallas finished strong, winning their last six regular season games to post a 12–4 record.
In the aftermath of the season, NFL Films produced its annual highlight reel as it does for every NFL team. Notable of the highlight reel was the title "America's Team". It would come to be a label that would define the Dallas Cowboys for the rest of their history. However, the label is most remembered for the Cowboys of this era, appearing in three Super Bowls in four years and claiming a unique spotlight in the American consciousness.

### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 4 | Baltimore Colts | W 38–0 | 1–0 | Texas Stadium | 64,224 | Recap |
| 2 | September 10 | at New York Giants | W 34–24 | 2–0 | Giants Stadium | 73,265 | Recap |
| 3 | September 17 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 14–27 | 2–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 65,749 | Recap |
| 4 | September 24 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 21–12 | 3–1 | Texas Stadium | 62,760 | Recap |
| 5 | October 2 | at Washington Redskins | L 5–9 | 3–2 | RFK Stadium | 55,031 | Recap |
| 6 | October 8 | New York Giants | W 24–3 | 4–2 | Texas Stadium | 63,420 | Recap |
| 7 | October 15 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 24–21 (OT) | 5–2 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 48,991 | Recap |
| 8 | October 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 14–7 | 6–2 | Texas Stadium | 60,525 | Recap |
| 9 | October 26 | Minnesota Vikings | L 10–21 | 6–3 | Texas Stadium | 61,848 | Recap |
| 10 | November 5 | at Miami Dolphins | L 16–23 | 6–4 | Orange Bowl | 69,414 | Recap |
| 11 | November 12 | at Green Bay Packers | W 42–14 | 7–4 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 55,256 | Recap |
| 12 | November 19 | New Orleans Saints | W 27–7 | 8–4 | Texas Stadium | 57,920 | Recap |
| 13 | November 23 | Washington Redskins | W 37–10 | 9–4 | Texas Stadium | 64,905 | Recap |
| 14 | December 3 | New England Patriots | W 17–10 | 10–4 | Texas Stadium | 63,263 | Recap |
| 15 | December 10 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 31–13 | 11–4 | Veterans Stadium | 64,667 | Recap |
| 16 | December 17 | at New York Jets | W 30–7 | 12–4 | Shea Stadium | 52,532 | Recap |
Division opponents are in bold text

### Game notes
#### Week 1

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts(0-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Cowboys(1-0) | 0 | 21 | 14 | 3 | 38 |

#### Week 2

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cowboys (2-0) | 7 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 34 |
| Giants (1-1) | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |

#### Week 3

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys (2-1) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Rams (3-0) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
* Date: Sunday, September 17, 1978
* Game time: 4:00pm(ET)
* Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), relative humidity 77%, wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
* Game attendance: 65,749
* Referee: Chuck Heberling
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
First quarter
Rams – John Cappelletti 1 yard rush (Frank Corral kick) – 7-0 Rams
Second quarter
Cowboys – Billy Joe DuPree 14 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septién kick) – 7-7 tie
Rams – Ron Jessie 21 yard pass from Pat Haden (Frank Corral kick) – 14-7 Rams
Third quarter
No Score
Fourth quarter
Cowboys – Tony Hill 18 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septién kick) – 14-14 tie
Rams – Willie Miller 43 yard pass from Pat Haden (Kick Failed) – 20-14 Rams
Rams – Rod Perry 43 yard interception return (Frank Corral kick) – 27-14 Rams
Vegas Line
Dallas Cowboys -4.0
Cowboys
Passing
Roger Staubach 22/46, 246 Yds, 2 TD, 4 Int, 23 Lng
Rushing
Tony Dorsett 19 Att, 38 Yards, 0 TD, 13 Lng
Robert Newhouse 7 Att, 34 Yards, 0 TD, 12 Lng
Roger Staubach 2 Att, 25 Yards, 0 TD, 23 Lng
Receiving
Billy Joe DuPree 1 Rec, 14 Yds, 1 TD, 14 Lng
Drew Pearson 1 Rec, 0 Yds, 0TD, 0 Lng
Tony Hill 3 Rec, 41 Yds, 1 TD, 18 Lng
Preston Pearson 5 Rec, 72 Yds, 0 TD, 21 Lng
Tony Dorsett 6 Rec, 32 Yds, 0 TD, 12 Lng
Jay Saldi 1 Rec, 5 Yds, 0 TD, 5 Lng
Rams
Passing
Pat Haden 14/25, 227 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int, 45 Lng
Rushing
Cullen Bryant 20 Att, 61 Yards, 0 TD, 9 Lng
John Cappelletti 15 Att, 39 Yards, 1 TD, 9 Lng
Receiving
Willie Miller 5 Rec, 68 Yds, 1 TD, 43 Lng
Ron Jessie 7 Rec, 144 Yds, 1 TD, 45 Lng :
The week-3 contest between the Rams and Cowboys was a hard-fought early season match-up between two rivals who hated each other. Twice the Rams led by a touchdown during the game, only to have the Cowboys come back to even up the score. With the game tied at 14–14 in the 4th quarter, QB-Pat Haden connected with WR-Willie Miller for a 43-yard touchdown reception to increase the Rams lead by 6-points. But, after the Rams FG-kicker (Frank Corral) missed the easy extra point the score remained 20–14, leaving the Rams desperately clinging to a 6-point lead against a Cowboys team well known for pulling-out close games late in the 4th-quarter.
However, the Rams defense abruptly put an end to the Cowboys hopes of engineering another last minute victory after DB-Rod Perry intercepted a pass from QB-Roger Staubach and returned it for a 43-yrd TD to secure the Rams 27–14 victory. In response to Perry's game winning interception return, over 65,000 fans that filled Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that day simultaneously erupted into a bedlam of deafening cheers. Then, what started off as an extremely raucous celebration soon developed into jeering and taunting of the Cowboys during the last few minutes of the game, by both the fans and quite a few of the Rams players too. This provoked a very rare angry response from Staubach, who was seen pointing his finger at the boisterous Rams players on the sideline, telling them that the Cowboys "will get them" the next time they meet each other.

#### Week 4

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals (0-4) | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| Cowboys (3-1) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Texas Stadium
* Date: Sunday, September 24, 1978
* Game time: 4:00pm(ET)
* Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C), relative humidity 70%, wind 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 62,760
* Referee: Bob Frederic
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall, Sonny Jurgensen and Tom Brookshier
* Pro-Football-Reference.com

#### Week 5

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys (3-2) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Redskins (5-0) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
* Date: Monday, October 2, 1978
* Game time: 9:00pm(ET)
* Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), relative humidity 58%, wind 13 mph (21 km/h)
* Game attendance: 55,031
* Referee: Gene Barth
* TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and Don Meredith
* Pro-Football-Reference.com

#### Week 6

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants(3-3) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Cowboys(4-2) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |

#### Week 7

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Cowboys (5-2) | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| Cardinals (0-7) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
at Busch Stadium
* Date: Sunday, October 15, 1978
* Game time: 2:00pm(ET)
* Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), relative humidity 67%, wind 11 mph (18 km/h)
* Game attendance: 48,991
* Referee: Don Wedge
* TV announcers (CBS): Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung
* Pro-Football-Reference.com

#### Week 8

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles (4-4) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Cowboys (6-2) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Texas Stadium
* Date: Sunday, October 22, 1978
* Game time: 2:00pm(ET)
* Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C), relative humidity 51%, wind 14 mph (23 km/h)
* Game attendance: 60,525
* Referee: Red Cashion
* TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber, Tom Matte, and Bill Mazer
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
First quarter
No Score
Second quarter
Cowboys – Robert Newhouse 1 yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Dal 7, Eagles 0
Cowboys – Drew Pearson 11 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septién kick) – Dal 14, Eagles 0
Third quarter
Eagles – Keith Krepfle 34 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) – Dal 14, Eagles 7
Fourth quarter
No Score
Vegas Line
Dallas Cowboys -8.0 :

#### Week 9

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings (5-4) | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Cowboys (6-3) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Texas Stadium
* Date: Thursday, October 26, 1978
* Game time: 8:30pm(ET)
* Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), relative humidity 58%, wind 11 mph (18 km/h)
* Game attendance: 61,848
* Referee: Fred Wyant
* TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith
* Pro-Football-Reference.com

#### Week 10

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys (6-4) | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
| Dolphins (7-3) | 17 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
at Orange Bowl
* Date: Sunday, November 5, 1978
* Game time: 4:00pm(ET)
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), relative humidity 60%, wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
* Game attendance: 69,414
* Referee: Gordon McCarter
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Pro-Football-Reference.com

#### Week 11

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys (7-4) | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| Packers (7-4) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Milwaukee County Stadium
* Date: Sunday, November 12, 1978
* Game time: 4:00pm(ET)
* Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C), humidity 73%, wind 14 mph (23 km/h), wind chill 21 °F (−6 °C)
* Game attendance: 55,256
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
First quarter
Packers – Barty Smith 1 yard rush (Chester Marcol kick) – 7-0 Packers
Cowboys – Robert Newhouse 14 yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – 7-7 tie
Second quarter
Cowboys – Tony Dorsett 9 yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – 14-7 Cowboys
Cowboys – Billy Joe DuPree 8 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septién kick) – 21-7 Cowboys
Third quarter
Cowboys – Robert Newhouse 3 yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – 28-7 Cowboys
Cowboys – Billy Joe DuPree 18 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septién kick) – 35-7 Cowboys
Fourth quarter
Cowboys – Tony Dorsett 33 yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – 42-7 Cowboys
Packers – Steve Odom 18 yard pass from Bobby Douglass (Chester Marcol kick) – 42-14 Cowboys
Vegas Line
Dallas Cowboys -7.0
Cowboys
Passing
Roger Staubach 19/31, 200 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int, 24 Lng
Rushing
Tony Dorsett 23 Att, 149 Yds, 2 TD, 33 Lng
Robert Newhouse 18 Att, 101 Yds, 2 TD, 14 Lng
Scott Laidlaw 6 Att, 33 Yds, 0 TD, 10 Lng
Alois Blackwell 6 Att, 29 Yds, 0 TD, 13 Lng
Receiving
Butch Johnson 4 Rec, 56 Yds, 0 TD, 18 Lng
Tony Hill 3 Rec, 41 Yds, 1 TD, 18 Lng
Drew Pearson 3 Rec, 29 Yds, 0 TD, 21 Lng
Preston Pearson 5 Rec, 35 Yds, 0 TD, 11 Lng
Billy Joe DuPree 2 Rec, 26 Yds, 2 TD, 18 Lng
Robert Newhouse 4 Rec, 37 Yds, 0 TD, 24 Lng
Tony Dorsett 1 Rec, 16 Yds, 0 TD, 16 Lng
Packers
Passing
David Whitehurst 3/16, 31 Yds, 0 TD, 1 Int, 0 Lng
Bobby Douglass 3/5, 45 Yds, 1 TD, 1 Int, 0 Lng
Rushing
Terdell Middleton 9 Att, 29 Yds, 0 TD, 13 Lng
Jim Culbreath 3 Att, 14 Yds, 0 TD, 14 Lng
Barty Smith 3 Att, 6 Yds, 1 TD, 6 Lng
Bobby Douglass 1 Att, 17 Yds, 0 TD, 17 Lng
Receiving
Rich McGeorge 3 Rec, 41 Yds, 0 TD, 16 Lng
James Lofton 1 Rec, 12 Yds, 0 TD, 12 Lng
Steve Odom 1 Rec, 18 Yds, 1 TD, 18 Lng :
| Team Stats | Dal | GNB |
| First downs | 32 | 9 |
| Rush-yards-TDs | 58-313-4 | 17-66-1 |
| Net pass yards | 224 | 76 |
| Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT | 21-34-234-2-0 | 7-26-88-1-2 |
| Sacked-yards | 2-10 | 3-12 |
| Total yards | 537 | 142 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Penalties-yards | 9-80 | 6-41 |

#### Week 12

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints(5-7) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • Cowboys(8-4) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 27 |

#### Week 13

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins (8-5) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Cowboys (9-4) | 13 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 37 |
at Texas Stadium
* Date: Thursday, November 23, 1978
* Game time: 3:30pm(ET)
* Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), relative humidity 88%, wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
* Referee: Dick Jorgensen
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Pro-Football-Reference.com

#### Week 14

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Patriots (10-4) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Cowboys (10-4) | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
at Texas Stadium
* Date: Sunday, December 3, 1978
* Game time: 4:00pm(ET)
* Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), relative humidity 70%, wind 16 mph (26 km/h)
* Referee: Cal Lepore
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
* Pro-Football-Reference.com

#### Week 15

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys (11-4) | 14 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
| Eagles (8-7) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
at Veterans Stadium
* Date: Sunday, December 10, 1978
* Game time: 1:00pm(ET)
* Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C), relative humidity 51%, wind 18 mph (29 km/h), wind chill 19
* Referee: Gene Barth
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Pro-Football-Reference.com

#### Week 16

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cowboys (12-4) | 7 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 30 |
| Jets(8-8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |

## Standings

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Dallas Cowboys$^{(2)}$ | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 7–1 | 9–3 | 384 | 208 | W6 |
| Philadelphia Eagles$^{(5)}$ | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 270 | 250 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 273 | 283 | L5 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–5 | 6–6 | 248 | 296 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 5–9 | 264 | 298 | L1 |

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
| Wild Card | First Round Bye | First Round Bye | First Round Bye | First Round Bye | First Round Bye | First Round Bye |
| Divisional | December 30, 1978 | Atlanta Falcons (4) | W 27–20 | Texas Stadium | 60,338 | Recap |
| NFC Championship | January 7, 1979 | at Los Angeles Rams (1) | W 28–0 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 67,470 | Recap |
| Super Bowl | January 21, 1979 | vs Pittsburgh Steelers (A 1) | L 31–35 | Orange Bowl | 79,484 | Recap |

### NFC Divisional Playoff

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Cowboys | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: December 30, 1978
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C), relative humidity 97%, wind 15 mph (24 km/h), wind chill 29 °F (−2 °C)
* Game attendance: 60,338
* Referee: Cal Lepore
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Dallas' "Doomsday Defense" limited Atlanta quarterback Steve Bartkowski to only 8 completions in 23 attempts and intercepted him 3 times en route to victory. After the Falcons led 20–13 at halftime, the Cowboys scored 14 unanswered points in the second half.

### NFC Championship Game

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
* Date: January 7, 1979
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), relative humidity 77%, wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 67,470
* Referee: Ben Dreith
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Scoring
Third quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 5 yard run (Rafael Septién kick) – DAL 7–0
Fourth quarter
DAL – Scott Laidlaw 4 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septién kick) – DAL 14–0
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 11 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septién kick) – DAL 21–0
DAL – Thomas Henderson 68 yard interception return (Rafael Septién kick) – DAL 28–0
Vegas Line
Dallas Cowboys -3.5
Cowboys
Passing
Roger Staubach 13/25, 126 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int, 23 Lng
Rushing
Tony Dorsett 17 Att, 101 Yards, 1 TD, 53 Lng
Scott Laidlaw 10 Att, 20 Yards, 0 TD, 4 Lng
Roger Staubach 3 Att, 7 Yards, 0 TD, 11 Lng
Robert Newhouse 1 Att, 4 Yards, 0 TD, 4 Lng
Receiving
Billy Joe DuPree 3 Rec, 48 Yds, 1TD, 23 Lng
Drew Pearson 2 Rec, 19 Yds, 0TD, 17 Lng
Tony Hill 1 Rec, 9 Yds, 0TD, 9 Lng
Preston Pearson 2 Rec, 12 Yds, 0TD, 17 Lng
Tony Dorsett 2 Rec, 15 Yds, 0TD, 9 Lng
Rams
Passing
Pat Haden 7/19, 76 Yds, 0 TD, 3 Int, 18 Lng
Vince Ferragamo 7/16, 130 Yds, 0 TD, 2 Int, 65 Lng
Rushing
Cullen Bryant 20 Att, 52 Yards, 0 TD, 11 Lng
John Cappelletti 3 Att, 19 Yards, 0 TD, 10 Lng
Pat Haden 2 Att, 20 Yards, 0 TD, 18 Lng
Receiving
Willie Miller 3 Rec, 96 Yds, 0 TD, 65 Lng
Billy Waddy 2 Rec, 23 Yds, 0 TD, 14 Lng :
After a scoreless first half, the Cowboys opened the floodgates in the second half while the "Doomsday Defense" kept top-seeded Rams off of the scoreboard by intercepting Pat Haden three times, including a late pick six by Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, to help Dallas advance to their second straight Super Bowl. This would be the Cowboys' last playoff win wearing their navy blue uniforms until the 2022 season.

### Super Bowl XIII

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers (AFC) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| Cowboys (NFC) | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
* Date: January 21, 1979
* Game attendance: 79,484
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy, Merlin Olsen and John Brodie
Super Bowl XIII can arguably be called the greatest collection of NFL talent ever to gather for a game. In additions to Coaches Noll and Landry, 16 players would go on to enshrinement in the Hall of Fame: 9 from Pittsburgh (Bradshaw, Harris, Swann, Stallworth, Webster, Greene, Lambert, Ham, and Blount), and 7 from Dallas (Staubach, Dorsett, Drew Pearson, Randy White, Rayfield Wright, Cliff Harris and Jackie Smith).
Much of the pregame hype surrounding Super Bowl XIII centered around Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Henderson caused quite a stir before the NFC Championship Game by claiming that the Rams had "no class" and the Cowboys would shut them out. His prediction turned out to be very accurate; the Cowboys did shut them out, aided by Henderson's 68-yard interception return for a touchdown.
In the days leading up the Super Bowl, Henderson began talking about the Steelers in the same manner. He predicted another shutout and then made unfriendly comments about several Pittsburgh players. He put down the talent and the intelligence of Bradshaw, proclaiming "Bradshaw couldn't spell 'cat' if you spotted him the 'c' and the 'a'". But the Steelers refused to get into a war of words with Henderson. Greene responded by saying the Steelers didn't need to say they were the best, they would just go out on the field and "get the job done".

## Season recap

There was a lot of bitter feelings between the Dallas Cowboys and the LA Rams prior to their '78 NFC Championship contest. Both the Cowboys and Vikings shared a common recent history of eliminating the LA Rams from the playoffs the last 5-seasons in a row. Consigning the Rams to being labeled, "next year's champions" for most of the 1970s. So, when the undefeated (2-0) Cowboys traveled to Los Angeles to play the undefeated (2-0) Rams during week-3 of the 1978 regular season, the Rams were looking for blood. Not only did the Rams want to beat the Cowboys for a measure of revenge and early bragging rights, but they could use a victory over last year's Super Bowl champions to make a statement to the media and the rest of the league, "That 1978 was the year the Rams finally win a championship".
The week-3 contest between the Rams and Cowboys was a hard-fought early season match-up between two rivals who hated each other. Twice the Rams led by a touchdown only to have the Cowboys come back to even the score. With the game tied at 14–14 in the 4th quarter, QB-Pat Haden connected with WR-Willie Miller for a 43-yard touchdown reception to increase the Rams lead by 6-points. But, after the Rams FG-kicker (Frank Corral) missed the easy extra point the score remained 20–14, leaving the Rams desperately clinging to a 6-point lead against a Cowboys team well known for pulling-out close games late in the 4th-quarter.
However, the Rams defense abruptly put an end to the Cowboys hopes of engineering another last minute victory after DB-Rod Perry intercepted a pass from QB-Roger Staubach and returned it for a 43-yrd TD to secure the Rams 27–14 victory. In response to Perry's game winning interception return, over 65,000 fans that filled Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that day simultaneously erupted into a bedlam of deafening cheers. Then, what started off as an extremely raucous celebration soon developed into jeering and taunting of the Cowboys during the last few minutes of the game, by both the fans and quite a few of the Rams players too. This provoked a very rare angry response from Staubach, who was seen pointing his finger at the boisterous Rams players on the sideline, telling them that the Cowboys "will get them" the next time they meet each other.
The Cowboys returned to Los Angeles later that same season to play for the NFC Championship against the #1 seeded Rams. Both teams entered the playoffs with a 12-4 regular season record. Both teams defeated their first round opponents at home, which included a Rams 34-10 blowout over their other playoff nemesis, the Minnesota Vikings. And, as a result of that emotionally charged week-3 loss to the Rams, the Cowboys had to win the NFC Championship at the Coliseum in front of 67,470 hostile LA fans to earn a return trip to the Super Bowl to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had already won the AFC Championship against the Houston Oilers earlier that same day.
The stage was set for an epic NFC Championship match, and fueling the already combustible tensions was Cowboys LB-Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Earlier in the week, the national (and international) media had descended upon Thomas Henderson the day after the Cowboys' 27-20 1st round playoff victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Thomas was more than eager to feed them some controversial meat to chew on. Thomas began the week by suggesting that the reason the Rams never went to a Super Bowl was because they had "no class" as a team and organization. Thomas later claimed the Rams are a team of chokers, and the Rams were going to choke again in their upcoming game against the Cowboys.
The much anticipated NFC Championship game between the Rams and Cowboys began as a scoreless defensive struggle for nearly three quarters of play, which included Rams kicker Frank Corral missing two field goal attempts in the first half. However, Dallas eventually broke the scoreless match wide open late in the 3rd-quarter after forcing five 2nd-half turnovers that would eventually lead to a 28-point victory for the Cowboys. Earning them the opportunity to defend their NFL championship in Super Bowl XIII.
As usual, the Rams defense proved to be a tough nut to crack for the Cowboys offense, but, it all began to go horribly wrong for the Rams after Dallas safety Charlie Waters intercepted a pass and returned it to the Rams 10-yard line with 1:52 left in the 3rd-quarter. Five plays later, RB-Tony Dorsett (who finished the game with 101 rushing yards) scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to give the Cowboys a 7–0 lead. On the Rams next possession, Charlie Waters snatched his 2nd interception of the game, which quickly set-up Staubach's 4-yard TD pass to FB-Scott Laidlaw, making it a 14-0 contest early in the 4th quarter. On the play that Rams QB-Pat Haden threw his 2nd interception, Haden's passing hand collided with DT-Randy White's helmet as he released the ball. Resulting in a broken right thumb and sidelining Haden for the rest of the game.
With 8:30 left in the 4th-quarter and the Rams still down 14–0, backup QB-Vince Ferragamo hit WR-Willie Miller along the sideline for a 65-yard pass, giving the Rams a 1st-down on the Cowboys 10-yard line and a chance to get back in the game. However, on a 1st-and-goal the Rams RB-Cullen Bryant fumbled the handoff and DE-Harvey Martin quickly recovered the ball at the 11-yard line. From there, the Cowboys marched 89-yards to score their 3rd offensive touchdown which featured a 53-yard run by Tony Dorsett, that eventually set-up an 11-yard TD reception from Staubach to TE-Billy Joe Dupree.
With the Cowboys sitting comfortably on top a 21–0 lead late in the 4th quarter, the CBS cameras panned over to Thomas Henderson standing on the sideline with their TV microphone on. Seizing the opportunity, Thomas looked directly at the camera and told the several million viewers, "It's 21-0, the Rams are choking, and I ain't through yet.". On the very next Rams possession, Thomas Henderson intercepted Ferragamo's pass along the sideline with 1:19 left in the game and returned it 68-yards for the final touchdown. While the touchdown interception return, and prior comments may have impressed millions of viewers, it was Henderson's celebratory football finger roll over the goal post that angered many others.
Henderson's TD celebration was later deemed by the media as "adding insult to injury", which amused Henderson and the millions of Cowboys fans worldwide. However, it also increased the huge divide between those who were already fans of the Cowboys and the people who hated them. With the win over the Rams the Cowboys advanced to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years to play a rematch of Super Bowl X against the Pittsburgh Steelers that would ultimately determine "The Team of the Decade".
Thomas Henderson's "controversial" comments before and during the NFC Championship game accelerated his already skyrocketing "Hollywood" persona into that of a pop-cultural phenomenon. Thomas Henderson was later featured on the cover of Newsweek Magazine the week before the Super Bowl, and NBC anointed Henderson the "Muhammad Ali of the NFL" during the pre-game player introductions for Super Bowl XIII. ABC-TV decided to jump on the "Hollywood" Henderson band wagon by inviting him to compete on their popular annual Superstars competition immediately following the 28–0 victory over the Rams.

## Awards and records

* Led NFL in sacks
* Led NFL, fewest rushing yards allowed (1,721)
* Led NFL, most rushing yards (2,783)
* Led NFL, points scored (384)
* Roger Staubach, NFL passing leader
* Roger Staubach, NFC leader, touchdown passes (25)

### Milestones

* Tony Dorsett, second consecutive 1,000 yard rushing season (finished season with 1,325 yards, third in NFL)

## 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