1986 Dallas Cowboys season The Dallas Cowboys concluded the 1986 season with a record of 7 wins and 9 losses , finishing without a winning record for the first time since 1965 . The Cowboys , re - invigorated by the off - season acquisitions of running back Herschel Walker and passing coordinator Paul Hackett , got off to a strong 6 – 2 start , including a season opening win on Monday night over the New York Giants , which saw Walker score the winning touchdown late in the game , and a 30 – 6 blowout win over the Washington Redskins , which ended the Redskins 5 – 0 start . Quarterbacks Danny White and Steve Pelluer played well early in the season under Hackett ' s tutelage , who was brought over from the San Francisco 49ers to breathe new life into the passing game . However , White broke his wrist during a crucial loss to the New York Giants , and was ruled out for the season . Pelluer took over as the starting quarterback , and struggled mightily , throwing 17 interceptions over the course of the season , as well as seeing constant pressure from opposing pass rushers , including being sacked a team record 12 times in a game against San Diego . The Cowboys lost 7 out of their final 8 games , and suffered a five game losing streak to close out the season , including embarrassing losses to the Redskins ( 41 – 14 ) and the Seahawks on the annual Thanksgiving Day game ( 31 – 14 ) . It was the Cowboys ' first loss on Thanksgiving since 1979 . During the third quarter of a late - season loss to the Los Angeles Rams , Tom Landry was forced to leave the field due to a threat against his life . Landry returned to the field later in the game wearing a bulletproof vest . The Cowboys undoing certainly wasn ' t because of an inability to move the football , as the team ranked fourth in the NFL in total offense . Running back Herschel Walker rushed for 737 yards , caught 76 passes for 837 yards , and scored 14 touchdowns . Late in the season against the Eagles , Walker had a combined 292 yards rushing and receiving , breaking the team single game record . Running back Tony Dorsett added 748 yards rushing , and even though he was still the team ' s starting running back , he was clearly unhappy with his reduced role . This was the first non - strike season he hadn ' t rushed for 1000 yards . The passing game flourished under Danny White early in the year , but following White ' s injury , turnovers and an inability to protect the quarterback neutralized the passing attack . Wide receiver Tony Hill and tight end Doug Cosbie both began to show their age , and Mike Renfro was limited because of injury . Rookie wide receiver Mike Sherrard provided a deep threat , gaining 744 yards on just 41 receptions . Defensively , the team struggled to stop the run , finishing 23rd against the run , and the secondary , an opportunistic bunch in past seasons , only intercepted 17 passes during the season . The pass rush was still strong , despite defensive tackle Randy White finally beginning to slow down due to age and injury , as third year defensive end Jim Jeffcoat stepped up with 14 sacks . Overall , it was mistakes that would plague the team throughout the 1986 season . The offensive line gave up 60 sacks , the offense turned the ball over 41 times , and the team committed 112 penalties . No Cowboys were selected for the Pro Bowl in 1986 . Awards . For the first time in team history , the Cowboys had no players chosen to play in the pro bowl . They also had no players mentioned on the associated press ' All - NFL team . References . 1 . The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0 - 312 - 11435 - 4 2 . Total Football ISBN 0 - 06 - 270170 - 3 3 . www . nfl . com 4 . www . dallascowboysfanclub . com 5 . www . cowboysplus . com 6 . www . pro - football - reference . com 7 . www . databasefootball . com