1996 Dallas Cowboys season The 1996 Dallas Cowboys season would mark their 37th consecutive season in the NFL . Regular season . Against the Chicago Bears in week one , running back Emmitt Smith would leave the game late with an injury that left him temporary paralyzed . Though not career - threatening , Smith ' s injury would hamper his effectiveness for the duration of the season . Adding to their difficulties , star wide receiver Michael Irvin would be suspended for the first five games due his highly publicized off - season incidents . Star cornerback Deion Sanders would be the first player in the modern era of the NFL to start several games on both offense and defense . After losing three of their first four games , the team would return to form , winning three straight before defeating former head coach Jimmy Johnson , then head coach of the Miami Dolphins on the way to their fifth consecutive NFC East title . Although Dallas still moved the ball well on offense , they had serious late - season trouble scoring touchdowns ( ultimately finishing just 25th in the league in points scored ) . They won games with Green Bay ( 21 to 6 ) and New England ( 12 to 6 ) ( the season ' s eventual Super Bowl participants ) without scoring a touchdown ( seven field goals against Green Bay and four against New England ) ; Dallas ' defense finished third in the league in fewest points allowed . The season would also see the return of former Cowboy Herschel Walker who added versatility as both a running back and kick off returner . Walker had ten carries for 83 yards and a touchdown and 27 kick returns for 779 yards . The game of the year came on November 10 at San Francisco . The Cowboys stood at 5 – 4 with the Niners 7 – 2 ; the Niners had won three straight meetings with the Cowboys since Barry Switzer was hired as head coach . Sacks by Broderick Thomas and Jim Schwantz knocked Niners quarterback Steve Young out of the game and Elvis Grbac , who ' d shredded the Cowboys defense the previous year , came on , and after the Niners blew a 10 – 0 lead they took a 17 – 10 lead with 11 : 30 left in the fourth quarter . The Cowboys drove to the Niners redzone but Aikman was picked off in the endzone by Marquez Pope with 6 : 30 to go . Grbac , however , was intercepted at his six - yard line on the ensuing play by Fred Strickland , and three plays later Aikman connected with Eric Bjornson for the tying touchdown . In the overtime a big Emmitt Smith run set up Chris Boniol ' s winning field goal . With the win combined with a Redskins loss to Arizona the Cowboys surged to win the NFC East . After defeating the Minnesota Vikings 40 to 15 in the first round of the playoffs at Texas Stadium ( which was , until 2009 , their last playoff win ) , the Cowboys would travel to Charlotte , North Carolina and lose the second year expansion team 12 – 4 NFC West Champion Carolina Panthers . Star receiver Michael Irvin was injured in the opening moments of the Carolina playoff game . Notable additions to the team included linebacker Randall Godfrey and safety George Teague . The Cowboys ' win over the 49ers ended a curious decade - long losing streak in Week 10 games ( this included an 0 – 3 record in week 10 games during World Championship seasons ) . Also , with the win against the Miami Dolphins at Joe Robbie Stadium , this was the first time the Cowboys franchise won a football game in South Florida . During this period of futility , the Cowboys lost three Super Bowls in the Orange Bowl by a total of 11 points and lost twice to the Miami Dolphins in 1978 ( 23 to 16 , also in a week 10 game ) and in 1984 ( 28 to 21 ) .