The season's nadir occurred in week 12, when the 0-11 Buffalo Bills defeated the visiting Cowboys 14-3.
The Cowboys went through major changes during the offseason, as key players Drew Pearson, Billy Joe Dupree, Harvey Martin, Robert Newhouse, and Pat Donovan all retired, and Butch Johnson was traded to the Denver Broncos.
It was also the season that coach Tom Landry made the preseason decision to make Gary Hogeboom the starting quarterback over veteran Danny White.
Rafael Septién kicked a field goal and the Cowboys took a short lived 3-0 lead.
Two plays later the Saints took the lead on a Richard Todd (Yes, the same Richard Todd who played for the Jets in the late 70s and early 80′s) to Tyrone Young 36 yard touchdown pass as Young streaked across the middle beating Everson Walls and Ron Fellows.
But it was fullback Hokie Gajan who took center stage in this game as he ran for 78 yards and a touchdown.
On the interception Hogeboom hit his wrist on a Saints helmet and forced him to the bench for the rest of the game.
Late in the fourth quarter with only 3:59 to play Danny White threw a 12 yard touchdown pass to receiver Mike Renfro.
With 2:53 left in the game and veteran Kenny Stabler in at quarterback for the Saints because of Richard Todd's injury early in the fourth quarter, the Dallas defense made a stand.
The ball rolled into the end zone where Jim Jeffcoat fought through a wild scramble of players and recovered the fumble for the touchdown.
Then White completed a 15 yard pass to Renfro to set up Septién for the winning field.
Septein kicked a 41 yard field goal to complete the comeback and the Cowboys won the game 30-27.
After a 4–1 start, Hogeboom played poorly in losses to St. Louis and Washington, and was replaced by White in both games.
The constant change at quarterback didn't help the team's inconsistent play, and they reached their lowest point at Buffalo late in the season, suffering a humiliating 14–3 loss at the hands of the winless Bills.
Still, despite all the turmoil surrounding the Cowboys, they held a 9–5 record going into the season's final two weeks and were tied for the division lead.
The offensive line was ravaged by injury and retirement, and Cowboy quarterbacks were under duress all season.