In an attempt to be the first NFL franchise to "Three-Peat" Super Bowls, the Dallas Cowboys were off to a strong start under new head coach Barry Switzer.
The most notable injuries were a near fatal car accident to tackle Erik Williams and a nagging hamstring strain to running back Emmitt Smith.
The season also saw the brief emergence of back-up quarterback and future head coach Jason Garrett as he led a comeback victory against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day by leading the Cowboys to score 36 points in the second half.
The Cardinals were obliterated at Texas Stadium 38–3 as quarterbacks Steve Beuerlein and Jay Schroeder were intercepted five total times.
Troy Aikman completed three passes and a touchdown to Alvin Harper but was knocked out by a vicious hit from Wilber Marshall.
His Bengals entered this game winless and stayed that way after the Cowboys rallied from down 20–17 in the third quarter on two Boniol field goals.
Considered the game of the year going in, Dallas's fourth meeting in three seasons with the Niners was a defensive struggle with a combined fourteen punts for 592 yards.
Green Bay raced to a 24–13 lead before Garrett erupted to two touchdown throws and led two more drives ending in rushing scores.
They then traveled to Candlestick Park to face the San Francisco 49ers for the third straight time in as many years in the NFC Championship game.
The Cowboys led wire to wire, winning 35–9 as Aikman erupted for 337 yards while Brett Favre completed just eighteen passes and was benched with the game's competitive phase over for Mark Brunell in his final game for the Packers before league expansion sent him to the same Jacksonville Jaguars whose interest in Dallas's previous head coach had helped set off the controversial change of Dallas coaches before the 1994 season.
Dallas's run as Super Bowl champions ended in bitter 38–28 fashion as three turnovers in the first eight minutes of action led to 21 Niners points and a 31–14 San Francisco lead at halftime.
The most bitter moment came on an encounter between receiver Michael Irvin (targeted 26 times with twelve catches and two touchdowns) and Niners defensive back Deion Sanders that was considered flagrant pass interference but didn't draw a penalty.
Team owner Jerry Jones stated afterward "there is nothing we need to change to beat the Forty Niners," but the Cowboys would sign Sanders as a free agent at the start of the following season.