"THROUGH THE EYES OF A FAN"
THE LONG ROAD BACK TO THE TOP
FOR THE DALLAS
The new Georgia Dome was the site of Super Bowl XXVIII. Although the excitement level was still high, it was still a different kind of excitement compared to Super Bowl XXVII. In 1992 there weren't many who thought the Cowboys would be playing for a World Championship, but in 1993 it was almost expected that they would win. Once again it was the Cowboys and Bills in the big show. It was finally time for the Cowboys to defend their title and earn another Championship.
The Cowboys got the game off to a great start as rookie Kevin Williams returned the opening kickoff 50 yards to mid-field. Then with the Cowboys facing a 3rd and 18, Troy Aikman connected with Michael Irvin for a 20-yard gain. The Cowboys drive stalled after that and they had to settle for an Eddie Murray field to give them a 3-0 lead.
After the Bills tied the game 3-3, they began driving again looking to take the lead. But the Cowboys defense came up with a turnover when safety James Washington stripped the Bills Thurman Thomas of the ball at midfield and the fumble was recovered by fellow safety Darren Woodson. The Cowboys offense once again failed to get the ball in the end zone and had to settle for another Eddie Murray field goal. At the end of the first quarter of Super Bowl XXVIII the Cowboys held a 6-3 lead on the Bills.
In the second quarter, the Cowboys forced a Bills punt. On the play the Cowboys attempted to block the punt, but as the Bills punter got the ball off he fell to the ground. It was a great acting job by the Bills punter as Cowboys special teams player Dave Thomas landed at his feet and a flag was thrown. The officials called a running into the kicker penalty, which gave the Bills a first down and new life on the drive. The Bills took advantage of the penalty and drove 80 yards in 17 plays. Thurman Thomas capped off the drive with a four yard touchdown run and the Bills took a 10-6 lead on the Cowboys.
Wanting to take the lead back, the Cowboys starting driving on the Bills late in the second quarter. The drive came to an end when Aikman threw a bad pass that was intercepted by the Bills Nate Odomes. Once again the Bills took advantage of a Cowboys mistake and converted the turnover into a field goal as time expired in the first half. The Bills went into the locker room leading 13-6. There were 30 minutes left in Super Bowl XXVIII and with the way the Cowboys were playing they would need some things to change in the second half to win another championship.
The Bills received the second half kickoff and it took just two plays to make their way towards midfield. Then on their third play of the drive the momentum of Super Bowl XXVIII suddenly turned in the Cowboys favor. Thurman Thomas took a hand-off from Jim Kelly and headed into the middle of his offensive line. The Cowboys Leon Lett hit Thomas with such force that he caused Thomas to fumble. The ball rolled in front of James Washington, who then scooped it up and made his way 46 yards for the game tying touchdown.
The momentum of James Washington’s touchdown continued for the Cowboys offense on their first possession of the third quarter. The Cowboys offensive line and Emmitt Smith took control of the game and marched 64 yards in eight plays. Emmitt Smith gained 61 of the 64 yards and finished off the drive with a beautiful 15-yard touchdown run. His touchdown gave the Cowboys a lead, 20-13 and they would not surrender the lead again. What made Smith’s touchdown so amazing was that he was hit in the backfield, then broke free and scored easily.
On the first play of the fourth quarter the Cowboys collected another Bills turnover. Once again it was James Washington, who jumped in front of a Jim Kelly pass intended for Don Beebe and intercepted it. The Cowboys offense quickly drove to the Bills one yard line where they faced a fourth and goal. Jimmy Johnson, knowing that the pressure was building on the Bills decided to put the nail in their coffin. Emmitt Smith followed a block by Daryl Johnston and scored again to increase the Cowboys lead to 27-13. The Cowboys added a late Eddie Murray field goal and Super Bowl XXVIII was over. The Dallas Cowboys had earned themselves a second straight World Championship by beating the Buffalo Bills 30-13.
In Super Bowl XXVIII it was a tale of two halves for the Cowboys defense. In the first half they gave up 216 yards to the Bills offense as Jim Kelly completed 19 of 26 passes for 176 yards. In the second half the Cowboys defense gave up only 98 yards as Jim Kelly completed only 12 of 24 passes for only 51 yards. They also sacked Kelly three times in the second half. Thurman Thomas was held to 37 yards on 16 carries, along with two fumbles that led to ten points for the Cowboys.
Back in Super Bowl XII when the Cowboys beat the Broncos, the MVP award was given to Randy White and Harvey Martin. In Super Bowl XXVIII there should have been co-MVPs once again. Emmitt Smith was voted the game's MVP due to his 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The MVP award should have also been given to James Washington for the incredible game he had. Washington had a hand in all three Buffalo turnovers. He caused Thurman Thomas to fumble in the first half. He recovered Thomas' fumble early in the second half and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. Then he intercepted a Jim Kelly pass in the fourth quarter. Those three plays from James Washington led to 17 points for the Cowboys. He also led the defense with 11 tackles.
The Cowboys had won their fourth World Championship and second in a row. Jimmy Johnson was the best coach in the NFL and the Cowboys had some of the best young players in the league. As a fan I couldn't help but think that all this success could go on for a while. What could possibly happen to derail this Cowboys train? But what fans didn't know was that a storm was brewing and it was about to get bad.
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment