The 1984 season was the Cowboys' silver anniversary in the NFL. They had much to celebrate about their past.
There would be very little to celebrate about the future for the next few years to come.
The team marked the occasion with silver stars emblazoned with the number “25” on the left breast of their uniforms.
They also entered the year with something not seen in Dallas in over a decade – a quarterback controversy.
In four years as a starter, White had gone 41-15 in the regular season. He'd thrown for 3,980 yards in the 1983 season alone.
But he was throwing nearly as many interceptions as he was touchdowns. And he'd lost three straight NFC Championship games.
He questionable decision the year before to go for a fourth down instead of punt against the Redskins – and a three-interception day in a playoff loss to the Rams – put his job in jeopardy.
A Threat To The Throne
Gary Hogeboom wrested the starting job away from White to begin the season. The Rams jumped out to a 13-0 lead after the first quarter in Hogeboom's first start. But he rallied the team to a 20-13 win, throwing a touchdown pass to Cosbie.
The Giants upended the Cowboys 28-7 in the next game. But Hogeboom led the team on a three-game winning streak. He would throw just two touchdowns, but only one interception during the run.
Wins over the Eagles (23-17), Packers (20-6), and at the Bears (23-14) put Dallas at 4-1. Hogeboom had four touchdowns and just three picks over the five games.
But he would throw two interceptions in each of the next two games, a 31-20 loss to the Cardinals and a 34-14 loss at the Redskins.
Hogeboom's struggles would carry over to the next week as the Saints jumped out to a 27-6 lead after three quarters.
White was summoned off the bench and led a furious rally for a 30-27 win in overtime. A Jim Jeffcoat fumble recovery in the endzone had tied the game in regulation.
Back In The Saddle
White reclaimed the starting job and led Dallas to a 22-3 win over the Colts. But he was knocked out of a 19-7 loss to the Giants the following week.
Hogeboom struggled in his start against the Cardinals but still managed to get a 24-17 win. Going into Buffalo to face the winless Bills, it looked like an easy win for Dallas awaited.
Hogeboom would go 22-for-45 without a touchdown and tossed two more interceptions. Dallas lost 14-3 and the defeat would prove very costly by the end of the year.
Hogeboom was benched and would not play a single down over the final four games of the year.
Too Little, Too Late
White returned to the starting lineup and earned two wins. A 20-17 win over the Patriots was followed by an ugly 26-10 win over the Eagles.
White would throw four interceptions in the game as Dallas' defense would record a touchdown and a safety in the victory.
At 9-5 Dallas was still alive for the NFC East title and a playoff spot, though well behind the one-loss 49ers for the No. 1 seed.
Needing just one win for a playoff spot, Dallas jumped out to a 21-6 halftime lead at home over the Redskins. White threw for three first-half touchdowns.
But White opened the second half with a 32-yard pick six thrown to Washington's Darrell Green, sparking a 13-0 Washington run.
White put Dallas back ahead with a 43-yard pass to Tony Hill, but a John Riggins one-yard run gave the Redskins a 30-28 victory.
Playing 13-2 Miami at the Orange Bowl and needing a win to get into the playoffs, the Cowboys rallied from an early 14-0 deficit. A 66-yard pass from White to Hill tied the game at 21-21 but Dan Marino found Mark Clayton for a game-winning 63-yard pass and a 28-21 win.
A Streak Is Snapped
The 9-7 finish dropped the Cowboys into a three-way tie with the Cardinals and Giants in the NFC East. The tie-breakers moved them all the way down to fourth.
For the first time since 1974 the Dallas Cowboys had failed to qualify for the playoffs. The silver anniversary season had ended in chaos.
