Day 57 of the Cowboys’ 100-day countdown to kickoff takes us back to one of the least glamorous wins in franchise history - and one of the most important in its own strange way.
On Sunday, November 5, 1989, Dallas walked into RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., carrying an 0-8 record and all the baggage that came with it. The 1989 Cowboys were in the middle of a complete teardown and rebuild.
Jerry Jones had bought the team, Tom Landry was out, Jimmy Johnson was in, Troy Aikman was a rookie, and the roster was being stripped down for what would come later. At that point, just getting one win felt like dragging a boulder uphill.
The final score was Cowboys 13, Washington 3, and the game was every bit as rough as that line suggests. The first quarter came and went without a point.
Dallas didn’t score until the final two seconds of the first half, when Roger Ruzek drilled a 20-yard field goal to put the Cowboys ahead 3-0. That drive started with a Bill Bates interception of Doug Williams, then a 25-yard Steve Walsh completion to Kelvin Martin that helped set up the kick.
Washington answered in the third quarter with a 35-yard Chip Lohmiller field goal to tie it, but Dallas finally found the game’s only touchdown after Paul Palmer ripped off a 47-yard draw up the middle to get the Cowboys close. Two plays later, Palmer finished it from two yards out, and Dallas had a 10-3 lead it would not give back.
From there, the Cowboys survived on defense and just enough offense to stay in front. Washington actually outgained Dallas, 346 total yards to 262, but the Redskins also threw two interceptions and managed only 50 rushing yards on 21 carries. Ruzek added a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, and that closed the door on a win that was ugly, tense, and absolutely necessary.
Steve Walsh got the start at quarterback with Aikman sidelined, and his line was plain: no touchdowns, no interceptions. That was enough on this night.
Palmer was the offensive spark, finishing with 18 carries for 110 yards and the lone touchdown. Kelvin Martin caught five passes for 93 yards, while Bates and Vince Albritton picked off Williams to help seal it.
The game matters in the countdown because it marks the bottom of the climb. Dallas’ 1990s rise didn’t begin with a signature playoff moment or a flashy breakout.
It started here, in the mud of 1989, with a single win in Washington during a season full of losses, trades, and hard lessons. The Cowboys would drop their final seven games and finish 1-15, but this victory gave Jimmy Johnson his first NFL win and kept Dallas from finishing the year without one.
The discipline mattered, too. Dallas had zero penalties.
Washington had eight for 65 yards. In a game with almost no room for error, that edge helped make the difference.
In Other News...
Jerry Jones' Rare Splash Is Already Sparking Regret In Dallas
The Cowboys made one of their louder moves of the 2026 free agency period by bringing in safety Jalen Thompson on a three-year, $33 million deal, banking on a veteran who can add versatility to the back end of the defense. Thompson is viewed by some as an immediate fit for Christian Parkers unit because he can line up in the nickel, box and deep safety roles, giving Dallas a flexible piece it has been looking for.
Still, not everyone sees the signing as a clean win for Jerry Jones and company. One Bleacher Report analyst raised the possibility that Thompson could end up as Dallas biggest bust, pointing to the safetys recent interception drought and the fact that opposing quarterbacks have posted passer ratings above 102 against him, a profile that naturally fuels some early second-guessing around a rare splash in free agency. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Fans Still Feel The Pain Of This Texas Stadium Night
The night Texas Stadium closed out its run had the kind of weight that still lingers with Cowboys fans, even years later. On Dec. 20, 2008, Dallas lost to Baltimore 33-24 in a game that felt bigger than the final score, with the Ravens pulling away late after a back-and-forth afternoon in one of the franchises most familiar settings.
What followed only deepened the sense of history. A farewell ceremony honored the stadiums place in Cowboys lore, with Roger Staubach, Randy White, Mel Renfro and Emmitt Smith among the legends involved, a reminder of how many memories had been built there since the building opened in 1971. For fans who lived through that era, the pain is tied not just to a loss, but to the end of a home that had defined the team for decades. [Read more 🡒]
Quinnen Williams Enters A Massive Season For Dallas Defense
Quinnen Williams arrives at this season with Dallas asking for more than just a smooth transition. The Cowboys paid a real price to get him in that midseason 2025 deal with the Jets, sending out Mazi Smith and premium draft capital, and they did it because Williams still looks like the kind of interior force that can change what a defense can be. He started all 15 games last year after the trade, split between New York and Dallas, and still managed to earn another Pro Bowl nod even if the production was not quite at his usual level.
Now the spotlight shifts to what a full year in Dallas can look like. Williams is finally entering a complete offseason and a complete season with the Cowboys, which makes him one of the most important players on the roster as they try to build a defense that can carry more weight. The expectation is that his impact should climb from here, and if it does, Dallas could be looking at one of the defining seasons of its defense. [Read more 🡒]