The Landry Hat
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Which ’90s Dallas Cowboys team does the 2017 squad resemble?

By Steve Miklosko

Dec 18, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) high fives tackle Tyron Smith (77) in the huddle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) high fives tackle Tyron Smith (77) in the huddle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 8, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Jerry Rice (left) and Steve Young during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Jerry Rice (left) and Steve Young during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

I’m going to remind fans one of the other reasons the 1992 Dallas Cowboys were so great. And I can’t help but think many of you know which direction I’m going. Dallas that year was great in large part because it excelled on defense. To be more specific, they had the number one defense in the NFL in yards allowed (246 per game).

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That defense was so great that it held San Francisco 49ers’ Hall-of-Fame quarterback Steve Young, Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice and the number one scoring/yards producing offense in the NFL to just 20 points in the NFC Championship game. And this was at the 49er’s own stadium.

The 2016 Dallas Cowboys had the number five defense in the NFL at points allowed per game, but were fourteenth in yards allowed per game. They didn’t allow a single team in the regular season to score more than 30 points against them.

This sounds like a solid defensive unit until you observe the results from the NFC Divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. Despite the Cowboys proving that they could continue scoring at a high level with 31 points, the Packers’ offense would repeatedly torch the Cowboys’ defense to the tune of 34 points.

If the Cowboys’ defense doesn’t improve substantially compared to last season, then there’s a valid point to be made that this 2017 team might better resemble the 1991 squad.

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