Troy Aikman Profile - Playoff History

       

1989 - Fifth Place, NFC East (1-15) Cowboys did not make playoffs 1990 - Fourth Place, NFC East (7-9) Cowboys did not make playoffs 1991 - Second Place, NFC East (11-5) On December 29, 1991, in the first round of the playoffs, the Cowboys beat the Chicago Bears 17-13 at Chicago. Troy was still recuperating from a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee suffered on November 24, 1991, at Washington. Although Troy felt he was sufficiently recovered to play, he was kept on the bench. The Cowboys started backup Steve Beurlein instead. Beurlein started for the Cowboys once again in the Divisional Playoff game at Detroit on January 5, 1992. Troy was brought into the game later on when Beurlein struggled, but the Cowboys' fate was already sealed due to a poor defensive showing. They lost to the Lions 38-6. On the day, Troy completed 11 of 16 passes (68.8%) for 114 yards, one interception and no touchdowns. 1992 - First Place, NFC East (13-3) Troy finally got to start in a Cowboys playoff game on January 10, 1993 - a divisional playoff game at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys won 34-10. On the day, Troy completed 15 of 25 passes (60%) for 200 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. One week later on January 17, the Cowboys met the San Francisco 49ers in San Francisco for the NFC Championship game. The Cowboys won 30-20, and Troy was on his way to his first Super Bowl appearance. On the day, Troy completed 24 of 34 passes (70.6%) for 322 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. On January 31, 1993, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, Troy Aikman and the Dallas Cowboys took on the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII. The Bills were making their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, but had lost Super Bowls XXV and XXVI. This would be their third consecutive loss. The Cowboys destroyed the Bills 52-17 before a crowd of 98,374. Troy had a glorious day, completing 22 of 30 passes (73.3%) for 273 yards, four touchdowns (including two touchdowns to Michael Irvin in a 20-second span in the second quarter that ignited the blowout), and no interceptions. He was named Super Bowl XXVII's Most Valuable Player. For additional information visit: SuperBowl.com 1993 - First Place, NFC East (12-4) On January 16, 1994, in a divisional playoff game at home, the Cowboys beat the Green Bay Packers 27-17. On the day Troy completed 28 of 37 passes (75.7%) for 302 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. One week later on January 23, 1994, the Cowboys met the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game at Texas Stadium. Troy had led the Cowboys on four touchdown drives spanning 251 yards and a 21-point lead by halftime. But two plays into the third quarter, Troy suffered a concussion when he took a knee in the helmet from the 49ers Dennis Brown. He spent the night at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Backup quarterback Bernie Kosar completed the game for the Cowboys, which they won 38-21. Before being injured, Troy completed 14 of 18 passes (77.8%) for 177 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. That night, when asked by medical personnel at Baylor where the Super Bowl was being played, Troy said, "Henryetta?" (Henryetta is his hometown in Oklahoma). He also could not name the MVP of Super Bowl XXVII (it was Troy himself). To this day, Troy has no independent memory of this Conference Championship game. Unfortunately the NFL had chosen not to put a two-week break between the conference championships and Super Bowl XXVIII. Troy had no time to recuperate - he was needed in Atlanta. On January 30, 1994, in Super Bowl XXVIII at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, Troy Aikman and the Dallas Cowboys were once again taking on the Buffalo Bills. Before a crowd of 72,817, the Cowboys beat the Bills 30-13, accomplishing an NFL rarity: back-to-back Super Bowl victories. On the day, Troy completed 19 of 27 passes (70.4%) for 207 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith was named the game's MVP. For additional information visit: SuperBowl.com 1994 - First Place, NFC East (12-4) On January 8, 1995, the Cowboys met the Green Bay Packers in a divisional playoff game at Texas Stadium. The Cowboys blew the Packers away by a score of 35-9. On the day, Troy completed an incredible 23 of 30 passes (76.7%) for 337 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. One of those TDs was a 94-yard touchdown to Alvin Harper that still stands as the longest play from scrimmage in Cowboys' playoff history. Troy set two more Cowboys playoff records that day - percentage of completions and yards gained in a game. His record for most yards would only last a week. A week later, on January 15, 1995, the Cowboys traveled to San Francisco to take on the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. It was a nightmare first five minutes for the Cowboys. Troy was intercepted on Dallas' third play from scrimmage, and the 49ers returned the interception 44 yards for a touchdown. Three plays later, Michael Irvin had the ball stripped from his hands and the 49ers recovered. Steve Young then threw a touchdown pass. On the kickoff, Cowboys kick returner Kevin Williams fumbled the ball, and the 49ers scored another touchdown. It was 21-0. Most men would have given up. Troy Aikman is NOT "most men." After seeing his team fall behind by 21 points, Troy never quit. With the ground game virtually useless at this point, Troy took to the air with Michael Irvin. The 49ers knew that Troy would be passing, and they went after him. He was sacked four times and knocked down a couple dozen more, until he was battered and covered with the mud of Candlestick Park. But he would not be deterred. Troy threw for a career-best 380 yards (which still stands as a Cowboys playoff record), completing 30 of 53 passes (56.6%) and two touchdowns to Michael. It wouldn't be enough - the hole was too deep. Despite Troy setting NFC Championship game records for attempts, completions, and passing yards, the Cowboys lost to the Niners 38-28. Looking back at that game, Cowboys head coach Dave Campo (who was a defensive assistant at the time) said, "I thought that was one of the toughest, guttiest performances I've ever seen. When you look back at Troy Aikman, you're going to see three rings. But the thing that's going to stick in my mind is his physical toughness. That game defined it. Playing quarterback isn't always about what you do with your arm. It's about what you do with your heart. It's about being mentally and physically tough when your team needs it most. It's about grit every bit as much as it is about statistics - grit that shows up in big games like at Candlestick Park that day." 1995 First Place, NFC East (12-4) Beat Philadelphia Eagles 30-11 in Divisional Playoff game Beat Green Bay Packers 38-27 in NFC Championship game Beat Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX Date: January 28, 1996 Place: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Winning coach: Barry Switzer Attendance: 76,347 MVP: Larry Brown For additional information visit: SuperBowl.com 1996 First Place, NFC East (10-6) Beat Minnesota Vikings 40-15 in Wild Card game Lost to Carolina Panthers 26-17 in Divisional Playoff game 1997 Fourth Place, NFC East (6-10) Cowboys did not make playoffs 1998 First Place, NFC East (10-6) Lost to Arizona Cardinals 20-7 in Wild Card game 1999 Second Place, NFC East (8-8) Lost to Minnesota Vikings 27-10 in Wild Card game 2000 Fourth Place, NFC East (5-11) Cowboys did not make playoffs

TROY AIKMAN PROFILE INDEX
Troy Profile - Personal || Troy's Career Highlights || Troy's Playoff History
Troy's Career Stats || Troy's Honors and Awards || Career Injuries
A Look Back at Training Camp || The Shining Star || That's Entertainment!

The URL of this page is http://members.aol.com/bluekate/troybio_playoffs.htm
Send questions about this web site to: Kathryn Hansen, BlueKate@aol.com
This page was last modified on July 27, 2002.