The Dallas Cowboys have played in eight Super Bowls throughout their franchise history, winning five of them. This is tied for the second-most in NFL history. Only the New England Patriots (11) have appeared in more Super Bowls.
While the Cowboys are no stranger to playing in the big game, it’s been quite some time since they have advanced to the Super Bowl. Let’s examine their drought and when they last played on the NFL’s biggest stage.
The Dallas Cowboys’ Storied History
The Cowboys are one of the NFL’s most successful organizations, and this began in 1970, when the franchise reached its first-ever championship game, narrowly losing 16-13 to the then-Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V. Just one year later, Dallas captured its first Super Bowl title by defeating the Miami Dolphins 24-3, thanks to an MVP performance from Roger Staubach.
In 1975, the Cowboys made another Super Bowl appearance but were defeated. Two years later, they won their second title, concluding the 1977 season with a 27-10 victory over the Denver Broncos. They made it back to the title game the following year, but were bested by the Pittsburgh Steelers in what would be Dallas’ final Super Bowl appearance under head coach Tom Landry.
The franchise’s most successful era came under head coach Jimmy Johnson, who led the Cowboys to consecutive Super Bowl wins to close out the 1992 and 1993 seasons. Troy Aikman earned MVP honors in the first win, while Emmitt Smith took the accolade the following year.
MORE: List of Most Super Bowl Wins by Team
A disagreement between Johnson and owner Jerry Jones led to the head coach’s departure, and Barry Switzer was brought in to replace him. Switzer helped guide Dallas to a victory over the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX, with Larry Brown taking home the MVP award.
These wins brought the Cowboys’ Super Bowl count to five, which is tied for third-most in NFL history alongside the San Francisco 49ers. Only the Steelers and Patriots, each with six championships, have more.
Dallas’ Recent Postseason Shortcomings
At the time of their fifth Super Bowl win in 1996, Dallas was tied with the 49ers for the most Super Bowl titles in the NFL. However, they have since been surpassed by teams below them on the all-time list.
New England has claimed all six of its Super Bowl victories since the start of the 2000s, with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick forming what many consider to be the greatest tandem in NFL history. Pittsburgh has added two more titles as well, winning championships in 2006 and 2009.
Since their last Super Bowl win in 1995, the Cowboys have yet to make another appearance in the big game or even reach the conference championship. Despite making 12 additional playoff appearances and advancing to the Divisional Round seven times, they have failed to end this drought.
Every year, the Cowboys enter the season hoping to reverse this trend, but nearly three decades have passed without a return to the Super Bowl.
This past offseason, Dallas handed out monster contracts to quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in hopes that they can lead the team back to contention.
Only time will tell if Dallas can finally end its extended run of postseason frustration.