Cowboys vs Steelers in 1991

[PJTHEDOORS]

1991 what a year.

 

[CWR]

I was in college and remember having to work that Thanksgiving holiday until 5 p.m. Raced home and caught the entire fourth quarter with my turkey and cranberry sauce. A bit of a slugfest finally broke open when Irvin housed one against a tough Steeler secondary.

This was probably my favorite time of that nineties renaissance. We knew Dallas was on the come, but we still weren't quite sure of the ceiling. Washington was the 400 lb. gorilla in '91, but we were clearly nipping at their heels. It was very exciting! Also, this game was four days after Aikman went down at RFK. The second half of that Commander game marked the beginning of a four-and-a-half game stretch quarterbacked by Beuerlein.

Before Dallas finished the upset in Washington (WAS 11-0 going in; DAL 6-5), we faced the a fairly daunting road with our backup QB. The Steelers game was week two of what I felt was an improbable 5-0 run. But kids grew up quick. That defense started making plays. An offensive line emerged into a monster unit. Michael blew up. And then there was Emmitt.

We were less than two years removed from 1-15. And I'm witnessing something I haven't known since grade school: The Cowboys were amassing momentum heading into December. Was it real? This Thanksgiving game was when I finally felt I could start dreaming. Didn't care that I missed the first three quarters. Didn't mind that I was dog tired from being on my feet since 4 a.m. I just knew my team just ran it to 8-5 and all things were now possible.

And thats the feeling of nostalgia that football brings back to me every fall. Which is why despite all the bs I will always love the game.