After a major step backward the year before, Dallas went to work on getting back to a winning record.
Despite losing the team’s all-time leading tackler in Darren Woodson, the Cowboys improved the roster through free agency and the draft.
With the Vinny Testaverde experiment a flop, Dallas turned to a younger veteran quarterback to lead them. Drew Bledsoe was reunited with Bill Parcells.
They also added defensive backs Aaron Glenn and Anthony Henry. The lines were shored up on both side of the ball as well.
Offensive guard Marco Rivera and defensive tackle Jason Ferguson were signed. Then the Cowboys went to work in the draft.
Dallas had two of the first 20 picks and did not waste either. Future Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware and Marcus Spears were selected.
The defense was further bolstered with the selections of linebacker Kevin Burnett (2nd round) and Jay Ratliff (7th).
With all the pieces finally in place, the Cowboys fully installed the 3-4 defense. It marked the first time in the team’s history they would not play the 4-3.
On offense Dallas landed running back Marion Barber III in the fourth round. The additions quickly paid off.
Split Decision
The Cowboys split their first four games of the schedule, alternating wins and losses along the way. The four games were decided by a total of 14 combined points.
The combination of Bledsoe, Keyshawn Johnson, and Julius Jones outdueled San Diego’s trio of Drew Brees, Keenan McCardell, and LaDanian Tomlinson for a 28-24 win.
Bledsoe threw three touchdowns, two to Johnson – including the game winner with three minutes remaining. Jones added 93 yards and a touchdown.
Brees had two touchdowns — both to McCardell (123 yards) — while Tomlinson had 72 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
In the home opener the Cowboys let a 13-0 lead slip away. The Redskins got touchdown passes of 39 and 70 yards from Mark Brunell to Santana Moss for a 14-13 win.
Bledsoe and Johnson connected with 1:51 remaining to give Dallas a 34-31 win over the 49ers in San Francisco.
But four Sebastian Janikowski field goals led to a 19-13 Raiders win in Oakland the next week.
Strong Middle Drive
The Cowboys finally won back-to-back games with home victories over the Eagles (33-10) and the Giants, 16-13 in overtime.
The Seahawks made it 0-3 for the Cowboys in West Coast trips, scoring the last 10 points for a 13-10 win. Josh Brown nailed field goals of 55 and 50 yards for Seattle.
The Cowboys would win their next three games, manhandling Arizona at home 34-13 before their bye week.
A Roy Williams 46-yard interception return with 2:43 remaining gave Dallas a 21-20 victory at Philadelphia. Dallas had trailed 20-7 with nine minutes remaining in the game.
Barber ran for two touchdowns to lead Dallas over the visiting Lions 20-7 and moved the Cowboys to 7-3 on the season.
Stumbling Down The Stretch
Dallas would lose two of their next three, putting their playoff hopes on life support. Dallas rallied to tie Denver on a Jason Witten four-yard touchdown pass from Bledsoe.
But the Broncos won the Thanksgiving Day game on a 24-yard Jason Elam field goal. Another costly loss followed, this one a 17-10 decision at the Giants.
A one-yard pass from Bledsoe to tight end Dan Campbell with 22 seconds remaining gave Dallas a 31-28 win at home over the Chiefs.
Mark Brunell threw four touchdowns, leading the Redskins to a 35-7 victory that tied Washington with Dallas at 8-6. Having won both meetings, the Redskins held the tie-breaker for a wildcard berth.
The Cowboys would need to win both of their remaining games and have the Redskins go 1-1. Or, if Dallas split their last two games, they would need Washington to drop both of theirs.
The Redskins instead won both of their games. Dallas would edge Carolina 24-20, but lost at home 20-10 to the Rams in the season finale.
Dallas would finish third in the NFC East and miss the playoffs. But they had improved. All they needed was one last piece of the puzzle to get them back.
That piece was already on the roster. He would make his NFL regular season debut on Oct. 1, 2006.
He would become the Cowboys’ starting quarterback on Oct. 29, 2006. The rise of Tony Romo was on the horizon in Dallas.
