March Madness tournament: Cowboys top 64 plays of all time, Round 1, Group 15

The BTB 64-play tournament continues to roll along with four new plays. Today’s group features a couple nifty escapes against the Atlanta Falcons, a playoff bomb, and a nice one-handed snag by a future Hall of Famer.

Aikman’s bomb to Harper

1994 was an interesting season as the Cowboys were coming off two straight Super Bowl wins. Despite their success, things were a little shaky in Big D thanks to the divorce of Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson. Now under the new leadership of Barry Switzer, the Cowboys were attempting to win their third straight Super Bowl.

Dallas ultimately came up short as the third time was the charm for the San Francisco 49ers, who were finally able to get the monkey off their back with a 38-28 win over the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game. But before that game happened, the Cowboys rolled all over the Green Bay Packers 35-9 in the Divisional round. There were a lot of big plays in that game, but none was bigger than the 94-yard touchdown pass from Troy Aikman to Alvin Harper. At the time, it was the longest pass play in playoff history (the Ravens broke it in 2001 when Trent Dilfer hit Shannon Sharpe).

Emmitt won’t go down

Many people debate who was the best running back to ever play in the NFL, and Emmitt Smith should be at the forefront of that conversation. While he doesn’t possess any particular trait that makes him stand out like many of those he’s compared to, Smith is one of the most complete backs the game has seen. His low center of gravity, vision to see the running lanes, and overwhelming toughness paved his way to taking home the crown of the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

Those types of skills were on display in front of a prime time Monday night audience against the Atlanta Falcons in 1992. After it looked like he had landed right in a mess of Falcons defenders, Smith keep his balance and used the push back from the defense to his advantage as he was able to escape and take off down the sideline for a 29-yard touchdown.

Romo gets away

If I had a nickel for every time Tony Romo pulled off some amazing escape-artist act and turned it into a big play, I’d have enough money to pay his lucrative broadcasting contract. Okay, maybe not that much, but as we’ve seen multiple times in this tournament already, Romo is a slippery little sucker.

One of Romo’s craftiest moves came in 2009 in a game against the Falcons. As time was winding down in the first half, Romo was able to escape multiple defenders, run forward, and hit Patrick Crayton in the end zone.

Witten’s one-hander

Over his 16-year career, Jason Witten has caught 1,215 passes, ranking him fourth on NFL’s all-time reception list. Only Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald, and Tony Gonzalez have caught more passes than Witten. His dependability is unheard of as no tight end in the history of the league have started or even played in more consecutive games than Witten.

But his time in Dallas has come to an end as he’s now headed to the bright lights of Las Vegas to play for the Raiders. He offers several memorable moments, many of which you’ve seen in this tournament. Today we honor him with a one-handed catch, which just so happens to be his last ever touchdown in a Cowboys uniform.

If you have yet to cast your vote for the previous groups, it’s not too late as you can find them right here...

Group 1: Witten helmetless, Lilly sack, Romo scramble, Dorsett 75-yard TD

Group 2: Butch Super Bowl TD, Romo over-head snap, Puntisher, Jeffcoat pick-six

Group 3: Sanders punt return, Prescott in Seattle, White TD catch, Irvin Cardinals

Group 4: Larry Allen tackle, Walker’s walk-off, Austin’s leap, Dez on Thanksgiving

Group 5: Washington’s fumble recovery, Longley’s comeback, Folk’s FG, Murray 4th down

Group 6: Walker 84-yard run, Romo to TWilly, Staubach to Sellers, Dak to Beasley

Group 7: Newhouse pass in SB, Emmitt screen, Romo spin on Watt, Ware sack on Brees

Group 8: Miles OT in KC, Heath’s game saver, Barber’s 2-yard run, TO drama on the star

Group 9: Brown’s SB int, Danny Whites comeback, DeMarco’s big run, Zeke’s screen play

Group 10: TWilly toe tap, Bates’ interception, Amari’s walk-off, Hollywood TD return

Group 11: Harper’s SB touchdown, Emmitt’s record run, Romo to Holley, Pearson vs. Rams

Group 12: Witten’s Y-Option. Dorsett vs. Colts, Aikman to Rocket in OT, Ware picks Vick

Group 13: Aikman to Harper 49ers, Danny White’s fake punt, Bullet Bob, McCann’s return

Group 14: Dorsett’s 99-yard run, Staubach’s last comeback, Emmitt’s spin, MB3 in the desert