It is Day 8 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn't depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we'll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
So here we go for Day 8 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit perhaps the strangest Thanksgiving game in Cowboys history. Played on an ice-covered Texas Stadium field, Dallas appeared to have secured the victory when Miami's potential game-winning field goal was blocked. Then Leon Lett decided to make the mistake that gets replayed to this day.
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Thursday, November 25, 1993
Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Final Score: Miami Dolphins 16, Dallas Cowboys 14
The defending Super Bowl champions entered at 7-3, while Miami was 8-2 despite losing Dan Marino to a season-ending Achilles injury. Conditions became the biggest storyline before kickoff. Freezing rain, snow and sleet covered the artificial turf, with the temperature around 32 degrees at kickoff and falling into the 20s. Players, officials and even kickers struggled to remain upright.
Miami handled the conditions first. Keith Byars broke free for a 77-yard touchdown run during the opening quarter, giving the Dolphins a 7-0 advantage. Dallas responded in the second when Troy Aikman found rookie Kevin Williams for a four-yard touchdown to tie the game.
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Williams then produced the play that looked destined to become the lasting memory of the afternoon. With only 27 seconds remaining before halftime, he returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown, navigating the frozen field before sliding through the end zone in celebration. Dallas went into halftime leading 14-7.
The Cowboys never scored again. Pete Stoyanovich kicked field goals from 20 and 31 yards during the second half, gradually reducing Dallas' advantage to 14-13. Emmitt Smith, still dealing with a bruised quadriceps suffered four days earlier, managed 51 rushing yards on 16 carries while adding nine catches for 46 yards. The conditions prevented Dallas from putting Miami away.
Dallas still had an opportunity to create some breathing room late in the fourth quarter, but Eddie Murray missed a 32-yard field goal wide right. Miami took possession and drove into scoring range behind backup quarterback Steve DeBerg, including a crucial fourth-down completion to Byars that kept the possession alive.
With Dallas leading 14-13 and only 15 seconds remaining, Stoyanovich lined up for a 41-yard field goal. Jimmie Jones penetrated the protection and blocked the kick. The football travelled beyond the line of scrimmage and came to rest on the frozen field. Under the rules, Dallas only needed to stay away from it and the Cowboys would take possession.
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Instead, Lett came charging toward the ball. As teammates desperately tried to keep everyone away, the 290-pound defensive tackle slid on the ice, touched the football and made it live again. Miami center Jeff Dellenbach recovered near the goal line with three seconds remaining.
Stoyanovich was suddenly given a second opportunity. This time he converted from 19 yards, completing the extraordinary 16-14 Miami victory. Moments earlier, Dallas players and owner Jerry Jones had been celebrating what appeared to be a win. Now the Cowboys were walking off their own frozen field in disbelief.
The lasting story, however, extends far beyond Lett's mistake. Jimmy Johnson refused to blame the loss on one player and supported a devastated Lett afterward. The Cowboys responded exactly as a championship team would, they never lost again that season. Dallas won its next five regular-season games and all three postseason contests, finishing the run by going to Super Bowl XXVIII.
This game belongs on the countdown because Cowboys history is filled with moments that became bigger than the final result. The sight of Lett sliding helplessly toward the football remains one of the most replayed Thanksgiving moments ever, but the response afterward says just as much about that Dallas team. The mistake could have fractured a contender. Instead, the Cowboys rallied around Lett and never lost again.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Remarkably, this became the final loss of Jimmy Johnson's five seasons as Cowboys head coach.
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