NFL Recap (Dallas-Washington)
Posted: Sun October 4, 1998 at 7:32 p.m. EDT
DALLAS 31, WASHINGTON 10
RALJON, Maryland (Ticker) -- Emmitt Smith and Chris Warren each had
100-yard rushing games and combined for three touchdowns and Jason Garrett threw for a
score to lead the Dallas
Cowboys to a 31-10 victory over the winless Washington Redskins, who
matched their worst start in 17 years.
Smith, who averaged 104.6 yards in 16 career games against the
Redskins, carried 28 times for 120 yards. It was Smith's 50th career
100-yard rushing performance and his second this season, matching his total
all of last year. Warren rushed 14 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns
as Dallas (3-2) moved a game in front of the Arizona Cardinals and
New York Giants for the
lead in the NFC East.
Garrett, making his third straight start in place of injured Troy Aikman, completed
14-of-17 passes for 169 yards as the Cowboys improved to 3-0 against
division opponents. Dallas returns home next week to host another winless
team, the Carolina
Panthers.
Trent Green was
just 13-of-29 for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception as
Washington (0-5) matched its worst start since 1981, Joe Gibbs' first year
as coach. The Redskins,who have not opened a season with six straight
losses since 1961, visit the winless Philadelphia Eagles next
week. Terry Allen had
all but 10 of Washington's rushing yards, carrying 19 times for 82 yards.
"The accumulation of five weeks of losing has developed into the worst
situation I have been in as a Redskin," said 38-year-old cornerback Darrell Green, who is in
his 16th season with Washington. "To be a pro football player you have to
have a bad memory. You have to focus on one play, one game at a time."
Washington jumped out to a 7-0 lead after linebacker Ken Harvey recovered
Garrett's fumble at the Redskins 49-yard line. Three plays later, Green
found Leslie Shepherd
wide open down the middle for a 40-yard touchdown.
"Dallas is a good football team," said Washington coach Norv Turner.
"They did a good job defensively and Garrett played about as good as you
can play. They had an excellent game plan and executed it well. We
couldn't get anything going offensively, Dallas wouldn't let us. We have to
continue to compete. Our job is to find answers to turn this thing around.
We must find a way to win a game."
The Cowboys answered on the following possession with Richie Cunningham's
42-yard field goal cutting the deficit to 7-3 with 1:57 remaining in the
first quarter.
"I was proud of the way we played," said Dallas coach Chan Gailey.
"To win on the road, to overcome that early fumble, showed a lot of
character. We grew up a lot today and handled adversity. To be 3-0 in our
division is great and it is especially good to be 2-1 on the road. Jason
played a smart game. He didn't make mistakes. He threw the ball away when
he could."
"I'm happy with our offense," Garrett said. "If you play a
mistake-free game you'll have a chance to win. We controlled the ball and
I was able to stay calm and composed."
Deion Sanders had a
21-yard interception return to set up Smith's three-yard run, giving the
Cowboys a 10-7 advantage 39 seconds into the second quarter. Garrett hooked
up with Ernie Mills on
a 43-yard scoring pass, giving the Cowboys a 17-7 cushion 3:26 into the
second.
Cary Blanchard,
signed by Washington this week, capped an 11-play, 71-yard drive with a
31-yard field goal to pull the Redskins within 17-10 with 5:29 left in the
second.
The Cowboys marched 71 yards on their first possession of the second
half, taking a 24-10 lead when Warren barreled over safety Stanley Richard on his way
to a six-yard TD run just over four minutes into the third.
Dallas scored on its final possession of the game as Warren set up his
six-yard score with a 49-yard run.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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