NFL Recap (NY Giants-Dallas)
Posted: Sun November 8, 1998 at 7:10 p.m. EST
DALLAS 16, NY GIANTS 6
IRVING, Texas (Ticker) -- Emmitt Smith became the
all-time leading rusher in franchise history and Troy Aikman played through
another injury as the first-place Dallas Cowboys got by the
New York Giants, 16-6,
in an NFC East battle.
Needing 95 yards to leapfrog Cowboys great Tony Dorsett (12,036),
Smith picked up 106 in the first half alone, setting up a pair of field
goals. He passed Dorsett with a 32-yard run early in the second quarter
and finished with a season-high 163 yards on 29 carries.
"I thought I stood a chance today, but I was very surprised I got it
in the first half," Smith said. "I was a little extra pumped today."
Aikman returned home for the first time since the season opener but
suffered a bruised and cut right index finger on his throwing hand in the
first quarter. He completed only 5-of-11 passes for 29 yards in the first
half.
"I was struggling with it. I just couldn't get a grip on the ball,"
Aikman said. "I was unable to make some throws and it was frustrating. I
couldn't put pressure on the finger and get any velocity. I have played
with more pain in other areas, but this was near the top at keeping me from
playing my game."
Playing in just his second game since recovering from a broken
collarbone, Aikman sat out the final series of the second quarter before
returning to start the third with the game tied 6-6.
He shook off the finger injury and hooked up with Ernie Mills on a pair of
huge completions. A 32-yarder to New York's 5-yard line helped the Cowboys
take the lead for good late in the third quarter on Richie Cunningham's third
field goal.
Aikman finished 16-of-23 for 163 yards and a touchdown for Dallas
(6-3), which completed a series sweep of the defending NFC East champions
and kept its one-game lead over the Arizona Cardinals in
the division. Next week, Dallas plays Arizona, which dropped 1-8
Washington today, 29-27.
The Giants (3-6) fell three games off the pace in the East with their
fourth loss in five games and seventh in eight trips to Dallas.
"Maybe we just got caught up in it and starting thinking things would
come easier," said Giants quarterback Danny Kanell of winning
the division last season. "There's still seven games left. We've got to
play it one game at a time and play for our respect."
New York fumbled away a possible go-ahead drive to start the second
half. Kanell hit Chris
Calloway with a 23-yard pass but cornerback Kevin Smith forced the
ball loose.
The teams exchanged punts before the Cowboys took the lead for good
with 2:18 left in the third quarter. Mills' 32-yard reception down the
left sideline to the Giants 5 set up Cunningham's 19-yard chip shot.
Mills helped set up the game's lone touchdown in the fourth quarter
with an acrobatic 27-yard reception to New York's 1. Two plays later,
Aikman hit tight end Eric
Bjornson from two yards to cap the scoring.
"Ernie is an unbelievable receiver," Aikman said. "We're lucky to
have him and he really complements what we are trying to do."
Mills' block also helped spring Smith on his record-setting run. Smith
had his biggest rushing game since October 29th, 1995, when he gained 167
against the Atlanta
Falcons, and surpassed the 150-yard mark for the first time since
November 28th, 1996 against Washington.
"Our line played great today," Smith said. "They did a wonderful job.
They made running lanes for me by getting down with it and putting a hat
on a hat."
Smith rushed six times for 43 yards on the game's opening drive,
picking up a first down at New York's 31 with a three-yard run on
4th-and-1. Six plays later, Cunningham scored the game's first points with
8:32 left in the first quarter on a 37-yard field goal.
The Giants responded immediately with an 11-play drive, capped by Brad Daluiso's 32-yard
field goal with 3:14 to play in the quarter. Kanell set up the score with
a 23-yard pass to Calloway to the Dallas 46.
Cunningham atoned for an earlier miss from 38 yards, connecting from
40 with 8:15 left in the first half as the Cowboys regained the lead.
Smith's 32-yard run on 2nd-and-15 brought the ball to the 32.
The Giants again answered with a field-goal drive, capped by Daluiso's
23-yarder that tied the game 6-6 with 1:57 left in the half. Gary Brown rushed five
times for 32 yards on the march, setting up the score with a 34-yard sprint
to the 26.
New York settled for the field goal after having a 1st-and-goal just
two feet from the goal line. The Giants called for a play-action pass,
allowing safety Darren
Woodson to sack Kanell on a blind-side blitz.
"There were quite a few big plays in the game today but none bigger
than our holding them at the 1-yard line," said Dallas coach Chan Gailey.
"If you can keep a team out of the end zone, you can certainly win some
games."
Dallas has allowed a total of 19 points over the last three weeks.
Brown recorded his 10th career 100-yard game and second in four weeks
with 119 yards on 15 carries. With the Giants trailing 9-6 late in the
third quarter, he rumbled 38 yards to midfield. But the Cowboys eventually
forced New York to punt.
"You can't fault the effort," Brown said. "Everyone just needs to
give 110 percent. We came out and played 100 percent. They just made the
plays."
Kanell was 7-for-12 for 65 yards in the first two quarters as the
teams combined for only 90 passing yards. The Giants quarterback finished
12-of-24 for 139 yards, marking the third time in four weeks he has thrown
for fewer than 152 yards.
"It's really disappointing," he said. "We played well at times. The
offensive line played well today. The bottom line is that we didn't make
enough plays to win."
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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