Falcon Fumbles Fuel Cowboys’ 41-17 Romp : NFC: Aikman throws three touchdown passes, Smith scores twice as Dallas wins its first East title since 1985.

Troy Aikman threw for three touchdowns and Emmitt Smith ran for 174 yards and scored twice as the Dallas Cowboys clinched the NFC East title with a 41-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

It was the 14th division title in team history but the first since 1985.

“I think most people in the country will recognize the NFC East as the most difficult division in all of football and to be able to win it with still one game to go, it really says something about our football team,” Cowboy Coach Jimmy Johnson said.

“This is important,” Aikman said of winning the division and clinching a first-round bye in the playoffs. “How many teams have made it to the Super Bowl without the bye?”

The Cowboys (12-3) scored two touchdowns within 25 seconds after fumble recoveries during the third quarter to open a 34-10 lead.

The Falcons (6-9) also yielded a field goal after a lost fumble, during the first quarter, then drove 73 yards for their only lead of the game. They scored on a six-yard pass from Wade Wilson to Drew Hill with 5:21 left in the quarter.

Aikman’s scoring passes went for 11 yards to Kelvin Martin and 18 yards to Jay Novacek during the second quarter and 23 yards to Alvin Harper in the third.

Lin Elliott added field goals of 47 and 22 yards.

Thomas Everett got the Cowboys going early when he returned Mike Pritchard’s fumble 15 yards to the Atlanta 35. But the Falcons held Dallas to six yards, forcing Elliott’s 47-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.

The quick touchdowns during the third quarter came after Larry Brown recovered Steve Broussard’s fumble on the Atlanta 48. It took only three plays to score--runs of eight and 17 yards by Smith and Aikman’s 18-yard pass to Harper, who got behind Tim McKyer.

Deion Sanders then fumbled the kickoff, with Everett getting his second recovery on the Atlanta 29. Smith scored on the next play.

Aikman completed 18 of 21 passes for 239 yards as the Cowboy offense had little trouble.

Atlanta’s other scoring came on a 27-yard field goal by Norm Johnson and a 10-yard pass from Wilson to Andre Rison with 8:15 left in the game.

Wilson threw for 342 yards, completing 30 of 41 passes.