Cowboys Leave Cunningham a Beaten, Bruised Believer, 24-13

Shortly after being added to a long list of victims who stumble from Texas Stadium with blue stars in their eyes and cowboy songs blistering their ears, Randall Cunningham admitted his biggest mistake Sunday.

It wasn’t one of his four interceptions, or even his lost fumble, though all contributed to the Philadelphia Eagles’ 24-13 loss.

His biggest mistake is one that probably will be repeated 10 more times this season, by those who have the misfortune of playing the Dallas Cowboys.

His biggest mistake was believing his team actually had a chance.

“You come in here you, you think you’re going to pull one out. . . .” said Cunningham slowly.

And then, wham. The final score is 24-13, it should have been 24-0, and you wonder if you will stop hurting by Thanksgiving.

“What the Cowboys do,” said Cunningham, as if describing an accident to the police, “is play sound football every single play .”

What they are doing, it became apparent in their toughest test to date, is exactly what they have done the last two seasons while winning consecutive Super Bowls.

They are playing like the No. 1 team in the NFL.

And the Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 teams.

Somewhere below are the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers and still the Eagles. But you have to look hard.

“I know you’re supposed to be objective, but sometimes you’ve got to look at the obvious,” said Cowboy guard Nate Newton. “We are kicking some butt.”

The Cowboys (5-1) have outscored opponents 149-69 and own the top-ranked defense in the league. They proved again Sunday that they are so good:

--They can win even though they gain six total yards in the first quarter, a mess that featured more deflected punts (1) than first downs (0) or completions by quarterback Troy Aikman (0).

Trailing 7-0, the Cowboys calmly cleaned it all up in the second period by scoring two unanswered touchdowns while outgaining the Eagles, 137-9.

From the end of the first period until the end of the game, Aikman didn’t bounce another pass, completing 12 of 19 for two touchdowns.

“People have no idea how important it was that Troy kept his composure,” said Dallas Coach Barry Switzer. “Everybody else can go nuts . . . if that guy goes nuts on you, it’s over with.”

Aikman shrugged.

“It’s not like I was battling any demons,” he said.

No, merely the league’s second-ranked defense.

--They can win even though their star running back, playing with a sore hamstring, gets conked on the head during an important second-period drive.

Emmitt Smith sat shakily on the bench for two plays, stuck his head in front of a sideline fan for one play, then returned to the field with the Cowboys on the Eagle five-yard line.

Moments later, he dove across the end zone to score a touchdown in his team-record eighth consecutive game.

Smith, who finished with 106 yards, said afterward he felt relieved because, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a 100-yard game.”

Four whole weeks.

--They can win even though their opponents have the ball in Cowboy territory four consecutive times in the first 15 minutes.

This game was decided then. The Eagles could score only once during that time because of a stunting, blitzing defense that confused Cunningham and frustrated his receivers.

This is the same Cunningham, and same receivers, who helped the Eagles score 40 points against the 49ers three weeks ago.

“We have as much talent as anyone in the league, and when we get going, it’s like a chain reaction,” said cornerback Kevin Smith.

“Charles Haley and Leon Lett put on the rush. The safeties come up for the run. The cornerbacks get on the receivers . . .”

And the result is that when the Eagles scored in the game’s first 10 minutes, it was on a 32-yard screen pass that should not have been a touchdown--Herschel Walker was clearly knocked out of bounds at the two-yard line.

The Eagles did not score again until the game’s final six minutes.

--They can win even though their exhausted defense is required to mount a goal-line stand in the final two minutes to keep the game from getting close.

With the Eagles on the Cowboy one-yard line, linebacker Robert Jones rushed through for two crushing tackles on rookie Charlie Garner, throwing him back six yards.

Then Cunningham’s last-gasp pass was intercepted by Larry Brown in the end zone.

Later, some of the Eagles, who fell to 4-2, were bold enough to predict revenge in their rematch with the Cowboys in Philadelphia on Dec. 4.

But not Cunningham. He can confirm what the rest of the league has feared.

“They are no different than in the years they won the Super Bowl,” he said of the Cowboys. “With all these guys who have played together for so long . . . they could be unstoppable.”