Cowboys Focused Enough to Beat Atlanta

The Dallas Cowboys almost got caught looking ahead to Miami and Jimmy Johnson.

It took Troy Aikman’s 60-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Martin with 1:42 left Sunday to rally the Cowboys to a 32-28 victory over the winless Atlanta Falcons.

The Cowboys improved to 4-3 and are heading for a showdown next Sunday in Miami against Johnson, their former coach. The Falcons dropped to 0-7, the second-worst start in franchise history, surpassed only by their 0-9 beginning in 1966, the team’s first year.

“We had to have this game,” Aikman said. “A lot will be made out of our game against Jimmy, but it doesn’t matter who we’re going to play. We’re 4-3 and can’t afford to lose to anybody. “

Morten Andersen kicked five field goals, including a 37-yarder with 7:09 left that put the Falcons ahead 28-25, but Aikman did what he had to do to keep the defending Super Bowl champions in the NFC East race.

Aikman connected with Deion Sanders on a 19-yard pass and with Martin on a 24-yarder before the game-winner. Tim McKyer covered late on Martin crossing the middle. Aikman threw to Martin in stride for the touchdown, the first for Martin as a Cowboy since 1992.

Bobby Hebert was sacked twice as the Falcons failed to cross midfield before the game ended.

Dallas Coach Barry Switzer looked like he had seen a ghost.

“I predicted this week Atlanta wouldn’t go 0-16,” Switzer said. “I thought after this game they were going to be 1-6. They gave us a lot of trouble. We thought it would be easy the way it started out. We found out it wasn’t.”

Atlanta led, 25-17, on Hebert’s four-yard scoring pass to Bert Emanuel, but a pass from Aikman to Michael Irvin tied it, 25-25.

Irvin caught three passes totaling 45 yards on a 58-yard scoring drive, with the payoff coming on Emmitt Smith’s three-yard touchdown run, his third touchdown of the day. Aikman threw to Irvin for the tying two-point conversion.

The Falcons overcame a 14-3 deficit to lead, 18-17, at halftime thanks to a series of Dallas mistakes and field goals of 23, 54, 32 and 28 yards by Andersen.

Herschel Walker’s 89-yard return of the opening kickoff set up Aikman’s nine-yard scoring pass to Smith for a quick 7-0 lead.

A 33-yard pass from Aikman to Irvin positioned the Cowboys for Smith’s one-yard scoring run that made it 14-3.

After Andersen’s second field goal, Hebert connected with Terance Mathis on a 52-yard pass. Then Hebert scored from a yard out on a fourth down sneak. The two-point conversion failed, and Atlanta trailed, 17-12.

Fumbles by Martin and Aikman late in the first half gave Atlanta chances for two more field goals.