Doomsday Draws Near for Cowboys
The Tennessee Oilers delivered what could be the fatal blow to the Dallas Cowboys’ flawed season.
The Oilers (7-6) had three interceptions against Troy Aikman and returned a fumble for a touchdown on Thursday to beat the five-time defending NFC East champion Cowboys, 27-14. Dallas (6-7) is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.
Cornerback Darryll Lewis had two interceptions and jarred the ball loose from tight end Eric Bjornson, allowing safety Marcus Robertson to return a fumble 42 yards for a touchdown. Robertson also had an interception as the Oilers produced five turnovers.
An unhappy and under-fire Dallas Coach Barry Switzer called the game “an embarrassment.”
“You can’t beat anybody if you have five turnovers,” Switzer said. “I don’t know if we can get into the playoffs now. I don’t want to figure that out right now.”
Switzer said the Cowboys won’t just go through the motions.
“Nobody quits on this team because it has been places no other team has ever been,” said Switzer, referring to the Cowboys’ three Super Bowl victories in the 1990s.
Aikman, who took a strong muscle relaxant to calm back spasms incurred during warm-ups, was unusually wild and made poor decisions as Tennessee intercepted two passes and converted them into touchdowns in the first quarter.
Aikman, the second-least intercepted passer in the NFL, wasn’t on the sidelines when the game started, but dashed onto the field after Dallas forced the Oilers to punt on their first possession.
“I don’t attribute that [the spasms] to the interceptions,” said Aikman, who did complete 27 of 42 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns to Michael Irvin. “In the locker room they did grab me good and locked me up. It’s a real long shot for us to make the playoffs now.”
Robertson intercepted Aikman’s pass into double coverage intended for Stepfret Williams and returned it 48 yards before Aikman ran him down and knocked him out of bounds at the Dallas 11.
“That interception got the fire and the momentum going for us,” Lewis said. “We got rolling from there. We proved we’re a defense capable of making big plays.”
The Oilers scored on a fourth-down play when Steve McNair rolled out and passed to lineman Erik Norgard--who had reported in as a tight end--for a two-yard touchdown. It was Norgard’s second career touchdown.
“I didn’t have time to think, I just reacted,” Norgard said. “I knew I would be open.”
After Lewis intercepted an Aikman pass and returned it 34 yards to the Dallas 1, the crowd began to boo. McNair scored on a sneak to give the Oilers a 14-0 lead.
Injuries also hounded the Cowboys. Cornerback Deion Sanders suffered a broken right rib when he was tackled on a punt return in the second period. Running back Emmitt Smith suffered a bruised shoulder in the third quarter and didn’t return. Smith had only 22 yards in 10 carries.
* DETROIT 55, CHICAGO 20
Barry Sanders moves past Eric Dickerson as the NFL’s second-leading all-time rusher; the Lions keep their slim playoff hopes alive. C8