Deion Is Eventually Left Behind

In the end, it was Edgerrin James doing the smiling and Deion Sanders taking the blame.

Sanders saved one touchdown by catching James from behind at the three-yard line, but a rare mistake in pass coverage let Marvin Harrison get behind him for a 40-yard touchdown as the Indianapolis Colts beat the Dallas Cowboys. 34-24, Sunday.

Said Sanders of the play on which Harrison beat him for a touchdown: “They had been running the ball successfully,” Sanders said. “I was looking right into the backfield. The guy just ran past me. It’s my fault. I’m not blaming anyone else.”

Harrison caught six passes from Peyton Manning for 85 yards. James, who rushed for 113 yards, also had seven receptions for 92 yards--26 on the play in which he was brought down from behind by Sanders.

“Deion is fast, I know that,” James said, smiling and shaking his head. “Throughout the game, he was laughing and joking with me. He was pointing at me and telling me that I had the moves and everything. He said I was playing well, and that’s the type of thing you want a top caliber player to say about you. That means a lot to me.”

The Cowboys (4-3) led 17-3 in the second quarter before the trio of Harrison, Manning and James started making the plays for the Colts (5-2), who scored on all but one possession of the second half.

Emmitt Smith’s second touchdown run put the Cowboys up 24-21 late in the third quarter before Manning completed passes to Terrence Wilkins, Harrison and Marcus Pollard, taking Indianapolis to the Dallas 40. On the next play, Harrison blew past Sanders and was untouched as he ran to the end zone for the go-ahead score.

Colt defensive end Mark Thomas, who was knocked out, removed on a stretcher and taken to a hospital, is apparently OK. Colt Coach Jim Mora said there was no paralysis and that Thomas was able to talk.