Cowboys Finally Land 1-2 Punch

Troy Aikman might not get his job back as the Dallas’ quarterback.

Washington’s Brad Johnson might not keep his.

Randall Cunningham, filling in while Aikman recovers from the ninth concussion of his career, threw two touchdown passes Monday night as Dallas beat stumbling Washington, 27-21.

That left Washington (1-2) two games behind the unbeaten New York Giants in the NFC East entering Sunday night’s game at the Meadowlands. Dallas is also 1-2.

So the first question for Coach Norv Turner was whether Jeff George, one of the many big-ticket free agents acquired by the Redskins in the off-season, would replace Johnson.

“We’ve got to play better in all areas for the quarterback to play better,” Turner said after another ragged game by Johnson, who was 30 of 48 for 241 yards but threw a critical interception in the fourth quarter.

“There are 11 guys out there and they have to perform in sync. We’re not in sync.”

Asked directly about George, Turner replied: “That’s not a question I’m going to deal with now.”

The victory, meanwhile, was a big turnaround for the Cowboys, who gave up 73 points in previously losing to Philadelphia and Arizona.

Cunningham threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to Chris Warren and a 16-yarder to Jackie Harris. The 37-year-old quarterback passed for 185 yards and scrambled for 32 yards in three carries, and also had a 44-yard completion to Rocket Ismail to set up the pass to Jackie Harris that made it 24-14 with 9:19 left.

“That’s why we got him. We felt he could play for us if Troy was hurt,” said Dave Campo, who won his first game as Dallas’ coach. “The thing he did was move around and make plays with his legs.”

The Redskins made it 24-21 with a nine-play, 69-play drive capped by Johnson’s seven-yard scoring pass to Mike Sellers. But Izell Reese intercepted Johnson’s pass with 2:09 left to set up Tim Seder’s 38-yard field goal.

It was Dallas’ sixth consecutive victory over Washington.

“It could have been any team out there. We needed a victory badly,” Warren said. “If we were 0-3 it would have been tough. Who knows what can happen now.”

It also makes the next two games absolutely critical for the Redskins, whose free-agent signings made them one of the Super Bowl favorites. After the Giants, they take on unbeaten Tampa Bay, arguably the NFL’s best team at the moment.

“We can’t worry about who we play,” Turner said. “We just have to play better.”

Washington, which looked sluggish in a victory over Carolina the first week and a loss in Detroit last week, was even shakier against what had been a porous Dallas defense.

Dallas had a 14-7 lead at halftime.

Washington scored first on a seven-yard fourth-down run by Stephen Davis in the first quarter on a 32-yard drive set up by Champ Bailey’s 54-yard punt return on a handoff from Deion Sanders.

Six minutes later, Cunningham dropped the snap on a first down from the Dallas 24, but managed to pick it up and pass to Warren, who sprinted for the tying touchdown.

The second Dallas touchdown came after Leon Lett knocked the ball from Johnson’s hands and Greg Ellis recovered at the Washington 49. Eight plays later, on fourth and inches from the three, Emmitt Smith took a pitchout from Cunningham and drove into the end zone.

Smith carried 24 times for 83 yards.

Seder’s 32-yard field goal on the first series of the second half made it 17-7. The key play in that drive was a 27-yard pass-interference call on Darrell Green.

When Dallas got the ball back, Cunningham’s first-down pass deflected off Warren and into Sam Shade’s arms at the Cowboy 24. Davis carried five consecutive times, going in from the one to cut Washington’s deficit to 17-14.

Then came the final flurry that Dallas survived.

“I felt like we made progress last week,” Smith said. “I think we grew up this week.”

Washington fullback Larry Centers left in the second quarter because of an elbow injury.

The Redskins’ last victory over the Cowboys was Oct. 13, 1997, a 21-16 decision in Landover.

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NFL COLUMN

There’s plenty

of good news to spread around in New York--Giants and Jets are both 3-0.

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NFL NOTES

Denver quarterback Brian Griese’s status is up in air because of torn cartilage in his throwing shoulder.

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