Cowboys Ride Late Rally

In a rivalry with this much history, it was only fitting for Keyshawn Johnson to borrow a move from a former great to score the dramatic winning touchdown.

Johnson caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Drew Bledsoe with 1:51 to play, and the Dallas Cowboys rallied from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Johnson said the play was a “speed-out. I think it’s taken out of Jerry Rice back in the day.”

Johnson’s score capped a precise 76-yard scoring drive by the Cowboys (2-1), who fell behind early but rallied late in their third straight nail-biting game of the season.

After losing their composure and a 13-point lead in the final four minutes of last Monday’s loss to Washington, Johnson’s catch finished an impressive display of late-game poise.

Bledsoe, the veteran who was acquired for his calm leadership as much as his arm, was 24 for 38 for 363 yards, passing Joe Montana for eighth place on the NFL’s career yards passing list with his first 300-yard game since Sept. 14, 2003.

Terry Glenn had 137 yards receiving and Julius Jones rushed for two scores for the Cowboys.

“I can’t take too many more of these,” Jones said. “That’s three in a row.”

Dallas won its opener with an end-zone interception on the final play at San Diego, but Washington rallied for a 14-13 win last week.

“I think we proved we can take a punch and still win in the end,” Dallas Coach Bill Parcells said. “You take ‘em any way you can. That’s three of these right to the wire. Usually, you’re only supposed to have four [decided by] three points or under the entire season, so we’re almost right up against our quota right now.”

The clubs have one of the NFL’s most enduring rivalries stretching to the early 1970s, when they met in the first of six NFC championship matchups through 1994.

Brandon Lloyd caught an 89-yard touchdown pass and another scoring toss from Tim Rattay for the 49ers (1-2). Rattay was 21 for 34 for 269 yards and three touchdowns.