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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Win or lose, the Dallas Cowboys have a rule
about forgetting a game within 24 hours so they can start focusing
on the next one. That won't be easy this week.
|  | | Troy Aikman, hit hard by Tony Brackens, left before halftime with a sore back. |
Dallas blew an early lead and a hot start by committing three
turnovers, rallied to force overtime, then gave up a 37-yard
touchdown for a 23-17 loss Sunday to a Jacksonville team that had
lost five in a row.
The Cowboys, coming off a blowout win over Arizona, had a chance
to win two in a row for the first time since early last season.
Doing so might've started a midseason rally.
Instead, Dallas tumbled to 3-5 and once again faces questions
about Troy Aikman's health after the quarterback re-injured his
sore back.
"That's not a good situation to be in," Cowboys owner Jerry
Jones said. "That pretty much says it all."
Aikman led Dallas to a touchdown on its opening drive, something
that hadn't happened all season.
But early in that drive, Aikman was thrown to the turf by
defensive lineman Tony Brackens. He got up slowly and clutching the
lower left side of his back. He winced, grimaced and stretched the
rest of that series and left the field gingerly after throwing a
13-yard touchdown pass to Jackie Harris.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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The Jags finally broke through versus the Cowboys after a five-game losing
streak.
Jaguars quarterback Mark
Brunell, who has been under siege all season, finished with three
touchdown passes. Jacksonville also finished the game without a turnover --
their first turnover-free outing in 12 games.
With wide receiver Jimmy Smith
injured, tight end Kyle Brady
(10 catches, 138 yards) was Brunell's favorite target for the second week in
a row.
Both teams had 100-yard runners in the game -- Fred Taylor (107 yards) for the
Jags and Emmitt Smith (102)
for Dallas.
Dallas fought back in the second half behind backup quarterback Randall Cunningham after Troy Aikman was knocked out with
a back injury. But Cunningham never got the ball in overtime.
The health of Aikman is a serious question mark for the Cowboys. He had
taken some cortisone shots last week for his back, and he obviously did not
respond favorably.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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Three plays into the next series, Aikman couldn't take the pain
any longer. He went to the sideline and shortly after went to the
locker room. Aikman had felt great earlier this week after getting
six painkilling shots and he received another. Yet it wasn't enough
to get him back onto the field.
"I had trouble getting under center and taking a snap, so there
was really no question," said Aikman, who was 4-of-5 for 43 yards.
As for playing next week, Aikman said, "I'm hoping so, but I
couldn't definitively say."
Randall Cunningham, who filled in nicely earlier this season and
was the fans' choice when Aikman struggled upon his return, got off
to a rocky start as his third pass was intercepted. Jacksonville
(3-6) turned it into a field goal.
The Jaguars went 80 yards for a touchdown on their next drive,
then Cunningham fumbled and they only had to go 21 yards for
another TD and a 17-7 halftime lead.
"If you turn the ball over," Cowboys coach Dave Campo said,
"you lose."
The Jaguars know all about that. They came in with an NFL-worst
21 turnovers. They left with 21, too, marking the first time in 12
games they didn't have a fumble or an interception.
"We were opportunistic, which we haven't been in a while,"
Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin said.
Cunningham opened the third quarter with a 79-yard drive, but
Dallas needed 80. Emmitt Smith appeared to have the final yard, but
his touchdown was wiped out by a replay review and the Cowboys
settled for a 19-yard field goal from Tim Seder that made it 17-10.
Smith fumbled with 6:24 left -- "It just squirted out," he said
-- but the defense held, giving Cunningham another chance. He
marched Dallas 71 yards in seven plays, capping it himself with a
touchdown dive with 1:01 left.
"In the second half, we began to groove as an offense," said
Cunningham, who was 13-of-20 for 177 yards. "I felt much more
comfortable."
Jacksonville had one last drive, but stalled at midfield.
Cornerback Ryan McNeil helped by tipping away a bomb into the end
zone.
The Jaguars won the overtime coin toss and gave the ball to Fred
Taylor on four of the first six plays. With Jacksonville facing
second-and-6, Dallas guessed run. It was the wrong guess.
"We were in man coverage and I just missed the tackle," said
cornerback Phillippi Sparks, who made a great open-field play
earlier in the game. "I cover that play in my sleep all day, but I
didn't get there quick enough. He gave me a little move when I went
to grab him."
Said Whitted, who caught two TD passes while filling in for
former Cowboy Jimmy Smith: "It's a route we run over and over in
practice. I was thinking `Get in the end zone and win the game.' "
The Jaguars (3-6) are going into their bye week knowing their
losing streak is over. In a season that began with realistic Super
Bowl hopes, things would've been really gloomy if Jacksonville had
to stew over another loss.
"Just not to have to deal with the negativity for two weeks
will be great," Coughlin said. "I'm looking forward to that
myself."
Said Brunell, who was 20-of-24 for 231 yards and three
touchdowns, "We've been saying all along that all we need is one
to turn it around. We haven't had that much fun in a long time."
Game notes
Dallas rarely pressured Brunell, a curious strategy
considering Jacksonville had allowed a league-high 38 sacks. The
Cowboys didn't get any. ... Smith ran for 102 yards, making
Jacksonville the 21st team he's broken 100 yards against. ... James
McKnight, who strained his shoulder and neck on the same play as
Aikman, returned to lead Dallas with six catches for 113 yards. ...
Safety Darren Woodson made the 1,000th tackle of his career in the
first quarter. Only three other Dallas players have reached that
milestone: Lee Roy Jordan, Randy White and Ed "Too Tall" Jones.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Jacksonville Clubhouse
Dallas Clubhouse
Ailing Aikman pulls himself out of Jacksonville game
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