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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- Troy Aikman might not get his job back as the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback.
Washington's Brad Johnson might not keep his.
Randall Cunningham, filling in while Aikman recovers from the
eighth concussion of his career, threw two touchdown passes Monday
night as Dallas beat stumbling Washington 27-21.
|  | | Emmit Smith scores on a 3-yard run in the second quarter. Redskins safety Same Shade (29) tried to make the stop. |
That left Washington, which entered the season as a prohibitive
favorite to win the NFC East, with a 1-2 record and sitting two games behind the unbeaten
New York Giants entering Sunday night's game at the Meadowlands.
So the first question for coach Norv Turner was whether Jeff
George, one of the many big-ticket free agents acquired by the
Skins in the offseason, would replace Johnson next week.
"We've got to play better in all areas for the quarterback to
play better," Washington coach Norv Turner said after another
ragged game by Johnson, who was 30-for-48 for 241 yards but threw a
critical interception late 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."
It was the first victory of the season for the Cowboys, who
allowed 73 points in losing to Philadelphia and Arizona.
Aikman told ESPN's Ed Werder after the game that he expects to return from his third concussion in 10 games to play against the 49ers on Sunday, but team owner Jerry Jones told Werder he is not certain Aikman will be given the OK to play.
Jones said Aikman still is suffering symptoms from his latest concussion. Unlike in previous seasons, the decision no longer rests with Aikman. Jones will make the decision based on input from the medical staff as well as from Aikman.
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 on three carries, and also had
a 44-yard completion to Rocket Ismail to set up the pass to 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' head
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 7-yard TD 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 during the off-season made them
one of the Super Bowl favorites -- at least in their own minds and
the minds of their fans. After the Giants, they take on unbeaten
Tampa Bay, arguably the NFL's best team right now.
"We can't worry about who we play," Turner said. "We just
have to play better."
Washington, which looked sluggish in a win over Carolina the
first week and a loss in Detroit last week, was even shakier this
week against what had been a porous Dallas defense.
Dallas had a 14-7 lead at halftime.
Washington scored first on a 7-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.
But six minutes later, Cunningham dropped the snap on a first
down from the Dallas 24, but managed to pick it up and hit Warren
10 yards ahead of Sam Shade for the TD that tied the score. Shade
appeared to be looking at the fumble as Warren breezed by him.
The second Dallas TD 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 3, 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 on that drive was a 27-yard
pass-interference call on Darrell Green.
But the next time Dallas got the ball, Cunningham's first-down
pass deflected off Warren and into Shade's arms at the Cowboys' 24.
Davis carried five straight times, going in from the 1 to cut
Washington's deficit to 17-14.
Then came the final flurry and Dallas survived.
"I felt like we made progress last week," Smith said. "I
think we grew up this week."
Game notes
Washington's Irving Fryar caught six passes to move past
Henry Ellard and Steve Largent for fifth place on the career
receptions list. Fryar has 820. ... Washington fullback Larry
Centers left the game 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. ... Before the game, the Cowboys and Redskins got into a pushing and shoving skirmish in the tunnel on the way to their locker rooms. Cowboys linebacker Darren Hambrick failed to move out of the path of the Redskins as they were headed toward their locker room after pregame warmups. The Redskins started pushing him out of the way, but the scuffle never escalated beyond that.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
Week 3 wrap-ups
Week 3 stats leaders
Week 3 infirmary report
Prime Time Players
TJ's Take on Week 3
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Emmitt Smith says the Cowboys grew up this week.
avi: 1834 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Deion Sanders knows losing to Dallas is a major let down of the season.
wav: 42 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dallas coach Dave Campo is ready to play the San Franciso 49ers this Sunday.
wav: 186 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Norv Turner takes responsibility for not preparing his team.
wav: 152 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Coach Norv Turner does not want to place all the blame on his quaterback Brad Johnson.
wav: 181 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dave Campo says the Cowboys played with emotion against the Redskins on Monday night.
wav: 104 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Brad Johnson and the Redskins are not going to panic just yet, but they do feel a sense of urgency.
wav: 82 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Randall Cunningham is thankful to be playing in Dallas.
wav: 92 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Brad Johnson says the Cowboys' defense took away the Redskins' routes.
wav: 89 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Melissa Stark talks with Michael Westbrook about his injured knee.
wav: 297 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jackie Harris says the Cowboys were able to control the tempo of Monday night's game.
wav: 113 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dave Campo says he had confidence in Randall Cunningham.
wav: 89 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Randall Cunningham says he feels youthful this year in Dallas.
wav: 100 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jackie Harris explains his fourth-quarter TD catch.
wav: 113 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Deion Sanders says it is still early in the season.
wav: 59 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Norv Turner says the Redskins just missed opportunities.
wav: 80 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Irving Fryer says the mistakes took the Redskins out of their game.
wav: 71 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Keith Sims says Washington does not have the same offense it had last year.
wav: 50 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Darren Woodson says the Redskins miss Michael Westbrook.
wav: 61 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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