Emmitt-Less Cowboys Steamroll Green Bay Super Bowl Champs Dominate 35-9, But Lose Smith To Hamstring Injury

The Dallas Cowboys got mad. But they didn’t merely get even. They got lopsided.

Dallas began its drive for a record third straight Super Bowl title with a 35-9 rout of Green Bay at Texas Stadium on Sunday. The win set up the third straight NFC Championship between Dallas and San Francisco, the matchup nearly everyone has anticipated and predicted since training camp.

“We needed that,” Cowboys coach Barry Switzer said. “We elevated our level of play, our intensity, our emotion. I asked them to show me and they did.”

This was the second straight year Dallas (13-4) bounced the Packers (10-8) from the playoffs. The win came with a loss, however.

Running back Emmitt Smith aggravated a left hamstring injury in the first quarter and did not return. Smith looked sharp before going down, rushing for 44 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. He said he will be ready to play next Sunday at San Francisco, but his effectiveness will be suspect.

“You can’t imagine how frustrating this is,” said Smith, who capped an impressive opening touchdown drive with a 5-yard run. “But I’m going to prepare as if I’m going to play.”

The blowout was spurred by a blown call that enraged the Cowboys. With Dallas leading 7-3 in the first quarter, an apparent first-down catch by Michael Irvin was ruled incomplete. Replays showed he had the ball.

A furious Irvin ran the gauntlet of officials, getting in nearly the whole crew’s face until he was pulled away by teammates. Dallas was forced to punt. During the ensuing television timeout, owner Jerry Jones stepped onto the field to have a word with side judge Howard Slavin.

“We were already fired up,” Irvin said. “But it just upset us and it upset me. Certain plays are iffy, but that ball never got near the ground.”

With a fuse lit, Dallas’ defense held. And then the offense exploded, scoring touchdowns on three of the next four drives before halftime, including a blockbuster play the next time it touched the ball.

The Cowboys got the ball back at their 6, and Troy Aikman went for quick revenge. He got it, completing a 94-yard TD pass to Alvin Harper. It was the longest pass in postseason history, eclipsing the 93-yard touchdown Buffalo’s Daryle Lamonica threw to Elbert Dubenion against Boston in an AFL playoff in 1963.

Harper’s play actually covered 103 yards. Aikman threw in his own end zone, and he found Harper in single coverage at midfield. Harper caught the ball at Dallas’ 49, and he covered the final 51 yards with a nifty cutback against safety George Teague and cornerback Terrell Buckley, who fell over each other at the 15.

That made it 14-3. They could have ended the game right there.

“Everybody was asking, ‘Where’s Alvin?,”’ Switzer said. “Well, Alvin shows up in big games, and he showed up today.”

Aikman had his best all around performance of the season, completing 23 of 30 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Of his first 27 passes, only one was off the mark. The rest were dropped.

Irvin got his revenge two drives later, making a broken-tackle 53-yard catch that set up Dallas’ third TD. Blair Thomas, the former Jets first-round bust who filled in for Smith, ran 1 yard to give Dallas a 21-3 lead.

It was a record-shattering day for several Cowboys. Aikman’s 337 yards was a Dallas playoff record. Tight end Jay Novocek made 11 catches, another Dallas playoff record.

Cowboys 35, Packers 9

Green Bay 3 6 0 0 - 9

Dallas 14 14 0 7 - 35

First quarter

Dal-E.Smith 5 run (Boniol kick), 3:53.

GB-FG Jacke 50, 7:28.

Dal-Harper 94 pass from Aikman (Boniol kick), 11:20.

Second quarter

Dal-B.Thomas 1 run (Boniol kick), 8:15.

GB-Bennett 1 run (pass failed), 10:29.

Dal-Galbraith 1 pass from Aikman (Boniol kick), 14;49.

Fourth quarter

Dal-B.Thomas 2 run (Boniol kick), 3:32.

A-64,745.

GB Dal First downs 18 27 Rushes-yards 23-99 32-120 Passing 228 330 Punt Returns 2-23 0-0 Kickoff Returns 6-144 3-88 Interceptions Ret. 1-34 1-2 Comp-Att-Int 21-46-1 23-32-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 1-8 1-7 Punts 4-44 4-46 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1 Penalties-Yards 8-43 7-46 Time of Possession 26:52 33:08

RUSHINGGreen Bay, Bennett 11-34, Brunell 4-26, Brooks 2-23, Cobb 4-14, Favre 2-2. Dallas, B.Thomas 23-70, E.Smith 7-44, Johnston 1-4, Aikman 1-2.

PASSINGGreen Bay, Favre 18-35-1-211, Brunell 3-11-0-25. Dallas, Aikman 23-30-1-337, Peete 0-2-0-0.

RECEIVINGGreen Bay, Brooks 8-138, Morgan 5-52, Bennett 3-11, Chumura 2-13, Cobb 1-12, Johnson 1-9, Levens 1-1. Dallas, Novacek 11-104, Irvin 6-111, Harper 2-108, Johnston 1-8, Smith 1-3, B.Thomas 1-2, Galbraith 1-1.

MISSED FIELD GOALSGreen Bay, Jacke, 37.

MEMO: This is a sidebar which appeared with story: NFC playoffs Sunday: Dallas 35, Green Bay 9 Next Sunday: Dallas at San Francisco for NFC title, 1 p.m., FOX