Cowboys win in OT! Get a rare safety
The Dallas Cowboys lost five consecutive games coming into Sunday’s tilt with Arizona at Texas Stadium. They nearly lost a sixth, but they got a rare safety in overtime to beat the Cardinals, 18-16, to snap the losing streak.
With the game tied at 16 in overtime, Cowboy punter Toby Gowin booted a 43-yarder, which was downed at the Cardinal 4-yard line. Two plays later, Cowboy DTs Tony Casillas and Chad Hennings collapsed the Cardinals’ pocket and they sacked QB Kent Graham in the end zone for a safety giving the Cowboys a much-needed 18-16 victory at the 10:15 mark! The safety was the second walk-off overtime safety in NFL history when the Vikings did it to the Rams on April 6, 1989.
The Cowboys finally got their offense going in this game as they racked up 447 total yards on the day. The Triplets were outstanding. Emitt Smith had 122 yards rushing on 23 carries with a TD. Michael Irvin caught 12 passes for 133 yards. Troy Aikman threw for 313 yards on 27 of 49 passing with 1 INT.
The Cardinals’ offense hit the skids when Jake Plummer went down in the 3rd quarter with a concussion. Before he left, he threw for 161 yards. Graham came in and could only manage 21 yards on 4 of 8 passing. The Cardinals got one of their best rushing games of the season as they racked up 112 yards on the ground, 48 coming from Ronald Moore and 38 from Leland McElroy.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 4-6 and are back in the Wildcard hunt. They will host the Redskins next Sunday and then travel to Lambeau in 2 weeks. As for the Cardinals, their dismal season continued. They are now 1-9 and will continue on the road next week at the Giants and then the Ravens after that.