'Humility' befalls Dallas; Dolphins NFL's sole unbeatens

The Associated Press

Barry Switzer proved prophetic.

''Humility is only seven days away,'' he said last week and his Dallas Cowboys proved it yesterday, losing 27-23 to rival Washington on a day when Miami emerged as the last of the NFL's unbeatens.

With Troy Aikman missing all but the first series with a strained right calf muscle that is expected to keep him out 2-3 weeks, the Redskins handed the Cowboys their first loss in five games as Terry Allen rushed for 121 yards and Gus Frerotte threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

Aikman went out after the first series when his leg gave out after he threw a pass. Then the Dallas defense gave out.

''We wouldn't have beaten them if Troy Aikman played today,'' Switzer said. ''Troy Aikman doesn't play defense.''

After Darren Woodson's 37-yard interception return gave Dallas a 10-3 lead, Washington (2-3) scored 24 straight points. It was 27-10 when Allen went in from 1 yard out midway through the third quarter after a fumble by Emmitt Smith, who gained 95 yards in 22 carries, the first time this year he's been under 100 yards in a game.

The Cowboys tried to rally behind backup quarterback Wade Wilson, who was 21 of 29 for 224 yards, but the Redskins hung on, clinching the victory when Tom Carter intercepted Wilson's desperation pass in the final minute.

Dolphins 26, Bengals 23

At Cincinnati, Marino's touchdown pass to McDuffie with 1:03 left kept Don Shula's Miami Dolphins unbeaten with a 26-23 victory over his son Dave Shula's Cincinnati Bengals.

Cincinnati (2-3) wasted a chance to tie in the closing seconds when Doug Pelfrey's 45-yard field-goal attempt drifted wide left and left Miami at 4-0 for the fifth time in club history and the first since 1992.

Colts 21, Rams 18

At Indianapolis, Marshall Faulk rushed for a career-high 177 yards and three touchdowns as the Colts (2-2) handed the Rams their first loss as a St. Louis-based team.

The Colts (2-2) forced three turnovers from a team that hadn't committed any this season, took a 14-10 lead at halftime and scored the clinching touchdown on a 1-yard run by Faulk in the third quarter.

Both of the touchdowns for the Rams (4-1) came on passes from Chris Miller to Isaac Bruce, including a 34-yarder and 2-point conversion with 52 seconds to go. The Colts then covered an onside kick and ran out the clock.

Buccaneers 20, Panthers 13

At Clemson, S.C., Casey Weldon replaced injured Trent Dilfer for Tampa Bay and kept expansion Carolina winless in Kerry Collins' first start.

Weldon, getting the first extensive action of his four-year career after Dilfer left with a concusscion, completed 15 of 25 passes for 181 yards for the Bucs (3-2).

Eagles 15, Saints 10

At New Orleans, Rodney Peete replaced Randall Cunningham as the starter and moved Philadelphia into range for Gary Anderson's five field goals that kept the Saints winless.

Anderson, who established himself as one of the most accurate kickers in the league during his 13-year career at Pittsburgh, hit field goals of 20, 43, 36, 37 and 42 yards for the Eagles (2-3).

The Saints (0-5) are off to their worst start since 1980. Peete, named the starter after a 48-17 loss in Oakland, was 18 of 29 for 173 yards.

Falcons 30, Patriots 17

At Atlanta, Morten Andersen kicked five field goals, two in the final 9:42, to help the Falcons improve to 4-1.

Scott Zolak, starting in place of injured Drew Bledsoe, engineered the first touchdown drives for the Patriots (1-3) since the season opener and got the team's first touchdown pass this year, a 2-yarder to Sam Gash.

Chiefs 24, Cardinals 3

At Tempe, Steve Bono threw two TD passes and stunned Arizona with a 76-yard touchdown run, the longest by a quarterback in NFL history.

After a fake handoff to Marcus Allen fooled the Arizona defense, Bono circled to his right and took off while Allen was being wrestled down. The slow-footed quarterback lumbered along the sideline in apparent disbelief, while lineman Joe Valerio waved him on.

Kansas City is 4-1 and Arizona 1-4.

Seahawks 27, Broncos 10

At Seattle, Chris Warren scored three touchdowns on short runs and rushed for 115 yards as Seattle (2-2) downed Denver (2-3).

Warren carried 24 times for 115 yards, his second straight 100-yard game and the 15th of his career.

49ers 20, Giants 6

At San Francisco, the 49ers bounced back from Monday night's loss at Detroit, shutting down New York's ground game.

Steve Young passed for 202 yards and directed four scoring drives for the defending Super Bowl champions, who improved to 4-1. New York is 1-4.

Steelers 31, Chargers 16

At Pittsburgh, the Steelers got even for last January's AFC title game loss, battering San Diego. Willie Williams and Alvoid Mays returned interceptions for touchdowns for the Steelers, who ended a two-game losing streak to improve to 3-2. San Diego is 3-2.

Jaguars 17, Oilers 16

At Houston, Desmond Howard caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from backup Mark Brunell with 1:03 to play and Mike Hollis added the winning extra point as Jacksonville won for the first time in the regular season. The Jaguars became only the third expansion team to win in its first five games.

Raiders 47, Jets 10

At East Rutherford, N.J., Jeff Hostetler threw for four touchdowns, three in the first half as Oakland (4-1) built a 31-3 halftime lead over New York (1-4), which sustained its worst home loss since the 1989 finale.

Hostetler was 14-for-23 for 261 yards. Tim Brown had 17- and 66-yard TD receptions and finished with eight catches for 156 yards.

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