Dallas 27, Green Bay 13
Posted: Sunday November 14, 1999 10:23 PM
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IRVING, Texas (Ticker) -- Even without having to face Dallas' Big Three, Brett Favre still can't win at Texas Stadium.
Seventh-year backup quarterback Jason Garrett filled in for Troy Aikman and passed for two touchdowns and Chris Warren replaced Emmitt Smith and rushed for 85 yards to lead the Cowboys to a 27-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Overcoming the absence of Aikman, Smith and receiver Michael Irvin, the Cowboys (5-4) moved into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East with the Washington Commanders and New York Giants, who were both beaten earlier in the day.
"It was a great team effort," said Cowboys coach Chan Gailey. "We fought through some tough times and executed when it counted."
Favre, a three-time league MVP, is 0-8 against the Cowboys here, including three playoff defeats.
"It's frustrating," Favre said of his struggles at Dallas. "What can I say? If we weren't a good football team we could live with it."
Today, Favre nearly rallied the Packers from a 20-3 fourth-quarter deficit, driving them deep into Dallas territory in the final minute for the potential tying touchdown. But the game ended on a fitting note when former Packers safety George Teague intercepted a pass by Favre and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown with four seconds left.
With the Packers at the Dallas 25, Favre attempted to hit Antonio Freeman down the left sideline although Deion Sanders had blanket coverage on the play. Teague diagnosed the play, cut in front of Sanders, intercepted the pass at the Dallas 5 and raced untouched for the touchdown.
"Favre underthrew the ball and after I caught it, I was looking to see who was giving chase," Teague said. "There was an offensive lineman with me for a while, then I looked over my shoulder to see if there was a receiver around."
"Not to take anything away from George Teague, but that ball was destined to be picked from the start," Favre said.
The Packers (4-5) suffered their third straight loss under first-year coach Ray Rhodes and fell under .500 for the first time since December 4, 1994 when they were 6-7.
Favre is 1-8 lifetime against the Cowboys, beating them 45-17 at Lambeau Field in 1997. Today, he was 26-of-50 for 260 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.
Aikman suffered a concussion and Smith broke his right hand in Dallas' 27-17 loss to Minnesota last Monday. Irvin will be sidelined for at least another month after suffering an injury to his spine October 10 at Philadelphia.
Garrett, who was 3-2 as a starter last year after Aikman suffered a broken collarbone, completed 13-of-23 passes for 199 yards with no interceptions. He hit tight end David LaFleur with a six-yard touchdown in the first quarter and connected with Rocket Ismail on a 37-yard scoring play in the third quarter.
"It was a great day for a lot of reasons," Garrett said. "Our front five dominated the line today and when you do that you can get a nice rhythm going."
Ironically, Garrett led the Cowboys to a 42-31 Thanksgiving Day win in 1994 against the Packers, completing 15-of-26 for 311 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
"I can't say enough about Jason Garrett," Gailey said. "He hit a ton of passes early and played a great game."
The Cowboys stuffed Green Bay's running game, holding Dorsey Levens to 31 yards on 15 carries.
Meanwhile, Warren and Robert Chancey combined for 142 yards on 33 carries in the absence of Smith.
"The running game was a point of attack," Rhodes said. "They have a big line and they pushed us around today. We need to go back and make adjustments. We're going to look at everything."
Dallas defensive tackle Leon Lett played for the first time this season after serving an eight-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He finished with no tackles, but was credited with a quarterback pressure.
Garrett directed a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive on Dallas' first possession and capped it with a TD pass to LaFleur. Warren rushed for 26 yards on five carries and Garrett hit Ismail with a 23-yard pass to key the drive.
On their second possession, the Cowboys marched from their 24 to the Green Bay 1, but Garrett was sacked for a three-yard loss by linebacker Jude Waddy on a second-down play. After Warren was stopped for no gain, Richie Cunningham missed a 22-yard field goal wide to the left.
Favre drove the Packers 72 yards to the Dallas 6, but cornerback Kevin Smith cut in front of tight end Jeff Thomason and returned the interception 16 yards to the Dallas 19.
However, the Packers defense followed with a big play when tackle Gilbert Brown forced Warren to fumble after a one-yard run and end Vonnie Holliday recovered for Green Bay at the Dallas 24.
After failing to get a first down, the Packers settled for a 38-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell with 1:07 left in the half.
Garrett engineered a six-play, 54-yard drive to set up a 44-yard field goal by Cunningham with seven seconds left in the half.
The big play was a 32-yard pass from Garrett to tight end Eric Bjornson to the Green Bay 33.
Dallas opened the second half with a 64-yard drive, but it ended with another fumble by Warren and Tyrone Williams recovered at the Green Bay 15 and returned it 17 yards.
After Dallas' defense held, the Cowboys took over on its own 32.
After a one-yard run by Robert Chancey, Garrett lofted a 30-yard pass down the right sideline to Ernie Mills. On the next play, Ismail made a sliding catch at the Green Bay, quickly got back up and ran past cornerback Mike McKenzie for a 37-yard TD with 5:28 left in the third quarter, increasing Dallas' lead to 17-3.
"Rocket is a great player," Garrett said. "He's a little like Deion."
A 16-yard punt return by Deion Sanders helped set up a 47-yard field goal by Cunningham 4:20 into the fourth quarter.
After being without a catch in the first half, Freeman had six catches for 110 yards in the second half, including a 28-yard touchdown with 6:53 left in the fourth quarter. The TD capped a nine-play, 88-yard drive.
A 31-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell with 1:21 left pulled the Packers within 20-13.
On the ensuing onside kick by Longwell, the ball bounced off the outstretched hand of Dallas' Darren Woodson and was recovered by Fred Vinson of the Packers at the Green Bay 43.
Favre hit Freeman with a 21-yard pass to the Dallas 41. On the next play, Favre overthrew rookie receiver Donald Driver, who streaked past Deion Sanders down the left sideline.
Favre quickly recovered and connected with Bill Schroeder on a 16-yard pass to the Dallas 25. However, after an incompletion, Favre was picked off by Teague.
"I don't have an answer. I wish I did," Freeman said. "We just have to make plays, sustain drives. We're kiling ourselves.
Maybe we should do a two-minute offense the whole game."