At Least Vikings Get It Half Right

MINNEAPOLIS —  First Dallas lost Emmitt Smith with a broken hand, then Troy Aikman with a concussion.

Game over, as the Minnesota Vikings took advantage of their absence Monday night by scoring 27 consecutive points to rally past the Cowboys, 27-17.

Dallas dominated the first half as Smith scored twice within 18 seconds on runs of 63 and 24 yards, gaining 140 yards in 13 carries in 21 minutes as the Cowboys ran up a 17-0 lead.

But then Smith left, the Vikings recovered an errant snap that led to a four-yard touchdown pass from Jeff George to Randy Moss to cut it to 17-7 by halftime.

And then Aikman went out in favor of Jason Garrett with what was described as “a mild concussion,” the sixth of his 11-year career, after being sacked on the first series of the second half. After that, it was all Minnesota, as it won its third in a row to improve to 5-4.

“If we had played on offense in the second half like we did in the first, we wouldn’t have won,” Viking Coach Dennis Green said. “I don’t think it had anything to do with the two guys out for them.”

Gary Anderson kicked two field goals to start the second-half rally, then George completed another four-yard touchdown pass early in the final quarter. The pass was to Cris Carter, who caught it despite a premature cannon blast to celebrate the score that went off just after the ball left George’s hand.

A 47-yard touchdown pass play to Moss with 5:10 left clinched the victory.