GREEN BAY 31, DALLAS 42 --- November 24, 1994
Third-string quarterback Jason Garrett directed the offense to 36
second-half points as the Dallas Cowboys rallied for a 42-31 victory
over the Green Bay Packers.
Garrett, forced to start when Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete were
injured in last week's victory over Washington, threw touchdown passes
of 45 yards to Alvin Harper and 35 yards to Michael Irvin. Garrett was
15-of-26 for 311 yards against one of the league's better defenses as
the Cowboys broke the 40-point barrier for the first time since Super
Bowl 27 against Buffalo.
"I guess we have a quarterback controversy here," joked Dallas coach
Barry Switzer. "For Jason, this will be a night to remember. It is
something he'll always remember and something I'll always remember."
Emmitt Smith rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns for Dallas
(10-2), which overcame a 24-13 third-quarter deficit and improved to
18-8-1 all-time on Thanksgiving. Smith also caught six passes for 95
yards.
"I played games in seventh grade that at the time I thought were big
games," said Garrett. "But now at this level and at this time it's as
good as it gets."
"Jason Garrett is a fine football player," Packers coach Mike
Holmgren. "He threw the ball well, made the type of throws that I
thought he could make and he had maximum protection with that
offensive line and with Emmitt Smith running."
Brett Favre was 27-of-40 for 257 yards and four touchdowns for the
Packers (6-6), who have lost their last two games. All four touchdowns
went to Sterling Sharpe, who caught nine passes for 122 yards and tied
a team record for touchdown catches in a game established by himself
and Don Hutson.
Packers All-Pro lineman Reggie White, thought to be doubtful with an
elbow injury, played and registered one sack. White has never missed
an NFL game due to injury in his 10-year career.
The Cowboys got just two field goals from Chris Boniol in the first
half and trailed 17-6 at halftime. But Kevin Williams took the
second-half kickoff 87 yards to the Packers 5 and Smith scored on the
next play to cut the deficit to four points.
"I think the drive before halftime jump-started the team," said
Garrett, who struggled somewhat in the first half before coming alive
after intermission. "The guys around me played incredibly well. They
helped me get into a rhythm in the second half."
"Kevin Williams came out and gave us the spark in the second half,"
Switzer said. "In the first half, we just had too many mistakes and
too many penalties."
However, Green Bay retaliated with a kickoff return of their own, as
Corey Harris brought one back 59 yards to the Cowboys 33. Three plays
later, Favre hit Sharpe with a 30-yard scoring toss to give the
Packers a 24-13 advantage.
After being roughed up by Packers lineman Sean Jones, Garrett hit
Harper with a 45-yard touchdown. Dallas trailed 24-19 when Smith was
stopped on a two-point conversion run.
The defense held and Garrett was roughed again, this time by
linebacker George Koonce on third down. Garrett then hit jay Novacek
for 27 yards to set up Daryl Johnston's three-yard touchdown run that
gave the Cowboys the lead for good with 5:34 left in the third
quarter.
Smith took a screen pass from Garrett 68 yards, setting up his own
18-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter that
gave Dallas a 32-24 bulge. Less than four minutes later, Garrett hit
Irvin with a 35-yard touchdown pass.
There's a lot of firepower on this team," Garrett said. "I was just
one-eleventh of it today. I just tried to play within the system and
get the guys the balls who can make plays."
"We were able to score on five straight possessions and took control
of the second half and the game," Switzer said. "I had confidence in
Jason and the players believed in him."
Favre's fourth touchdown pass to Sharpe, a five-yarder, pulled the
Packers within a score and a two-point conversion with over seven
minutes to play. But the Cowboys controlled the clock, stopping Green
Bay on downs with less than four minutes to play and adding a 35-yard
field goal by Boniol.
"We played well in the third but it was tough to go three-and-out
several times," Holmgren said. "There were too many times that we had
third-and-short and didn't convert."
Garrett, making his second NFL start, was just 8-of-17 with an
interception in the first half. Favre had the hot hand, hitting on
14-of-20 for 131 yards. He hit Sharpe with a one-yard score in the
first quarter and a 36-yarder in the second quarter.
I told the team that we can't lose another game," Holmgren said. "It's
come down to the final month and we can't trip up."