Summary of the Arizona game

Courtesy of ESPNet SportsZone

DALLAS -- Emmitt Smith rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns Sunday as the unbeaten Dallas Cowboys defeated the Arizona Cardinals 34-20.

Troy Aikman threw for 251 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys (4-0), who have won 10 in a row against the Cardinals. Dallas' last loss to the Cards was Oct. 14, 1990.

The Cowboys intercepted Cardinals quarterback Dave Krieg three times and shut down running back Garrison Hearst, who was coming off his first career 100-yard game. Hearst managed just 23 yards on 13 carries.

"Hearst is the type of runner that can make things happen and we knew we had to shut him down and stop the run to win," Cowboys linebacker Robert Jones said. "They can't score if they can't move the ball. The defense has to swing the momentum."

Smith boosted his league-leading rushing total to 543 yards before leaving with a bruised elbow in the fourth quarter. X-rays were negative and Smith is expected to play next week at Washington.

"I lost the feeling in my fingers for a little bit. It was a scary moment," Smith said. "Everything will be OK for next week."

"Emmitt was a little stung at the end, but the X-rays were negative," Cowboys coach Barry Switzer said. "He might be a little sore, might miss a practice or two, but he's OK."

Smith, who also caught three passes for 53 yards, has scored touchdowns in 11 consecutive games, extending his club record. He has 84 touchdowns in 81 NFL games.

Aikman completed 19 of 30 passes without an interception. Michael Irvin caught five passes for 105 yards.

The Cardinals are 2-12 in September since 1992. Coach Buddy Ryan, who also coached in Philadelphia, has a career record of 7-18 in the season's first month.

"They are a good football team," Ryan said of the Cowboys. "We weren't today."

Krieg was 24 of 33 for 324 yards and two touchdowns. Rob Moore caught nine passes for 154 yards and a score and also threw a 33-yard pass.

"We finally got the ball to Rob and Frank (Sanders) had a couple of big catches and Larry Centers had his usual good game," Krieg said. "If we execute more consistently, we could have a good offense. We need to concentrate on putting the ball in the end zone."

Dallas never trailed, taking the opening kickoff and marching 85 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. Aikman hit Irvin with a 50-yard pass before finding tight end Jay Novacek with a 2-yard scoring toss.

Smith had a 28-yard run to the Cardinals 6 and scored on the next play to give the Cowboys a 14-0 lead with 39 seconds left in the first quarter.

A 33-yard receiver option pass from Moore to rookie Frank Sanders and a 29-yard run by Larry Centers set up a 33-yard field goal by Arizona's Greg Davis early in the second quarter.

But Smith scampered 28 yards and took a screen from Aikman for 40 more before banging in from the 1 for a 21-3 lead with nearly 10 minutes until halftime.

Krieg hit Moore for 45 yards before finding Centers with a 13-yard scoring toss, pulling the Cards within 21-10 with less than 6 minutes left in the quarter. Chris Boniol kicked a 25-yard field goal and the Cowboys went to the half with a 24-10 lead.

Boniol and Davis traded field goals in the third quarter.

Smith departed in the fourth quarter in favor of rookie Sherman Williams, who also spelled Smith for several carries in the second period.

Williams, who had eight carries for 79 yards, darted 44 yards to cap an 80-yard drive and seal the victory with 2:27 to go.

Krieg added a 25-yard scoring pass to Moore in the final minute.