>> The playoffs, and there's no atmosphere quite that can match it. >> I think this is the greatest. Carolina gets its glory today, and it's something that, on this field, you have the Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl champions, defending their world championship. You get the Carolina Panthers. Who would have thought? Here's a team that wasn't even a team three years ago, and they're just two games away from the Super Bowl. And then it all boils down to the finality of it, that they're going to play out here today, and at the end of the day, one season, one team is going to be finished for the season, and the other one is going to go on and play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. >> Who would have thought, indeed. Just two years ago, this team began. They've thrived, so far, on defense. As had the Dallas Cowboys. What kind of game do you expect? >> Well, you know, because of that, I think it's -- Both of these teams have thrived, not only on their defense but on their kicking game, their field goal kickers. That type of game. I kind of expect a low-scoring game. Now, Carolina does it different. They use the three-man line. They use a lot of blitzes. I think they're going to try and confuse the Cowboys. The Cowboys just have a good basic, standard defense. Now, when you have good defenses, you have to do two things, and I think both of these teams are going to have to do these two things. One, run the ball, and two, pass protect. >> All right, welcome back to Ericsson Stadium. Joining me now, Barry Switzer. Barry, a turbulent week, obviously. Is the team focus and concentration where it should be right now? >> No question about it. We're focused. No distractions this week. The media was out of our camp, so we were able to get focused on what we had to do. Hopefully, we'll be able to attain our goal today. >> You had an extra day to prepare for Dom Capers' zone blitz defense. What do you see? What do you got to do to beat it? >> Well, we're going to find out today. We've had to work a lot on our backs staying in in protection, double read with the offensive guard in alignment with the backs. So, hopefully, we can handle it. We have before, the very few times that we've seen it. But they're the best at it. >> Right. All right, coach, thanks a lot. >> Hi, Elijah. >> [ Laughs ] Good luck. All right, Pat, John, let's go back up to you guys. >> Well, Ron Pitts, of course, his father is Elijah Pitts, who played in in so many great, distinguished years with the Green Bay Packers. Now on the Buffalo Bills coaching staff. The Carolina team has won the toss, and Michael Bates, who is really dangerous. Dom Capers, head coach of the Carolina Panthers, has done such an outstanding job. Jim Schwantz, you look at. He's been great on special teams, headed to the Pro Bowl. Boniol to kick off. And Bates will handle it at the 5. If he breaks it, all you do is watch. Schwantz missed but made him change direction. Let's look at the Carolina Panther offense. Kerry Collins, their young quarterback. He's been very good. Campbell, Elliott, Garcia, Skrepenak, Norberto Garrido, the rookie right tackle. Anthony Johnson over 1,000 yards. Howard Griffith in front of him. Green, Carrier, and Walls. Those who handle the ball. Johnson. Good yardage. Let's look at the Cowboy defense. They've lost key people throughout the year, but they've been able to step up and get it done. Shante Carver. Charles Haley was there last year. Tony Casillas. Leon Lett was there earlier this year. Chad Hennings and Tony Tolbert. Smith, Strickland, and Broderick Thomas will start at linebacker. The secondary -- unmatched. Second and 2. Johnson. Hit by Strickland. Didn't get the first, I don't think. Yes, he did. Yes, he did. Johnny Grier is the referee. >> Wonder how many more times Anthony Johnson is going to cut back with Fred Strickland in there. You know, the middle linebacker, once the ball goes away from you -- Watch Fred Strickland. Once the ball starts here, you have to stay a little inside of that for that cutback. And that's exactly what Strickland does. You see he starts in there, and he stays right inside that thing, and then, when it cuts back, he's right there for it. >> First and 10. Collins back to throw it. Has plenty of time. Incomplete. Mark Carrier the intended receiver, covered and covered well. >> Now, they want a pass interference on that, and I think that's one of the things that Carolina's going to try and do today is to work on Kevin Smith out there. Not that Kevin Smith is an easy guy to beat, but they think that he does have a lot of pass interference. I think he had more pass interference penalties than anyone in the league. And I think if they throw the ball out there on him, they have two chances -- one, to catch the ball, and two, to get an interference penalty. >> None of the four in that secondary are easy to beat. Collins gives to Johnson. Johnson move the pile up to midfield. >> They found something in there behind Matt Campbell, the left tackle, and Matt Elliott, the left guard. This is where they're running. They're running right in here. They got the strong side on this side. They're just taking the ball right in here, getting a good block here and a good block here. You see the double-team? Then the lead starts inside, goes outside. Anthony Johnson starts to follow the lead, and then made that cutback and made the yardage that time. >> The double-team is what did it on Casillas. >> That's the way to create a hole. >> Three wide receivers this time. Collins to throw. Picked off by Darren Woodson, a diving interception. Dallas ball. What a year he's had. >> Yeah, Darren Woodson, he really -- When you play three wide receivers, Darren Woodson, normally the strong safety, becomes a corner. He plays on the slot guy. And that time, he just played him man for man. You see, here's Darren Woodson. He's on the slot right here. And he just takes him man for man. The ball thrown. See, he has Carrier, and the ball thrown a little short, but Woodson made a heck of an effort to get to that ball. >> So it's first down, Cowboys, as they get the first turnover. We'll get to their lineup in just a moment. Troy Aikman, of course, is the quarterback. Back to throw it. Screen pass. He's trying to set up. Throws it away. Nothing there, and let's look at that offense. It happened so fast... after the interception by Woodson. Troy Aikman 11-1 as a starter in postseason games. He lost the one time to San Francisco. In front of him, that veteran big offensive line. Tuinei, Newton, Donaldson, Allen, and Williams. Emmitt Smith will be deep, Daryl Johnston in front of him. Kevin Williams, Michael Irvin wide, and Eric Bjornson the tight end. He's to the right. Carolina puts pressure on the quarterback. And here they come. Aikman gets rid of it to Irvin. Irvin stays on his feet. Run down by Lamar Lathon. Let's look at the Carolina defense. They'll be tested. Irvin stays down. There's a member of Carolina's team also down. The defensive unit. Those are the linebackers. Lathon, Bailey, Mills, and Kevin Greene. And the secondary -- Tyrone Poole, Brett Maxie, Eric Davis, and Pat Terrell. Here are the two players that are down. >> I think that's Pat Terrell, who's the strong safety... for the Panthers. And then Michael Irvin, who caught that pass on that slant, or the in, is still down. >> He broke a tackle. >> Troy Aikman did a heck of a job of reading that blitz. The Cowboys picked it up, and he got rid of it to Michael Irvin. >> No score in the first quarter. 0-0, first quarter. Michael Irvin shaken after he caught that first pass from Aikman. His place has been taken by Kelvin Martin. >> And I think something happened to Ray Donaldson, too, Pat, because Derek Kennard is now at center. >> That I missed. Here's Emmitt Smith. To the Carolina 25, 24. Stopped by Lathon. >> I think something on that same play Michael Irvin was hurt, and Ray Donaldson must have been because he went out. And then they brought in Derek Kennard. Yeah, you just watch. This was the blitz when Ray Donaldson was picking up the blitz. Emmitt Smith picks up the blitz. Looked like Donaldson was okay. And he just walked off when they took Michael Irvin off, and they brought in Derek Kennard. >> Here comes a safety blitz, and the Cowboys give to Emmitt Smith. Our information is that Ray Donaldson just had some problems with his equipment. There's nothing wrong with him. >> Yeah, well, then he'll come right back in, but Michael Irvin has something more than that. You can see that they're working up there on his shoulder or clavicle area. And here was the play. He's going to run a slant in here on Tyrone Poole. Tyrone Poole, the corner, falls down right there. Irvin catches the ball there. Pat Terrell misses him. And watch as Lamar Lathon tackles him. He drives his shoulder into the ground. >> Third and 1 and Emmitt Smith burrows over the right side and gets the Cowboys' first down. Sam Mills stopped him at the Carolina 20. On that pass completion from Aikman to Irvin, really, you've got to give this guy some credit, too, for picking up that blitz. >> I think Emmitt Smith is going to be real big in this game. One, you know that if the Cowboys, offensively, are going to be successful, they have to be able to run the ball But number two, in pass protection, Emmitt Smith is very important because he has to pick up that fifth or sixth guy when they blitz. >> And there is none better at that than he is. Here's Aikman back to throw. The blitz again. Pass is caught. And shoved out of bounds is Kevin Williams. As Aikman is right on the money. >> Yeah, Aikman is always right on the money, and I think that, you know, he's so good at getting rid of the ball quickly. One of the things is you have to be able to pick up the blitz. You got the stunt in the middle. You got -- Right there. Did you see the job that Emmitt Smith was doing in there? He stepped up in there, took away the blitzer, and that allowed Troy Aikman to step up and throw that ball out there to Kevin Williams. >> First and goal at the 3. >> And you can talk about your offensive line being blockers, but Emmitt Smith today will be a big, big part of pass protection. >> That was Ray Donaldson. They were working on an equipment problem. This is Emmitt Smith. Right side for maybe a yard. Behind Daryl Johnston. >> Yeah, I think a lot of times, you know, we give credit to the offensive line for the running game, and we forget, on this Dallas Cowboy team, we forget "Moose" Johnston. >> Oh, yeah. >> And I think when you talk about pass protection on this team, I think you tend to forget Emmitt Smith, and he's equally as important as that offensive line, especially against this scheme today. >> The opponents don't forget about him. >> That's why Emmitt Smith is a complete back. >> Second and at the 2. Aikman to throw. He's got to hurry. He does. Incomplete. Intended for Eric Bjornson, who couldn't come up with it. Carolina coming with a blitz again. From the cornerbacks. >> Yeah, that's the thing that you get, and you see, he did get that ball away, but it was just a split second before he wanted. And this is exactly what Carolina wants to do. They want to bring linebackers, they want to bring safeties. You know they have guys coming, but you don't know who's coming, nor do you know where they're coming from. That was an extra linebacker that they play down on the goal line. >> Andre Royal. Michael Irvin leaving the field and headed inside, and here's how he got hurt. >> Yeah, you see Tyrone Poole fell down, and he made one tackler miss. Now, right there, that was Lamar Lathon on a good, hard, legal tackle. Just drove his shoulder right into the ground. >> And he went into the tunnel. That is a live picture. A sprained right shoulder is the word we have. He must be headed for x-rays, because he went up the chute to the Carolina side of the field. This is Emmitt Smith, and he's not going to go in. Fumble! >> Heck of a play by Sam Mills, even if they don't give him the fumble. By keeping that inside leverage, there was no place for Emmitt Smith to cut back. >> They're going to say the ball was down, I believe. And Chris Boniol will come on. >> But watch the job that number 51, Sam Mills, does. In fact, he has to go over one of his own guys. He had that inside. Emmitt Smith was looking to cut back there, and he just dives over and makes the play. Again, what they're saying, that his knee was down and the whistle blew before the ball came out. You could see that his knee was down, but you don't know when the whistle blew. >> And Boniol puts the Cowboys ahead 3-0. The x-ray room at Ericsson Stadium has been opened. >> Yeah, it was just a minute ago when Michael Irvin first went there. The x-ray room wasn't open, so he had to sit outside the door. They've opened it since, and he is inside that x-ray room right now. >> Again, the word we got was a sprained right shoulder. But they're checking to make sure that's the correct diagnosis. >> It was on a good, hard tackle by Lamar Lathon, who really hustled to get in position to make the tackle. In fact, Lathon, on that drive, made 3 tackles, but that last big defensive play was middle linebacker Sam Mills' play. >> Sam Mills has been doing that for a long, long time. Here is Boniol's kickoff, and Bates set to return it. And he can go. Collided with Herschel Walker. Anthony Johnson. >> Yeah, this so far has been a typical Dallas game. Real strong defense. They get a turnover. Then their offense gets the ball, gets good field position. Moves it pretty well, but again, gets down inside that red zone and can't score a touchdown. They're having more and more trouble. They used to run it in there, and you know, part of it may be passed with Jay Novacek, but they can't run it in when they get down there anymore. They're stacking up against the run. >> That's pretty much happened all around the league. Here's Collins back to throw. Almost picked off by Kevin Smith. Intended for Carrier. >> You know, that was one of the things that Dom Capers said. He said that, "We have to be able to run the ball, and we have to win the battles on the outside." Now, these are the battles on the outside that he's talking about that they have to win. Kevin Smith won that battle. Earlier, on a third down, it was Darren Woodson who won a battle against Mark Carrier with the interception. >> Third and 9. Three wide receivers for Carolina. Here comes a Dallas blitz. And Collins is lucky he got rid of this one. And flags on the play. >> Yep, they got Kevin Smith that time. >> And that's on Kevin Smith. They're going to talk this one over. That one was not catchable, I know. Collins was just trying to throw it away. >> But I still think that the guy can't grab him when the ball's in the air. >> They're going to talk it over. They did. >> We have two fouls on the defense. Holding, number 26, is declined. Pass interference, number 26, is accepted -- first down. >> He got them both. >> Yeah, what they're saying is the holding would be right here in the first 5 yards. The hold is before the ball's in the air. You see the hold is right there, they're saying. The ball hasn't been thrown yet. Now, the pass interference is there, after the ball is thrown. So if you do it before the ball's thrown, it's holding. If you do it while the ball is in the air, it's pass interference. >> Carolina in a shift, and the Dallas defense is confused for a moment. And Collins is back to throw. The stop fade is complete. Threw it behind him on purpose. >> And they threw another flag. >> Another penalty back at midfield. >> And it was right there where Tony Casillas was right next to Kerry Collins. But that's one of the things that we were just talking about Dom Capers said he had to do, is win some battles out there. Throw at Kevin Smith. And they're doing it. This is against the Cowboys. It's going to be against Tony Casillas for unnecessary roughness -- that's what it is. >> The pass is caught, and they'll tack this on to the end. >> Personal foul, unsportsmanlike conduct, number 75 on the defense. First down. >> Against Casillas. >> Because Casillas was standing right there, again, by Kerry Collins after he threw that ball. Here's Casillas here. Again, you see, here's where the ball's going to be thrown out to the right. Kerry Collins throws it. The ball's gone. There's Casillas there, so it happened after that. >> Anthony Johnson taken down by Darren Woodson. Inside the 10-yard line. >> You know, when we were talking to Dom Capers the other day, I described he's doing the two things that he talked about, is, one, you know, throwing to the outside, winning some battles out there, throwing at Kevin Smith and hoping to either catch the ball or to get a pass interference, and they've done both on this drive. And then be able to run the ball. >> Second and 7. They can make a first down without scoring. Collins has Anthony Johnson deep. He comes out of there in motion. Collins. Ball was bouncing around. Carrier made the catch, and he held on long enough. >> You knew that that one had to be a pass because there was no one in the backfield. Carrier's going to line up tight here, and he just comes right in here on a slant. You see there's no one in the backfield. There's Carrier right there coming on a slant. Kerry Collins hits him perfectly. Here's Carrier here. You see he's just going to come up -- boom -- takes a step right in there. The minute that he gets behind the linebacker -- in front of the linebacker, Darrin Smith, then he hits him. >> First and goal. And here's Collins. Has a diving catch by Wesley Walls. Touchdown, Carolina. >> Kerry Collins got so excited because Wesley Walls was so wide open, he darn near took too much mustard off it. >> He could have done just about anything. >> Boy, do the Cowboys buy this fake. Watch the fake to the left. Here comes a bootleg. There's no one out there. Wesley Walls is so wide open that Kerry Collins darn near didn't get it to him. >> And Wesley Walls made a heck of a catch. >> That's when you try and aim it instead of throw it. >> Kasay's extra point is good, and Carolina leads Dallas 7-3. In Charlotte, North Carolina, Carolina leading Dallas 7-3. We're in the first quarter. 5:28 left. Walls from Collins put Carolina ahead. Herschel Walker. Walker got about 4 steps, and that was it. >> Let's watch that touchdown play again. Here's Wesley Walls here. And you're going to see what he does. He comes in, and then he goes down. You see him go down to the ground? You see down to his knees, in fact? His head even goes the other way. Then all the Cowboys run by him. Now he gets up and just runs into the end zone. Fakes the block, goes down to the ground, let's them all go by him, then gets up, and that's why he was so wide open. >> Ray Donaldson is back, as the Cowboys line up on offense. And Aikman gives to Emmitt Smith. To the 20. Behind Donaldson and Newton and Larry Allen. >> You have to be impressed with the hustle of this Carolina Panther team. You know, on defense, you know, they had a turnover, they came in there, and they just fought and scrapped and kept the Cowboys out of the end zone. Then they get the ball back, and their offense should be grateful to the defense, and they take it down there and score. >> Deion Sanders lines up wide right. No further word on Michael Irvin. >> Deion Sanders is getting Michael Irvin's position. Kevin Williams is to the left. Aikman up the middle. Incomplete. In the direction of Bjornson. 4:37 left to play in the first quarter. >> Carlton Bailey was down there and had great coverage. There was no place for Aikman to throw it. He had pretty good time, but he doesn't have any of his receivers there. You know, I mean, his go-to guy for years has been Jay Novacek. Of course, he hasn't been there all year. Michael Irvin has been his go-to guy. He's in the locker room now. And to be honest with you, other than his running game, he doesn't have a go-to receiver here. >> He has Kevin Williams to the left and Deion Sanders to the right. And he's down. Aikman goes down. Les Miller... led the rush. Kevin Greene, who's been firing -- rushing passers for a long time. >> Les Miller is right here in the middle. You just see him take on three Cowboys. He goes right by Ray Donaldson, Nate Newton, and Emmitt Smith on the way. >> Just caved them in. >> Yeah, that's the thing that Les Mill-- That's his job. His job is to just cave in the middle and let Kevin Greene and Lamar Lathon come from the outside. >> John Jett back to punt. Winslow Oliver deep for Carolina. Slipped one time, and now he's got some room. He's got a wall -- look out. Taken down by Darren Woodson. And if he doesn't make that tackle, they're further ahead. Right now, let's send it down to the sideline with Ron Pitts. >> Pat, you know, I just talked to Michael Irvin. He just came up the tunnel on a cart. He had his shirt off. I asked him if he'd be able to return. He didn't reply. He just looked at me. He looks like he's in a lot of pain. It took three guys to pick him up off the ground to take him inside the x-ray room to get an x-ray. I doubt if he'll be back. >> All right, Ron. Thank you very much. And that is a devastating blow to the Dallas offense. >> Well, and the other thing that's been a devastating blow to the Cowboys is this Carolina Panther team because they're beating them in all their battles right now. >> Here's Collins back to throw. Caught by Walls. What a throw by Collins. Woodson knocked him out of bounds. >> You know, Collins is so big and so strong. I mean, he's like 6'5" and weighs 245 pounds. Here's Wesley Walls there, just running an out. And I think that Walls has a heck of a lot of confidence in Collins, and Collins has a heck of a lot of confidence in Wesley Walls. >> No question about. >> We talk about go-to guys and Troy Aikman not having one. Wesley Walls is Kerry Collins' go-to guy. >> First and 10 at the Dallas 40-yard line -- 30-yard line. Andre Johnson to his left. Inside the 30. You know, you were talking about how much you admire the way this Carolina defense and offense really have sort of taken charge. You have to admire this whole organization, from the owner, Jerry Richardson, down to that guy, Dom Capers. >> Well, you know what you have to admire about it is how quickly they done it and how well they've done it, but how much pride they have in it. You know, when we came here Friday, it's everyone, every coach, the owner, general manager, all the players. Everyone has a lot of pride in this place, this city, this state, and this football team. >> Here's Collins to throw it. Has time and throws deep over the head of Walls. Incomplete. And a late rush from Tolbert. >> I remember when Wesley Walls played for the San Francisco 49ers, and at that time, you know, they had Brent Jones, and you know, he always had to kind of take a back seat to Brent Jones. >> Couldn't stay healthy. >> Yeah, and he played special teams, and in fact, he was a snapper on the punt team. Then he'd get hurt all the time. Then he went down to New Orleans, he showed what he could do. and then he decided to come here and play for the Panthers, and what a decision it's been for both he and the Panthers. >> Third and 9. Collins, quick throw. Pass caught by Willie Green. Enough for a first. >> You know an interesting thing Kerry Collins was saying, that he was watching the game yesterday between the Green Bay Packers -- he was watching that game between the Packers and the 49ers, and he said he watched Brett Favre. And Brett Favre got up and he was smiling at Gary Plummer. >> Yep. >> And he said that just reminded him, you know, that this game should be fun. He wants to play today the way Brett Favre played yesterday. >> A lot of people would like to do that. >> Yeah, but I mean, make fun of -- I mean, make it fun. It is a game, and it should be fun. And now they're going to have a fourth and short. >> It is a fourth down, yep. >> This is going to be a big decision for Dom Capers because he is in field goal range here. Do you kick a field goal or do you go for it? >> They're going to go. Collins is asking for the crowd to get involved here or be quiet. >> He's trying to get them to be quiet, yeah, because he wants to hear the play that they're sending in. I imagine -- I imagine the play would be a quarterback sneak. They've gone for it 13 times this year on fourth down and made it 6. >> Johnson is deep, Collins the sneak. And he'll have enough. >> Again, I think when your quarterback is 6'5" and weighs 240 lbs -- In fact, he was telling Dom Capers that he would like to weigh 250. They make him stay at 240. But that's not a bad quarterback sneak. He's going to take it and just kind of veer off to his right. You just take it and you look for a seam, and then you just put your head and shoulder down and drive those legs. And that's exactly what he did. That's not a bad quarterback sneak. >> If it's possible, he's a lean 240. >> I know it. I mean, he's a good-looking 240. I mean, he can be proud of it, he can parade that body around. >> Yeah. Johnson... around the corner. Still on his feet. Near another first down. This is Winslow Oliver, I beg your pardon. >> Yeah, they bring in Winslow Oliver -- he's their rookie. In fact, Dom Capers said he reminds him a lot of Dave Meggett. And they bring him in as a change-of-pace guy. And they're just going to get out here and boom, get around the corner. Get a lead, pitch him the ball to the outside. He just gets by Tony Casillas. After that, he makes a little move, and then puts a little move on and a little burst, and then ends it up. But he is a good change-of-pace. >> Yes, he is. >> I think they like to run Anthony Johnson inside and then bring in Oliver to get those outside runs. >> Two tight end setup. Johnson is deep this time. And Johnson loses a couple. >> They started out -- they had some room in there in the middle, and then that's not there anymore because the Cowboy defense is kind of packed inside. That's why they were able to get outside. >> And just to bring you up to date, our latest information on Michael Irvin is he has a possible cracked or broken clavicle. And whether he'll be able to return or not is very, very doubtful. >> If he has a broken clavicle, he won't return. >> He won't be back. They're not sure yet. >> That was the area they were checking on the sideline though. >> Here's Collins. Guns it out to Oliver. They get the first down. >> You know, this offensive line of the Panthers is doing a heck of a job because no one's getting close to Kerry Collins. I mean, just watch this group right up here block this group here. And you see, he has time, he has time, he has time, and then he can look and pump, and then he gets out here and then he buys a little more time and finally gets it out here to Oliver. But this offensive line of the Panthers is really controlling the tempo of this game. >> And the amazing thing about that is that they've only been together a very short time. They made all kind of changes earlier in the year. That's the offensive line in week 1. We were talking about the changes that had been made. >> Yeah, you see, the only guys who were the same is Garcia was a guard, Skrepenak was the right guard, and he is the only guy that is still at that position. Every other position has been changed. >> Collins. Down he goes at about the 5. >> Well, Kerry Collins didn't get much depth on his drop on that one. That was one of the shortest drops I've ever seen. He was trying to throw a slant in there, and I think he took a one-step drop. I don't know that I've ever seen a one-step drop because all quarterback drops are always three-step is the shortest, five-step or seven-step. That time he just stayed right on the line of scrimmage. >> Tenth play of this drive. You probably won't see another one-step drop either. >> No. He knows he needs his separation. >> Flag on the play. This is Winslow Oliver skirting to the outside. >> 76, offense. Prior to the snap. Still second down. >> Garrido, the rookie right tackle, was the man who moved prior to the snap. >> And that was a silly penalty, too. I mean, they've had a lot of these penalties. In fact, I think they lead the league in jumping offsides on offense. Because they have had so many -- In fact, there it is, 36 false starts or offsides penalties, tied for the most in the NFL with the Raiders. And I think that's one of the downfalls of having so many different offensive linemen. But the ball was going to the left, Garrido was on the right side. >> Oliver takes the hand-off and slipped at about the 10. This is a different kind of grass in the middle of the field from on the outside, both sides of the field, where the receivers operate. The middle is Bermuda grass. The outside is rye. You can see it right there. >> Yeah, this whole side is Bermuda, and this is the rye. This is the kind Barry Switzer says he didn't like, where the "Xes" are. >> Slippery. >> Yeah, he said that always gets slippery. But the Panthers look like they haven't had any problems with this field. >> Third and goal. >> Tyrone Poole did fall down once. >> Yes. Third and goal at the 10. Here's Collins. Pass is caught. Touchdown, Willie Green. Tight coverage, but a perfect pass from Collins to Green. >> They said they had to win some battles on the outside. They said they were going to go against Kevin Smith right here. And watch Willie Green against Kevin Smith. Kevin Smith looked into the backfield a little. He comes up, he gives the bump. And I'll tell you, he was right there on that coverage, and Kerry Collins threw a perfect pass. Whoo! The guy is something. >> Kasay for the extra point. 14-3, Carolina over Dallas. Pat Summerall with John Madden. And the Carolina Panthers have looked very sharp. Kasay's kickoff will be handled by Kevin Williams. Williams gets taken down at about the 26. Let's go back to that touchdown and look at the prodect-- protection, excuse me, John. >> Well, here's Norberto Garrido. Now, the first thing you have to do is get an outside here, pin this guy, get this guy here, and form a lane so that your quarterback can throw in a lane. The receiver has to get open, but if we can stop it right here, we can see here is a passing lane that Kerry Collins can step and throw that ball to Green. I mean, the receiver has to get open, but the line has to block and create passing lanes for the quarterback. >> Emmitt Smith gets the carry, and he gets away from Lathon. Gets around the corner and gets knocked out of bounds at the 30. That's an offensive formation we have not seen for Dallas. And, well, let's have a look at it again. Herschel Walker's in the backfield along with Smith and Daryl Johnston. >> You see them? They have Herschel Walker here, and they have Daryl Johnston here, and Emmitt Smith here. So you can get a lead to this side or this side. Or a passer. He can be a pass receiver. He can be your lead blocker. But that's a version of the old full house backfield. >> Yeah. 14-3, you're down. You don't need many full house backfields. >> [ Chuckles ] >> Pass is caught by Kelvin Martin. >> Yeah, we were talking about the Cowboys and Troy Aikman not having a go-to receiver. He doesn't have Jay Novacek. He doesn't have Michael Irvin. But if he does have any go-to guy, it's this guy here, Kelvin Martin. And I think that was one of -- Troy Aikman was instrumental in bringing Kelvin Martin back because he knows where he's supposed to go, and Aikman always knows where he's going to be. >> He's not fast, he's not big, but he knows how to get open. This is Bjornson in motion. Pitchback to Emmitt Smith. Emmitt just crosses the 40 and picks up a couple at the most. Sam Mills. >> Isn't that Sam Mills something? I mean, 37 years old, this guy has been told all his life that he's been too small. He's only 5'7", 5'8", weighs 230 pounds. You know, played in the USFL, played all those years with the New Orleans Saints. >> He's the oldest guy ever picked for the Pro Bowl -- other than a kicker -- for a starting spot in the Pro Bowl. >> I mean, who would say that some guy from Montclair State who's 37 years old would be playing in a Pro Bowl? And if they keep going like this, could very well be in the NFC Championship Game. >> Isn't that the truth? Aikman's pass to Martin. He's open, gets into Carolina territory at the 47. Stopped by Pat Terrell. >> If you look at Dallas' pass distribution, all their passes have been completed to wide receivers today. They haven't completed a pass to a tight end or a running back yet. Here's Kelvin Martin again. That's just a zone thing, where you just go and you start up and you get a feeling, and then you just stop. >> Deion Sanders lines up split wide to the right this time. Daryl Johnston on the move. The hand-off to Emmitt Smith. Emmitt gets across the 45, about the 44. Stopped by Carlton Bailey. >> One of the things with the running game of the Cowboys, they are not having success blocking the two inside linebackers of the Panthers. That'd be Carlton Bailey. These two guys here. These are the two guys, if you're going to be able to run, you've got to get them. Now, to get to them, you have to be able to get the nose tackle, Greg Kragen. But they're always -- See, by doubling the nose tackle, there's always a guy free. That time it was Carlton Bailey. But did they put a double-team on Greg Kragen, didn't they? >> Oh! He didn't see much daylight. Emmitt Smith again. They run it. To the 41-yard line. >> But that's part of the success of these linebackers like Sam Mills, is that Greg Kragen just gets up there. Sam Mills says Greg Kragen will just occupy guys. >> Nobody gets a clear shot at him. >> No, because he'll take on two. He lines up in that gap, and like he does, he takes on more double-teams probably than any defensive lineman in the league. >> And that's a tough way to make a living. >> That's bad news for Greg Kragen, but it's good news for this guy right here, Sam Mills, 'cause they can't get to him. >> Three wide receivers. Deion Sanders split wide right. Troy Aikman back to throw it. Pass is caught by Kevin Williams this time. Aikman right on the money. >> Well, he'll be on the money. He's been on the money this whole drive. I think that he, you know, feels it, and I think he's feeling some urgency now and know that they're going to have to throw the ball. Here's Kevin Williams out here. Tyrone Poole has pretty good coverage, look. He stays a little underneath. Just as he breaks, he falls down, and Aikman puts that ball in there perfectly. Watch, here's just a four-man rush. Great protection here. >> First down, Dallas, at the 27-yard line of Carolina. Here's Aikman to throw it again. Here comes the blitz. Pass is caught by Daryl Johnston at about the 25. >> We even got the "Moose" calls down here in Carolina, huh? I think that was the first reception by anyone other than a wide receiver so far for the Cowboys. But this Troy Aikman is really something with his... >> You know, I've never figured out the significance of pass distribution. If it's working, keep throwing. >> Yeah, you just keep doing it, but Troy Aikman is so accurate today. >> Emmitt Smith banging down inside the 15 to about the 12-yard line. The safety man, Pat Terrell, made the tackle. >> Emmitt Smith is just going to the sideline and just saying, "Keep running it to me." Here it is, the old "I" formation, where's he's the back. Just running in here between Larry Allen and Erik Williams. Just in there with the lead. Just running to that side, get the double-team, get the good lead, the turn out, and those create great, big, old holes. >> You talk about the good lead. Daryl Johnston got the good lead. >> That was a good lead. >> Here's that oddball formation again. Walker comes out this time in motion. Aikman back to throw. The blitz is on, but the pass is caught by Bjornson, the tight end. >> I think that's what they're trying to do. I think they're trying to get the defense bunched and then put Herschel Walker in motion away and then get single coverage on the side here. See, Herschel Walker has gone that way, and then he's going to go to Bjornson here because that made the defense move to their left, and then Bjornson had a wide-open spot on that right. >> Second and 3. >> Sure focused and accurate on this drive. >> Two tight ends this time. Second and 3. Emmitt Smith gets the carry, and Emmitt's down to about the 2. Lamar Lathon made the stop. >> I think they found out -- You have a big, strong offensive line. And you have, on that right side, you have Larry Allen, you have Erik Williams, and you have Moose Johnston leading. You might as well just get in and run right behind him. >> Well, now they're in that position you talked about earlier, John. They've got first and goal at the 3. Now get in. >> And you'll see the problem here as you look. Everyone bunches up against them. See, all this bunch up in here. This is tough to run against because there's going to be two free men. >> Smith close to the goal line. >> And you see Andre Royal in there, number 58. In fact, they take out a corner and put Royal in, and he's a linebacker. >> That's George Hegamin who just checked in. You saw him report. He'll line up as one of the tight ends. >> Well, what they were doing is they were running too much to Tyji Armstrong, so they want to put in Hegamin. Here's Tyji Armstrong going to this side. They want to put in another guy and run to this side, away from Tyji Armstrong. >> Tyji is to the left. They go straight ahead to Emmitt Smith, and he's not going to get in. He's hit by Lathon right at the line of scrimmage. >> And like you say, they're still having the same problems that they have down in this area, and that's running, because everyone's ganging up on them, and they're having more men than they have blockers. You see, they try and get back there in the lean, and here comes Lamar Lathon. Because Lamar Lathon is just sitting back there on that short-yardage goal-line defense. He's just sitting right here waiting for that cutback. He's not going to over-pursue it. That was very, very close to getting a face mask on there. >> It was. Back at the 2-yard line. Third down now. >> This has to be a pass. >> Aikman throws. Daryl Johnston... who came down with the ball. What a catch. Touchdown, Dallas. >> I think they finally figured out that when you get down there, you can't bunch it up, and you can't run it in there, that this is the best way to do it. >> Barry Switzer was signaling, "Let's go for two." >> Watch Troy Aikman. I mean, he's just running there, and he throws a little behind. Most of the time, Troy Aikman is so accurate. That time, he threw it behind Moose Johnston, and for a moose, that was a heck of a catch. >> For anybody, that was a heck of a catch. >> Yeah, but a guy nicknamed "Moose," you expect to be acrobatic. I mean, those two things -- moose and acrobatics don't go together. >> 14-9. The Cowboys will go for 2. And now they'll take a time-out. Ericsson Stadium. The sunset in Carolina. 14-9. The Cowboys just scored the touchdown from Aikman to Daryl Johnston, and they're going to go for 2. >> Well, by going for 2, if they make the 2, then they're within a field goal of tying. If they go for 1, they would need a touchdown. >> Johnston on the move. Aikman back to throw it. Incomplete. He threw in the direction of Bjornson. It was knocked away. 14-9 the score at Ericsson Stadium. Cowboys just scored, missed in their effort for 2. And now they kick off. Boniol's kick. It goes to Michael Bates. Bates headed around the corner. Stepped out of bounds. The Carolina Panthers 14, Dallas 9. Carolina ball at their own 34. That's Anthony Johnson for about 2. >> You know, we talked about that right side of that Cowboy offensive line winning that last battle. I think the left side of this Panther offensive line is winning that battle. Matt Campbell over there and Matt Elliott. 'Cause that's where they seem to have their success. You know, and Frank Garcia, the center, going in behind this group, these three guys right here -- Campbell, Elliott, and Garcia. >> Childress and Hurvin McCormack are now the Dallas defensive tackles. As they go with an extra defensive back. Three wide receivers for Carolina. Collins back to throw it. Collins scrambles. Incomplete. Intended for Willie Green. There's Troy Aikman wrapping his right leg. >> That's not a good picture there. >> No. Emmitt Smith in the background. >> Emmitt Smith stretching, putting ice on Troy Aikman, and Michael Irvin in the locker room. >> Collins going deep for Walls. Incomplete. Snap goes over the head! The ball rolling into the end zone, over the head of Stark. And Stark rolls out of the end zone with it. A safety for Dallas, so they got their 2 points. >> Right, he was going to take the 2 points. Stark had a decision to make there. Do you let it go, or do you try and kick it? Now, what he could have done there is he could have tried to kick that ball. But he decided, and I think smartly, to just get on the ball. Now it'll be a safety. >> Mark Rodenhauser is the snapper. That went way over his head. >> Yeah, he didn't even have a chance to jump on it. Now, he could have tried to pick it up and kick it, but that wouldn't have worked. And I think he saved some disaster there by taking the 2 points. Of course, now, the safety, now the Carolina Panthers will get a free kick from the 20-yard line. So you usually have your punter punt the ball with your kickoff coverage team. And then, of course, the Cowboys will have their kickoff return team, usually with their punt returner. I wouldn't be surprised to see Deion Sanders back there now returning this free kick. >> 14-11. There's Sanders. >> Yeah, I think if you're going to play him and you're going to use him as a returner, this is a heck of a good spot to do it. >> Kevin Williams back there with Deion. >> What you do is you have your kickoff return -- See, you have the five men up, 10 yards away from the 20-yard line. Then you got the wedge. They're trying to get their wedge up about the 40-yard line. And then you have your two deep guys. See, here's your front -- your five guys, then you go back and you get your wedge. They'll be right here. Here's your four-man wedge. And then back here are your two deep. >> Stark's kick is high, and Deion Sanders will handle it. At the 20. Away from two, and this is Deion Sanders. Rohn Stark made the tackle. The punter. And had he not, Deion could have been off to the races. >> Here's the thing now. Now, what Deion Sanders would want to do is get up in the wedge. See how he starts into the wedge? But then he sees all the Panthers in there, too, so he decides, "I don't want to go in there where all those guys are. I'll get to the outside," where the only white jersey he saw was the punter. >> And he lowered a shoulder. Aikman is back at quarterback, and Emmitt Smith back at tailback. Aikman had a tightness in his calf, we're told. Smith just had some cramps. So they're both back. Here's Aikman to throw. Looked right, threw left. Pass complete -- Kevin Williams. >> I think there was a point in this game that Troy Aikman realized that, you know, with Michael Irvin out and all those things, if they're going to win, he's going to have to just start throwing the ball, and he's going to have to start throwing it like this to Kevin Williams, even though there is good and tight coverage. He's going to have to get Kelvin Martin in there and throw it to him. He's going to have to take this game in his hands and win it. And he's capable of doing that. >> He certainly is. First and 10. Aikman back to throw it. Going deep for Kelvin Martin. Just missed him. Kelvin Martin has a lot of heart, he knows how to get open, but he doesn't have a lot of speed. >> Yeah, you see, here's Kelvin Martin right here. And he's going to be running on Eric Davis here. Eric Davis looks a little lackadaisical because he did let Kelvin Martin get behind him. And if that ball had just been a little shorter -- and Troy Aikman knows it -- that would have been a touchdown. I think that Kelvin Martin caught Eric Davis napping. But he didn't believe. "They'll never throw a deep one to Kelvin Martin." >> Maybe he knows all those things we were talking about. >> [ Laughs ] Can't run fast. >> Daryl Johnston goes in motion. A hand-off to Emmitt Smith, who's hit immediately by Les Miller. And Les made everything collapse again. >> Yeah, well, that's what he does, and they tried to run a draw back into him. You know, the get the motion, and they only have one man in the backfield. >> Back at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, the home of the Carolina Panthers. Third and 9 for Dallas. They are 3 out of 5 on third down. Aikman looking over the defense. Three wide receivers. >> This is where he'd like to go to Kelvin Martin, in this situation. >> Protection's good. The pass is picked off. Tuinei the only man on the side. Aikman. Chad Cota made the interception. >> Chad Cota's the guy that made a big interception last week. The last game they played, against Pittsburgh -- >> Two weeks ago. >> Right, he was going. Here's Kelvin Martin here. He was trying to throw to Kelvin Martin. He was going to be his go-to guy. You see him stop in there. And here you just give Cota -- Cota was just playing a zone, just waiting, waiting, watching Troy Aikman. Martin tried to hook behind him, and Cota just stopped, stepped in front and got that ball. >> Larry Allen over to make the saving tackle, with an assist from Aikman. >> That Cota's been a big deal in the defense. In fact, in the last 4 games, he's had 4 interceptions, and he's not even a starting defensive back. >> They're at the Dallas 27. With a chance to add some points. Collins -- screen pass to Johnson, and Johnson is hit as he crosses the 20. Clock still running. George Teague made the tackle. >> The Panthers have one time-out, but they don't want to use it now. You want to save your time-out so that you can run the ball if you get close to the goal line. >> They're well within field goal range now, second and 1. Collins gives to Johnson. The ball's loose, but it's not a fumble. He was down. Shante Carver played it well. >> I think what Carolina was trying to do there, Pat, is they had second and short. I think they were trying to get a first down, then probably go for the end zone. They did get the first down. >> They got the first down. >> So now they have downs, but they better do something with this clock. Either get up and run a play, or take a time-out. But they've wasted way too much time getting this play in there. Because they have downs, now they don't have the time. >> To Willie Green, and Green is inside the 10 at about the 7. >> And now they're going to have to take their last time-out. See, what happens when you take your last time-out, you don't have any time-outs left. Now you have to pass the ball. They don't have to defend the run anymore. >> At the 8-yard line, second and 2. Oliver is the deep back. Collins give to Oliver. And they did have to defend against the run. >> Yeah, but they don't have any more time-outs. You see that? He's going to have to get up and just spike the ball. And that's going to take up third down. Well, they got the first down. >> They got the first down. The crew on the sideline is confused about what to do. >> See, he's not letting them snap the ball. See, right there, the umpire's on the ball while it's running. >> And the clock's still running. >> The officials have to stop the clock if they're doing this. They can't do this. Johnny Grier is going to have to put time back on the clock. >> Which he will do, I'm sure. >> Please reset the game clock to 17 seconds. >> Because the umpire was standing on the ball. Remember, in these playoff games, these aren't crews that work together. These are all-star crews. >> Well, they hadn't moved the chains. They made the first down. The chain gang on the far side of the field hadn't moved the chains. And now Collins says, "I'm just going to spike it." >> He should have been up and been running this play. >> Yep. So 13 seconds now remain. >> And what they have to do is they have to take a shot in the end zone. I mean, they have a time to throw a slant pass. The ball can't be short. It has to be in the end zone. Collins has to know he can't take a sack. He has to throw the ball in the end zone, but he doesn't have to force it. I mean, he has to remember that 3 points isn't as good as 7, but it's better than none. >> He doesn't have to force it. That's the key to the whole thing. >> Yeah, but a lot of times, quarterbacks will think, because they have to pass it, they have to force it. >> Here's Collins back. Away from one, he's still running, he fires. The pass is incomplete. Intended for Carrier. It bounced off him. He was open, he had a shot. Here comes the field goal team with 6 seconds left on the clock before the half. He was open. >> And that's the thing. And Kerry Collins, he bought time on this one. Because you start here. You see, it looks like he's going to get a sack there, because he can't take a sack. Then he gets out of trouble, and in getting out of trouble, he buys some time to throw that ball. >> And he had the man open. Tony Casillas is down, injured on the play for the Cowboys. >> And that's the reaction of Kerry Collins. He knew that he had that. I think part of it was he was kind of throwing a little behind him. The other part of it, I think you're going to see this ball deflected a little right here. See, the ball is deflected there, and that kind of changes the position of it and makes it behind Carrier. If you look at the coverage that they had out here on Willie Green. I mean, Kevin Smith is on him. Willie Green has nothing at all, unless it's pass interference. >> That's what he's hoping for. >> That's what he's trying to get on Kevin Smith. >> That's Tony Casillas, who is still down. >> Watch Tony Casillas here. We see this injury to linemen more where they run into their own guy. Watch him, he starts on a spinner, and he's going to come. And right there, he runs into Tony Tolbert, who's coming from the other side. And that was what Collins got away from. Casillas and Tolbert ran into either. >> And Casillas just went down. >> Yeah, and the Kerry Collins went out. Tried to hit Mark Carrier. The ball was deflected and thrown behind him. Had he gotten that in front of him, that would have been a touchdown. >> Kasay in to try for the field goal. The holder is Rohn Stark, the punter. >> And of course, this all started, this all became possible with Chad Cota's interception. And after the interception, 49-yard return. >> Don't forget the last snap from Mark Rodenhauser. >> That was on a punt though. >> Yeah. >> That thing went at 12:00. Snapped it at 12:00. >> 24-yard field goal attempt by Kasay is good. And the Panthers add 3, and it's 17-11, Carolina over Dallas. Michael Irvin was hurt on his first catch of the day, and the last word we had was they suspected that he had an injured clavicle. If it's a fracture, he won't be back. >> And you would suspect that if it weren't, if it was something that was just a bruise or something... >> He would have been back. >> ...that he'd be back and out on the field by now. It looks like the Cowboys are going to have to do it, and they're going to have to do it without Michael Irvin. But Troy Aikman showed on that one drive that, with Kevin Williams and Kelvin Martin, and you know, just his accuracy and pass protection, that he is capable of getting it done. I mean, don't ever count this guy out. This guy has played, like, in 12 playoff games, and he's 11-1. This was Michael Irvin's injury. You see Lamar Lathon hustles to get him, gets him from behind, and in tackling, drives his shoulder right into the ground. >> Kevin Williams. That'll do it for the first half. >> One of the things the Cowboys have to think of, as they go in there at halftime, is Carolina, all season, has only allowed 13 points in this stadium in the second half. >> Just about ready to start the second half here at Ericsson Stadium. 17-11, Carolina over Dallas. The first half statistics, John. >> Well, you can see -- If the Cowboys are really going to get in it, they have to do more of this. I think the passing has been the same for both. And you see that the start here -- This is an important thing for Carolina, that their starting position has been on their own 39-yard line. And that's why they've been able to move the ball so well. I think it was interesting that the Cowboys went for 2 points, didn't get the 2 points, but then they did get it back on a safety. And I think that, without Michael Irvin -- Michael Irvin isn't going to be back here in the second half -- I think that's it's going to be on the shoulders of the Cowboy running game and on Troy Aikman. >> That would be Emmitt Smith, of course, principally. With Daryl Johnston the lead blocker. That's Herschel Walker back deep for the Cowboys, as they're going to receive the second half kickoff trailing 17-11. Kevin Williams is back there with Herschel. But Herschel will block for Kevin Williams. At the 5. Tripped up just shy of the 20. Ron Pitts talked to both the coaches at the half. Let's go down to Ron. >> Pat, I talked to Barry Switzer. Obviously, he was quite dejected. He said, "Hey, because of the injury to Michael Irvin, we have nobody out there who's practiced in the same wide receiver position. Everybody's switching around. That's a huge problem. We're going to have to put the game back on the ground, like you said, John, back in the hands of Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith. And then Dom Capers said, "Hey, we're the best second-half football team in the NFL. We're not going to change a thing. >> All right, Ron, thank you. Dom Capers' team has only given up 13 points in the second half in this stadium all year long. Here's Aikman to throw. Kelvin Martin. Flag on the play. >> You know, this is what we were just talking about. We were just talking about this, Pat, about the second half points. You look at this. 13. That's the fewest in the NFL. And I'll tell you another one. There's only 3 in the fourth quarter. >> Hands to the face, 79, offense. Still first down. >> This is called against Erik Williams. >> Yeah, that's the old Erik Williams rule, too. That was put in for Erik Williams. Remember that here's Erik Williams right here. I'm sure he's going to be going against Kevin Greene there. And where you take that thing, and you punch that hand right up in the face. You see that right hand go to his face? >> Yep. >> That's what they called. When that right hand went right up to his face mask. Erik Williams tried to get it off, but Johnny Grier, the referee, was watching that one all the way. >> First and 20 back at the 9. Aikman to throw it. Kevin Williams comes down with it somehow. >> That is a heck -- That's a heck of a pass. >> He had it, lost it, and got it back. >> Barry Switzer was saying that he doesn't have anyone to put in there, but watch Kevin Williams. This is going to be against that cover 2. You see Eric Davis has him short. The safety is going to come over the top. You'll see the safety come into the picture. Pat Terrell right there. And Troy Aikman throws it right between Eric Davis, the corner, and Pat Terrell, the safety, right into Kevin Smith's hands. >> A gain of 23 and a first down, Cowboys. Aikman gives to Emmitt Smith, and Emmitt Smith gets to the 35. Tripped up by Sam Mills. >> That's what Barry Switzer was talking about at halftime, is Michael Irvin is the flanker. And then the "X" has always been Kevin Williams, it's been Deion Sanders. And the Kelvin Martin has been the slot in three wide receivers. So, the position, that flanker position, is a position, like, down here. The flanker is this position, the same side as the tight end. No one else practiced that. >> Emmitt Smith dropped the pitchback from Aikman. It was low. And Emmitt couldn't hang on. He was lucky to get back on the ball. >> You know, that calf is bothering Troy Aikman. If you watch him, just watch him move out here. He's not moving right. You see, he's trying to reverse pivot, and he doesn't get that ball out there. It's behind Emmitt Smith. And then, after that, he was going to that ball. You could see that he was just moving a little gingerly. And even after that, he was still moving gingerly. >> Third and 11. Deion Sanders wide left. Kevin Williams wide right. Kelvin Martin in the slot. Here's Aikman. Pump fake for Deion Sanders. No flag, no flag. Tyrone Poole was running step for step with Deion Sanders. Deion Sanders one of the fastest guys in the league. So, Tyrone Poole, just a second-year guy, number-one draft choice a year ago. But watch him. He knows what this is. At a point, he's going to know it's just a race. And it's right there. He knows right now he better turn it on. Tyrone Poole does turn it on, and he's watching Deion Sanders' eyes. When Deion Sanders looks up, Tyrone Poole looks up. And, boom, there was the ball. >> John Jett back to punt it. Flag on the play. Jett gets off a dandy. But the flag came out before the ball was snapped. >> Yeah, if the Cowboys moved, that's going to be against the Cowboys. Any time the whistle blows before the ball's snapped, it'll be against the offense when there's movement. >> Number 34, offense. Prior to the snap. >> Herschel Walker... >> Still fourth down. >> ...was the man who moved. >> And what that does is that just buys 5 more yards of field position for the Carolina Panthers, and you know, in talking to Dom Capers and the Panthers' staff and players, that field position means so much. Field position and starting point, and again, they're going to get a good starting point and field position here. >> Jett back to punt. His last one was a dandy. So is this one. Winslow Oliver a short stumble! So much for that starting field position. The fumble and the Cowboys have it. So much for that field position. Daryl Johnston made the recovery. >> Yeah, John Jett made a heck of a punt though. I mean, Winslow Oliver didn't expect that. I mean, he was lined up on the 30, and John Jett punt that ball 10 yards over his head. >> 59-yard punt. >> And then you see he has the ball in his wrong arm. Any time you're going up the sideline, you got to get the ball in your outside arm. He had it on his inside arm. He didn't switch it. And the helmet just hit the ball and knocked it right out of there. >> Darrin Smith knocked it loose. >> Yeah, you see him right there. You see when the ball's in his right arm, and Darrin Smith came in and put his helmet right on the ball. >> And Daryl Johnston made the recovery. First and 10, Dallas. The offensive unit back on the field. Aikman to throw it. Just gets rid of it. Does -- Kevin Williams. To the 5. Aikman was hit as he let it go. >> Troy Aikman says before the game that he knew that he's gonna have to take a lot of hits today. Because of these blitzes, there will be free guys. And he knows that he's going to have to stand in there and throw the ball. He didn't really have to take a hit on that one. That was his offensive line. They just didn't get the line blocked. >> And the player who was back there close -- this is Lamar Lathon -- stayed down. That would be a big loss. He's a heck of a player. Back at Ericsson Stadium. That's Lamar Lathon, who was injured on that last pass rush. First and goal at the 5. Aikman back to Emmitt Smith. Smith gets to about the 2 1/2. Greg Kragen met him there. >> One of the things that I think the Cowboys ought to consider now to score is to pass the ball. And I know that this is one thing that they've had success over the years, getting down inside the red zone, getting down inside the 5-yard line. They've had success running the ball, but it's getting tougher and tougher for them to run the ball. And I think that Ernie Zampese ought to think, maybe sometime, of throwing on second down, not waiting till third down. >> Emmitt Smith is the deep back, he gets the carry. And Emmitt won't get in. >> You see, and they just gang up on that. It's the same thing, and they outman him down there now because they know they're going to run the ball. And if you just look at the defense, and you just looked at the stacked defense, and everyone is in here playing run. And there's always going to be at least two free guys. Now, you watch -- See, here's a free guy, here's a free guy. Both of them are free. There's no cutback, there's no hole, and there's no bounce out. That's perfect defense. >> Sam Mills filled it up inside. He got help from the outside. Third and goal, ball at the 3. Emmitt Smith goes in motion. There are no running backs. Aikman looking for someplace to go. Aikman threw it away. >> See, and that's the thing. Then they can't run on second. Then they get in third, and then they -- then the Panthers play pass, and then they just play right into their hands. You think, if they would have thrown on first or second down, they may have a shot at it, but this has been the thing that has bothered the Cowboys all year, and it's the same problem they have today. But you can't forget that that's pretty good Panther defense, too. >> Chris Boniol has made 32 consecutive field goals, including postseason. Including one today. He'll try from 21 yards. His first one was 22. Boniol was good again. It's 17-14. Pat Summerall, John Madden. NFC divisional playoff match between Dallas and Carolina. Carolina leading 17-14. 10:07 left in the third quarter. >> You see that guy that was sitting next to Emmitt Smith there on the bench, Charles Haley? There's a guy who is really missed by this team. Because he's a big part of the heart and soul of the Dallas Cowboys. >> Bates at the 1-yard line this time. Cut down at about the 27. Billy Davis made the stop. >> We knew the one thing that the Panthers said they were going to throw to their wide receivers, but you knew they were going to stay away from Deion Sanders. They've only thrown at Deion Sanders one time, and you knew they were going to work on Kevin Smith. They've thrown out there 6 times, completed 2, but they've also gotten 22 yards of penalties. So, to the outside receiver, that has been the place that they wanted to go and have gone. >> Collins. That's Anthony Johnson. To the 40 and a first down. >> The coaching staff of the Panthers love this guy, Anthony Johnson. You know, he's probably one of the few or only starting running back to gain over 1,000 yards that plays on the special teams. >> All the special teams. >> He says, during practice, when they're practicing defense, he'll play the offensive team, the scout team. He said the guy just loves to play football, wants to be in there all the time, and will do anything. >> Spent time with the Jets. Cut loose by the Bears, and now he's found a home. Now he's found more than a home. He's found some room. He saw that blitz coming and changed direction. >> Yeah, and he stopped. He kind of saw the blitz coming. The blitz was coming to his left, and you'll see. Here's where the blitz is going to come from. He stops here, he sees the blitz here, he stops and then comes right back here. This is where he ends up. This is where he finds the soft spot. You see the blitzer on his left. Now watch him stop right there. "Oh, I don't want to go that place. This is the place I want to go." Watch him. He'll just stop right there. Darren Woodson is all zeroed in on him, and Anthony Johnson makes Darren Woodson miss. >> Second and short. Johnson again. Breaks it again. To the Dallas 39. Finally caught and brought down by Broderick Thomas. >> This is what they call gashing them now. They're going to run right in here behind the left side here. You're going to get a good block by the fullback. You see, here's the fullback, Griffith, right here. He gets the lead. The lead right there, that's the old Dallas play. Tackle turns out, guard turns in, lead just goes in and gets the backer. See, here's Howard Griffith. He gets the lead block. Andrew Johnson gets right in behind him. >> Flag on the play. Here's Collins chased by Broderick Thomas. But a penalty marker down. >> I think Kerry Collins made what you call a business decision, didn't he? >> Yeah, I think so. >> Saw Broderick Thomas there. Probably knew the penalty was against them anyway. Or knew there was a penalty. And decided that he wasn't going to take on Broderick Thomas. >> Remember Tony Casillas, who was hurt in the first half? Now Hurvin McCormack. >> Illegal shift, offense. >> He was playing right defensive tackle. >> Two men moving prior to the snap and failing to reset. The penalty is decline. Second down. >> See what happened -- you can only have one man move. You see, you got a move here and a move here, and they didn't get set. You can have two men shift, you can have more than two shift, but you can only have one man in motion. And after a shift, you have to set for a second. >> Second and 12. That's Wesley Walls in motion. Collins gives straight ahead to Johnson, who gets to the 35-yard line of Dallas and across it. >> Now they're just pounding on that right side. >> Yep. >> Tell you, that's a frustrating thing -- when a team can come in after you go in there, and then they just take the ball, and they just keep pounding at you. Do it with the run. >> Third down, passing down, Third and about 6. Clock running at 7:20, 7:15 by the time they get back to the line of scrimmage. >> Anthony Johnson has had 5 100-yard games this year. >> Here's Collins back to throw. Maybe, maybe not. Collins chased. Got the first down. Hit hard. He ducked his head. Big guy. >> Someone really came over and unloaded on him. >> I heard it. >> And Kerry Collins unloaded, too. You know, you don't think of quarterbacks doing that, but Kerry Collins finished off that run. Usually, quarterbacks run and they slide or they go out of bounds, but they don't finish off runs. Kerry Collins got that first down and finished off that run. Watch him here. He sees nothing here now. Now he knows where he has to go. At that point here, he knows that he's going to run, and he saw that marker there for the first down. >> Anthony Johnson, the ball carrier, wrapped up right at the line of scrimmage. An anxious Troy Aikman on the sideline wants the ball back. >> That's the thing that does frustrate you is when the other team keeps the ball, and you're the offense of the other team that's keeping the ball. >> This is eighth drive of this -- eighth play of this drive coming up. Second down and 7. Johnson gets the carry, gets a yard. >> Now, if the Carolina Panthers can get a first down here -- Now it's third down, this is a passing down. But if they can get a first down here, then a play pass on first down. You know, where you fake the run and go to a pass, I think, would be very effective if they get a first down here. They're in field goal range right now. >> Oh, for Kasay, sure. >> I mean, I was watching that John Kasay kick on Friday. He has one of the most explosive legs I've ever seen. >> Wow, he does. Not only distance, but high. Here's Collins. Screen pass. Dropped it. They had that one set. Anthony Johnson had two blockers in front of him. >> That's the same thing Kerry Collins did. Remember on the touchdown pass to Wesley Walls? >> Yep. >> He just took so much off it. The thing was so open that he threw a bad pass. He did the same thing on this screen pass. Watch him, it's going to be out there to the left. And if he completes this pass, it's going to be a first down. Watch. He takes so much off of it that he just throws it a little low. Although Anthony Johnson should have caught that pass. >> That could have been more than a first down. There were two blockers clean out in front of him. From 40 yards, Kasay. Got it. Carolina, 2 turnovers. Dallas, 1. Collins, 2 touchdown passes. Michael Irvin out with an injured shoulder, maybe a fracture. The winner to face Green Bay at Lambeau next week. High kickoff comes to Herschel Walker. At the 4. To the 21. NFC Divisional Playoff. The Carolina Panthers 20, the Dallas Cowboys 14. 4:48 left to play in the third quarter. Dallas starting at their own 22. Aikman gives to Emmitt Smith. And Emmitt Smith. 20-14, Carolina. Second and 7 at their own 25 for Dallas, the defending world champions. Aikman back to throw. Out to Emmitt Smith. They converge in a hurry, and it's no gain. >> That's not a very good play. You know, Emmitt Smith has to take -- I mean, now you're going for a championship, and I know about running out of bounds and all those things. And you see here, there's the answer that Michael Irvin isn't going to be back. We didn't expect him to be back. I guess the x-ray didn't show that it was broken, but if there was enough pain and doubt that they think it probably is -- And they need, you know, more x-rays, but when he wasn't back out here, you know he wasn't going to come back and play again. >> Third and 9, and a time-out, Carolina. >> Well, this crowd's going crazy here, Pat. They know what this game means, and they know what their defense is, and they know what it's all about when you get in third and long. This is when you have to be noisy. >> Third and and 9. And they are noisy. Aikman's back to throw. The blitz coming. He gets rid of it, throws it away, and down he goes. Rushed by Lamar Lathon. >> Any fans that have a good defense always know that third and long, you got to stand up. And they did, they stand up the whole time. Here's Lamar Lathon. He started to work against Tuinei, but he starts on the stunt. Nate Newton comes up, doesn't get him, Donaldson slides out. And Lamar Lathon has enough speed and explosiveness to go around three guys and still get up the field. >> That's what they hope for, that confusion about who's supposed to block whom. Jett back to punt it. Another good kick by Jett. Winslow Oliver signals fair catch this time, and that time he's mad at himself because he didn't have to. >> He didn't need a fair catch then. >> So here is the road to the Super Bowl. That's what it looks like at the moment. New England against Jacksonville. And Green Bay waits for the winner of this one at Lambeau. >> And we're going to be up there at Lambeau next week. And the interesting thing about Lambeau is they're going to put in a new field this week. >> Right. >> And they're going to start tomorrow. You know, they were talking at the halftime about how sloppy the field was. They're going to start tomorrow and put a brand-new field in at Lambeau Field. >> Anthony Johnson gets the carry and gets very little. But the clock is winding down in the third quarter. Dallas defense has been out there a long time. Dallas owner Jerry Jones -- And the owner, proud owner, of this Carolina franchise, Jerry Richardson. I played against him. >> Yeah, and I played with him. I played with him in an all-star game before you played against him. Played in an all-star game in Arizona. He's a heck of a guy. >> Collins, the pass outside to Howard Griffith. And Schwantz had it covered in a hurry. >> You know, but if you look at this Carolina team and the way they're made up. Everyone says, you know, that they've got a lot of advantages and draft choices and so on. Jerry Richardson said -- >> He doesn't think so. >> Yeah, he said, we had to pay $140 million to get in. He said, we only get one quarter of the television money. He says, we have a $14 million mortgage. And you look at how many free agents that these guys picked up, it's amazing. I mean, these are guys that anyone could've had. >> He had those numbers ready, didn't he? Here's Collins. Pass is caught by Wesley Walls. That should be enough for a first down. Bill Bates on the coverage. >> Wesley Walls is Kerry Collins' favorite receiver. That's only the third time -- Here's Wesley Walls. Watch that stance he gets in on passing downs. He doesn't get in a three-point stance like a tight end. He gets in a two-point stance, runs a heck of a pattern. But Kerry Collins really got that ball in there. Wesley Walls is not only Kerry Collins' best receiver, he's also his best friend. I think Wesley Walls was smart. He said they roomed right next to each other in training camp, and that was one of the first things he did when he got here. >> Reverse coming. Ismail on the reverse. Fred Strickland made the stop. Look how this team was built. This is just what you were talking about. >> I mean, they got 19 free agents. I mean, free agents that anyone could've gotten. They got four players off waivers, that they just picked off waivers. And then, of course, 13 unrestricted free agents. That's the kind that they had to recruit and, you know, compete for. Guys like Wesley Walls and those kind of players. Then that and the draft and they had a plan, they followed their plan, and their plan works. I think it's made all the other owners in the National Football League less patient. >> Second and 3. At midfield. Johnson first down to the 40. In Dallas territory, stopped by Tony Tolbert finally. But they'll move the sticks, and we'll change ends of the field just very shortly. >> Yeah, one thing about Anthony Johnson, he doesn't spend a lot of time getting to the line of scrimmage. >> No, he doesn't. >> I mean, when that ball is snapped, he explodes out of his -- he explodes out of his stance. Just watch him here explode and hit that hole. I mean, he doesn't spend a lot of time between his stance and that line of scrimmage. His right guard pulls, Greg Skrepenak, and he was right in there behind him. Kevin Greene, that's the way to get this crowd going. That's how you pump them up. >> First and 10 for Carolina at the Dallas 40. They lead by 6. A lot of football left. But Carolina has the ball. Johnson, looking for a place to cut back to, got 4 yards. Shante Carver made the stop. >> We talk about Anthony Johnson and his run. But this line has really done a heck of a job. I mean, it's this group. Just watch the push that they get. As the ball is snapped, watch the takeoff. Boom, you get the double-team, you get Casillas going back, you get Hennings going back, and you just put them all in the middle. There is going to be a push. There's always going to be -- When you block like that, you're always going to gain at least 3 or 4 yards. >> On second down, no much there, maybe a yard this time. Stopped by Strickland. >> That's where I think that play pass would go good, too. >> Now? >> Yeah, you know, the next first down they get. On third down, they're going to have to go a pass now because they've been running every first and second down. And this group here has really done a job. >> They really have. >> Campbell at the left tackle. He was a tight end a year ago. Matt Elliott, remember him? He was the last guy drafted by the Washington Redskins. The rookie, Garrido over there at the right tackle. >> He was a guard. They moved him out. Dallas is showing a blitz. He gets rid of it in a hurry, and the ball is loose. And a flag on the play. Kevin Smith is saying, "What did I do?" The flag came late. >> Roger Harper was saying, "What did Kevin Smith do?" What did he do? >> Pass interference, 26, defense. First down. >> Well, that's what they're doing. They're saying that Kevin Smith holds every play. They want to throw at him, and they're going to get some completions, but they think they're also going to get their share of these calls. You see, you can hit him within the first 5 yards, but you can't hold him, and you can't touch him when the ball's in the air. >> That was Muhammad the receiver. Who started off in great fashion this year, then got hurt. >> You know, if Kevin Smith can't do what he did, if you can't get up there and jam him and do that, you can't play corner. >> No, you can't. Johnson gets a couple straight ahead. That did not look like a bad play that Kevin Smith made. >> No, no, I mean, I think you have to let -- I think they go for a point to not calling things to picking on a guy, and I think they're at that point where they're picking on Kevin Smith a little. Anything close, they're calling interference because, like I said, if a corner can't do that, get up and jam, then he can't play. Kevin Smith is just going out of the game. I don't know if he was taken out or why he's out of there, but he just went off. >> Here's... Anthony Johnson taken down by Jim Schwantz. Kevin Smith's coming back. >> He went off for one play. >> Maybe just to cool off a little bit. >> They may have just wanted to get him off there and say something to him and just let him cool down and forget it. But he doesn't go in the huddle. You watch out here. See, Kevin Smith is out here. Here's the team huddling. He and Deion Sanders both stay out at their corner spots and don't go into the huddle, and sometimes the huddle can cool you off, too. Sometimes when you stand out there, you have too much time to talk to that official. >> Third and 7. The give to Johnson. And there's nothing there. Try to surprise them. Now here comes Kasay. Field goal would make it 23-14. >> Emmitt Smith really isn't playing today. I mean, he's not pounding that ball up in there in the run, and you know, he caught a pass and ran out of bounds. And again, this is a fight. I mean, this is a fight to get to a championship, and this is a game that they need Emmitt Smith. I mean, if they get the ball, or when they get the ball back, they need Emmitt Smith. >> Kasay from 40 yards. Good snap. Kasay's kick is good. 11:41 left to play. 23-14, Carolina. Kasay's kickoff goes deep and into the end zone. Kevin Williams downs it there. Carolina leading 23-14. Aikman back to throw. Pass is incomplete, intended for Kelvin Martin. >> That Sam Mills has been all over the place today. I mean, this is his game. If you run at him, he's been right there. You run away from him, he's been there. And even on a pass, watch him get back there. Here's Sam Mills, number 51. Watch him get back here and play that zone and get that hand in there, that left hand, and knock that ball out of Kelvin Martin's hands. Guy's been all over the place. >> Second and 10. I think Kelvin Martin was surprised to see Sam Mills back so close. >> He shouldn't be. >> Aikman gives on second down to Emmitt Smith. Greg Kragen made the stop after Smith got 3. >> There's Greg Kragen. Every play, he gets up, he has to adjust himself because he has the toughest job in the place. I mean, he has to line up here, and he's going to get double-teamed all the time. But he has to hold that hole, hold that point, and he does. You see how he holds it and then comes out underneath it. How he comes out underneath and can make the tackle, that's an amazing play by Greg Kragen. >> Loud, loud crowd. And Aikman back to throw it. Martin gets the first down. The defender slipped down. >> Yeah, they're a loud crowd, and they get loud on third down when their defense is in there. That's the loudest they get. In fact, they not only get loud, but they all stand up. There's 70-some-thousand people here -- it's a sellout. And when they get third down -- watch the next time the Cowboys get third down -- this whole stadium stands up. >> First and 10. >> I think they're standing up on first down. >> They are. Waving those flags. Emmitt Smith gets the carry, but there's a flag on the play. >> 22, offense. >> 22, of course, is Emmitt Smith. And Johnny Grier is saying that he moved before the ball was snapped, that he moved forward. Again, here's Emmitt Smith. And a back can move laterally. Of course, he can go in motion, but he can't move forward before the ball is snapped. I don't know. He just gave a little twitch. >> That goes back to that loud crowd we were talking about. >> Yeah, they were loud of first down. That didn't look like he was really moving forward, though, before the ball was snapped. That was maybe a little twitch. That was a tight call. >> First and 15. Aikman back to throw. Has time. Gets it out to Emmitt Smith. And Emmitt... ducks under tacklers at the 30. >> Yeah, there's been something wrong with Emmitt Smith all year. I mean, he hasn't played like Emmitt Smith, uh -- Maybe a couple games, but he's not playing like Emmitt Smith today either. You see what do? You see all those players look up? On both ends of this stadium, they have those Jumbotrons where they have the replay. And they all look up to see if they could have done something else. >> Second and 12. The reverse coming to Deion Sanders. Aikman got a block. Deion still on his feet. Sanders will get a Dallas first down. Aikman threw the block that sprung him. >> That was a pretty good block. Some guy took him on square. It was Lamar Lathon. But watch, here's Troy Aikman, and the ball is going to come from this way. He's going to go and make the block right here. Watch him, he's going to take the ball, and he's going to hand off -- you see? -- and then we're going to get the hand-off right there. And there's Troy Aikman -- boom! Right there, he makes that block. >> Pretty good block. >> Yeah, that springs Deion Sanders. He hit Lamar Lathon just square. He squared up on him. >> Deion got hurt on the reverse, and he's over on the sideline now. >> That's what they always said. When Deion was going to play offense, wait until those defenders got a chance to hit him. >> Yep. First and 10. Aikman back to throw. Incomplete. Intended for Bjornson. And a flag on the play. Against Carolina. >> Yeah, that's out in the area where Tyrone Poole is. You know, they've been calling them on the other side on Kevin Smith. On that one, I think they got the right corner, Tyrone Poole. >> Holding, 38, defense. >> Right. Tyrone Poole. >> First down. >> Yeah, that is Tyrone Poole out here. And you see, again, he makes the jam, and I guess they thought that he just brought his left hand down there. That was a pretty good call -- That was a pretty good jam. Could have called holding right there if they wanted to, but I thought that was a pretty good jam by Tyrone Poole. >> First down. Emmitt Smith gets to the Carolina 45. Brett Maxie made the stop. That's Deion Sanders down on the ground. >> They got him. He made a first down on that reverse play. In fact, five guys tackled him. >> Clock is running with just over 8 minutes. Second and 6. Herschel Walker comes in motion. Aikman fakes the pitch, throws the screen. Back to Daryl Johnston. Johnston surged for a first down before he hit the ground. >> Let's look at that reverse again, Pat, where Deion Sanders got hurt here. There's Troy Aikman's block. Boom! That still is a good hit. And, well, just watch. It's right here. He just gets hit right at the end of it. He cuts back, and there's one, two, three. I mean, just that one shot coming in. It looked like maybe on his shoulder. But there was about four white jerseys on top of him. >> Deion still down. First down, Cowboys. Johnston goes in motion. Aikman to throw. Pass is caught somehow by Bjornson, and a flag on the play. Another flag on the play. >> Yeah, I think that's going to be against Tyrone Poole again. >> Johnny Grier... >> Oh, no, that's Brett Maxie. >> We have a completed catch. A pass interference, 39, defense, will be declined. First down. >> What it was on Deion Sanders, Pat, it was a blow to the head. You're going to see it's Sam Mills right here. I guess that's it. >> I don't know. >> That doesn't look... >> Sam Mills' blow doesn't look like anything. >> You see the hand right there, but that doesn't look like a knockout punch to me. I think it's just a whole bunch of guys on top of him is what it is. >> First and 10, Cowboys, at the Carolina 35. Aikman gives to Smith, and Smith finds some room. Emmitt Smith around the corner. Emmitt finally out of bounds at the 9. >> That's what they needed. They need Troy Aikman to throw it, they need Emmitt Smith to run it. They need that big line to block it. Here they're going to get it. You see they get the lead. They run right at the lead. Daryl Johnston again making a good lead block. Pat Terrell misses a tackle there, and then Emmitt Smith gets about another 15 yards after Pat Terrell missed the tackle. >> Here is that dangerous zone for the Cowboys, inside the 10. First down. >> I think they got to throw. >> Johnston on the move, and Aikman will throw it behind Kevin Williams. Deion Sanders still down over by the Cowboy bench. This game is presented by authority of the National Football League and intended for the private use of our audience. Any rebroadcast or other use of this telecast without the expressed written consent of the Carolina Panthers and the National Football League is prohibited. Second and goal at the 9. Aikman. Johnston. The Moose. Out of bounds inside the 5. >> This -- >> Excuse me. >> Excuse -- I was just going to say, Pat, that this is the area and the down that they really have the problem, is this third down inside the, you know, 10-yard line. >> It'll be... It'll be third and goal at the 3. Still checking Deion Sanders. Tyji Armstrong lined up in the backfield. That's Emmitt Smith who comes out and Aikman who drops to throw it. Fires. Incomplete. Incomplete. Now they got to kick the field goal. Well, they needed a field goal being down 23-14. They needed a combination of a field goal and a touchdown anyway. So the thing that Troy Aikman wanted to do there was throw to get the touchdown. If they didn't, they're going to take the field goal because they need a field goal anyway. Now, if they get down there again and Carolina doesn't score, then they're going to need a touchdown. That was a good throw. >> Yep. >> I mean, that was a good throw. That ball has to be caught. I mean, that's right. That just goes right out of Bjornson's hands. Just right into his hands and right out. He has to catch that one. >> Boniol hits the field goal. 23-17. >> We're going to have a heck of a finish right here on Fox. >> Are we ever. Boniol kicks it off to Michael Bates at the goal line. Bates has got an alley. Still on his feet. Tripped up. Boniol just got a hand on Bates and tripped him. >> If Boniol doesn't make that trip, that could have been a touchdown. 'Cause Michael Bates is one of the fastest guys in the league. Watch this. He breaks here. The only guy here is Boniol. And watch him -- right here he's going to make that -- Oh! >> Wow. That was close. 23-17, Carolina. This is Deion Sanders, moments ago, being helped onto the cart. As we come back live, first and 10 at the Dallas 49. Johnson. Let's see what happened to Deion if we run it back again. >> Remember, it was the end of the reverse here. You just see four guys hit him, and the first thing that hits the ground is his head. So it was just the four guys hitting him and just driving his head right into the ground. >> And the force on top of Deion. Carolina taking all the time they can in the huddle. 4:40. >> This is Derrick Frazier down here now who's playing this right corner for Deion Sanders. >> Here's Collins going right in that direction, and Frazier makes the play. Willie Green made the catch. Frazier was right on top of him. >> I was going to say that that's the thing to do though, when you see this, and you see a new corner come in, you go right to work on him. That's exactly what the Panthers did. They just went on that little fade stop, where the guy goes like he's going to go up, and he just stops, and Kerry Collins throws the ball while his back is still to him. >> Third and 3. A monster third down for Carolina. And for Dallas. Collins back to throw. The blitz coming. Incomplete. Incomplete. No flag. They're hoping for one. >> Yeah, they were trying to get a flag out there on Derrick Frazier. You saw Willie Green. He's saying he grabbed his arm. Here it is. It's man to man out there. There's Frazier. He's looking in. And they're just trying to throw him the ball. Willie Green put his hands on Frazier first. I think, if there was any call there, that would have been an offensive call. >> It could have been against Green, you're right. And so the punting team comes on. Kelvin Martin is deep. Rohn Stark back to punt it. High kick, and Martin's looking up. Let it bounce, and it's going to bounce dead at the 1. If the Cowboys are going to do it, they're going to have to go the length of the field. >> Pat, watch the guy who makes that play here. It's Anthony Johnson. Of course, he's the starting tailback who's already run for 99 yards today. And we talked about him being on special teams. Here he is on punt coverage. First guy down there, stops that ball from going in, and then Dwight Stone jumps on it right there. That Anthony Johnson is something. >> He really is. >> He's been doing everything today. >> First and 10 at the 2 for the Cowboys. They have 98 yards in front of them. They need a touchdown. Here's Aikman. Throws it into the ground. Nobody open. >> You know, one of the tough things about this position -- And Aikman is real mad because he doesn't have a go-to guy now. He doesn't have anyone that he feels real comfortable with. And I'm sure half the guys are running the wrong pattern. And Troy Aikman is a perfectionist, and he's not getting the patterns that he expects. I was saying one of the tough things about throwing the ball out here, if you get a penalty in the end zone, it's a safety and 2 points. So if you hold in the end zone, that costs you 2 points. >> Three wide receivers this time, including Billy Davis. Here comes the blitz, Aikman gets rid of it. Kevin Williams makes the catch. Aikman's hit just as he fired. >> Troy Aikman was ready for this kind of game. I mean, he knew it was going to be this way. He knew that he was going to get the blitz. He knew that there was going to be free guys and that he was going to have to make throws and take hits. I think he got one hit from Lamar Lathon, who is still down. Then he got the other hit from his own guy, Erik Williams. >> Aikman is headed over to the sideline. This is not a Dallas time-out. Lathon is still down in the end zone, but Aikman will have time to go over to the sideline. >> Watch -- here's Lamar Lathon here, he's going to come from the outside. Now, Troy Aikman is going to throw to his left, and he just backed out. Lathon hits him, then watch the hit that he takes from his own guy, Erik Williams. >> Yep. >> I mean, that's getting hornswoggled. What was that that happened to your grandfather? >> He got whipsawed. >> Whipsawed, yeah. That's the old whipsaw. I mean, Troy Aikman got whipsawed. One by them and one by his. >> Lathon still down. Today's game is being produced by Bob Stenner, directed by Sandy Grossman. Technical producer is Bob Muller. Associate director Rich Russo. The broadcast associates, Mike Burk and Fran Morrison. The studio is produced by Scott Ackerson, directed by Bob Levy. The executive producers of Fox Sports are Ed Goren and David Hill. On first down, Aikman. Incomplete. Kevin Williams, the intended receiver. Eric Davis. >> That first down was a big play to get that ball out of there, because now -- now, of course, they have to worry about getting first downs, but they don't have to worry about that safety anymore and getting a penalty in the end zone. Now what they have to worry about is getting some first downs. >> Another first down. >> That's what you think about here. You don't think of scores. You know you have to score a touchdown, but you think, from here, in terms of getting first downs. >> Second and 10. Aikman has time. I don't know if the ball slipped or he just threw it away. >> I think he's upset with hie receivers. I think that he's back there, and they're coming on blitzes. The Panthers are in their nickel defense now, they're giving him a lot of coverage. I didn't see anyone open, so I think that he kind of just brought that ball down and let it go because he didn't want to throw an interception. >> He's saying, "Take off. Take off." >> And I think that this is what -- You just watch here. He says right here, "Just take off." I mean, he just wanted him to run, then he should have just thrown it and make him take off. >> Third and 10. Aikman looking for a first down. Incomplete. A flag on the play. Tyrone Poole. >> Oh, this football's getting so tough today on that penalty. They got to do something in the off-season about that. It's just way too subjective. Any time you see a pass thrown, you see a flag coming out, you don't know what it is. >> Pass interference, 38, defense. First down. >> That's another one on Tyrone Poole. You see, here he is right here. See, he's up there so he doesn't get the jam, he doesn't get the hit. Now, if he gets there before the ball, then it's a penalty. >> He did. >> If he gets there after the ball, then it's not. Or at the same time as the ball. That was a split second before the ball got there. >> First and 10 and Aikman drops again. Firing deep. Incomplete. Billy Davis short-armed it. >> Oh, they had that. That was that double-coverage, and again, Eric Davis looked like he didn't take off. Watch him out here. You'll see here's Eric Davis here. When he starts to go by him, Eric Davis just kind of lets him go. And if that ball would have been inbounds, or if Davis gave him a little more room, that would have been a completion. I can't believe Eric Davis. You either have to get up there and hit him, or you got to run underneath him. Do something for that safety to get over there. >> You can't be nonchalant like that. >> Oh, he's way too nonchalant on that. >> Second and 10. Aikman again. Over the head of Davis. >> Yeah, but sometimes you wonder if these officials and calling those penalties don't make the corners a little nonchalant. Because even on that one, you could see Eric Davis covering, and he didn't want to make an aggressive move, not because he's not aggressive. Heck, he's a pro-bowl corner. He didn't want to make an aggressive move because he didn't want a pass interference penalty. >> Third and 10. 2:37 left. Davis comes out wide right. >> Look at this crowd. >> Has time. Flag on the play. Pass is caught by Kelvin Martin. But a penalty marker down. >> You see that look on Dom Capers' face. He's just trying to get something to get the ball back, and this is another penalty against the Panthers. >> They only used 7 seconds. >> You know, who would have thought that, in the playoffs, that Troy Aikman would have to try and win a game with Billy Davis as a wide receiver? Kelvin Martin, who wasn't even on the team at the beginning of the season. >> 48, defense. First down. >> First down again. Tyrone Poole called for holding. >> That's the third or fourth penalty today on Tyrone Poole. It's been Tyrone Poole on the Panthers' side, and it's been Kevin Smith on the Cowboys' side. >> 2 1/2 minutes left. Cowboys still have all of their time-outs remaining. Here's Aikman. Going deep. And the pass is intercepted. Pat Terrell comes up with the interception. And Terrell down the sideline. Knocked out of bounds at the 19-yard line of Dallas. A dejected Aikman, a dejected Emmitt Smith. And the throne and the crown are slipping. >> It was really forcing it, throwing it in there. You had to make something happen, trying to make a play. He throws it up there, there's double coverage. The second guy was Pat Terrell. Look at that. Troy Aikman knew that he threw that interception. He didn't expect to have to get back into it at the end. But if he doesn't make that, Pat Terrell scores a touchdown. >> Aikman and Emmitt Smith finally knocked him out of bounds. >> The Cowboys do have all their time-outs, so they can get the ball back. >> Johnson over the right side. >> Uh-oh, we got a fight there. >> A fracas. Trying to knock the ball loose, I'm sure. >> I saw Frank Garcia throw a right hand. >> Did you? >> Yes, I did. I saw him clobber. >> 2:00 on the clock. Anthony Johnson. >> There's Roger Staubach. He was on the field before the game with both owners. Jerry Jones on the left, Jerry Richardson on the right. Roger Staubach in the middle. Came here to be at this game. >> Roger could make some things happen. >> Yeah, he sure could. If you were going to be in a tight one, you wanted him on your team. I think you wanted him on your team anyway. >> Still, class. Again the hand-off to Johnson. And Kasay will come on for another field goal attempt. Jerry Richardson, the owner. >> And his wife on our left, Jerry's right. What a bunch of pride they have. I mean, this whole town, this whole, you know, atmosphere here and, you know, and playoff and having a team and... I mean, they're so proud of their team. Look, they're having their tailgate out there, they got all this food, and look who shows up. >> You'd like to have one of these burgers. A big old meat -- >> There's Roger. >> There's Roger Staubach having a big old meat sandwich. >> [ Chuckles ] >> Roger will get a freebie. He'll be out -- Who would have thought Roger Staubach would be out at a tailgate party at a Carolina Panther playoff game? >> From 32 yards away. Kasay. Again, he's good. 26-17. And we'll have, barring a real drastic turn of events, a new Super Bowl champion when we broadcast in New Orleans, John. >> And who would have thought that the Dallas Cowboys would lose in this round, but that the winner would be the Carolina Panthers? Who would have thought that in the championship games, there would be Jacksonville and Carolina included? What a job those clubs have done. And of course, the Green Bay Packers. You can't forget the job they've done to get the home field, to get that game at Lambeau. And then Bill Parcells, the job that he's done at New England. Congratulations to the Patriots. Congratulations to all of them, because if you're in professional football, that's where you want to be. That's everyone's goal. >> And two expansion teams. Two teams just two years old. The first time since 1991 that neither Dallas or San Francisco has not played. Both eliminated. They had to play an extra week, both of them. And that takes its toll. But you should get something for winning the division championship. Kasay's kick is high and deep. Kevin Williams will down it in the end zone. Just one of their time-outs left now. Aikman is still clinging. Lathon takes him down at the 10. >> Boy, is that Lamar Lathon something. I mean, he is so explosive. He comes from all over. They don't only put him on the outside, but watch. Watch, here he is here. He just comes, and he starts up on the outside, and then he decides to come to the inside. And once he decides to come, he really explodes. Just boom, like he's shot out of a cannon. >> Lot of enthusiasm out there. Emmitt Smith. And down he goes. Taken down by Lathon. You know, you look ahead, and you hate to start saying it's all over before the game is really over -- Jerry Richardson has to be very happy -- but there's a lot of work to be done in Dallas. >> Yeah, there is, and we talked before the game, the distractions they had this week with Erik Williams, Michael Irvin, and all those distractions, that it does bother them, it has bothered this team. Aikman is intercepted by Sam Mills. And Mill is stopped at about the 1. He looked as if he wanted to get on the ground. >> Yeah, he wanted to, and with the type of game that he's had today, it's just too bad he didn't score just to finish it off. Put the frosting on the cake. What a day for Sam Mills. >> And Lamar Lathon. >> But Sam Mills has been all over the place, stopping the run, stopping the pass. There you see him just playing zone. He gets an interception here. Like you said, Pat, I think he was ready to go down right there, and then he -- >> You can't go down! >> Yeah, he did take a knee, and then he said, "Heck, there's no one going to tackle me. I might get a touchdown." And if it weren't for Larry Allen, he probably would have had a touchdown. >> 11 tackles for Sam Mills. 1 interception. >> I tell you, I don't think a person in this crowd has left. >> Nope. >> And this is the first time that we've been here, but I'll tell you, I've been here since Thursday, and I've been impressed with everything about this team, this town, and this organization. >> You have to be. This stadium is state of the art. Emmitt Smith was never himself the entire year. >> The champions have been dethroned here. And maybe it even happened before they got here. >> Yep. >> But the glory has to go to Carolina. I mean, the way they played today, the way they played all season, the way their defense and Kerry Collins and Dom Capers coached. The way they put this team together. >> There's no extraneous noise. He tells you exactly what he thinks should be done, and he gets it done. >> You know, he not only tells you what he thinks and gets it done, but he tells his players. One of his players, Shawn King, missed some meetings, and he suspended him this week for the rest of the season. >> And they finally got him with the cold dose. Barry Switzer came over and said something to Dom Capers. Switzer almost looked relieved. There's Don Breaux talking with Aikman. >> This place is going wild. This is what it's all about. >> Well, we talked about that in the beginning of the broadcast. There's Kerry Collins. >> Yep, the finality of it for the losers. The winners knowing that they're going to the championship game, and next week, they'll be playing at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers. Troy Aikman did everything he could to win this one. He just didn't have enough guys. >> Didn't have the people to get the ball to. >> Didn't have the weapons. And he was playing against a tough defense that was going after him, too. You got to give credit to that defense.
I wasn't born until '97 so I never watched this game but my mom told me a story about my Aunt who is a Cowboys fan yell at the TV "fuck you! Fuck you, you faggy fucking cats" lol
Hoooooly cow. Thank you for this. I still remember the feels. Definitely one of my earliest memories in that stadium. I think this is the first time I've watched it on TV though so it was really nice having camera angles haha.
Man this is old. I think I saw Beuerlein and Muhammad in the video before they were good.
Kasay was always good. He was kicking field goals in the womb.
This is why I hated Cowboys to this day, that stacked team vs our expansion team David vs Goliath