Tim McDonald took care of Dallas' last chance in the game and possibly the Cowboys' last chance to salvage their season.
The San Francisco 49ers came back from a 7-0 halftime deficit to win their eighth straight game Sunday, a 17-10 defeat of the Cowboys (4-5). It was the first time in nine meetings between the teams in this decade that the leader at halftime did not win the game.McDonald, epitomizing a defensive effort that frustrated every effort by the Cowboys to get back in the game, intercepted Troy Aikman's pass to end Dallas' last-ditch drive. The loss dropped the Cowboys, who have won five straight NFC East titles and three Super Bowls in this decade, two games behind the New York Giants in the division.
The 49ers (8-1) survived a scare two plays earlier when the officials retracted what looked to be a pass interference call on Rod Woodson, who appeared to trip up Michael Irvin before he could haul in the potential game-tying catch.
In picking up the flag, the officials explained that the two players' feet tangled and there was no foul.
Garrison Hearst carried the offensive load for the 49ers, running for 104 yards and a touchdown. William Floyd also scored on a 1-yard run.
Dallas played without Emmitt Smith for most of the game. He left early in the second quarter with a groin strain.
San Francisco's top-ranked defense paved the way for the 49ers' go-ahead touchdown by Floyd with 5:57 remaining. Dana Stubblefield's second sack of Aikman backed the Cowboys inside their own 5, and Toby Gowin, standing in his own end zone, shanked the punt.
Even after a holding penalty, San Francisco took over on the Dallas 39. J.J. Stokes, a step behind Kevin Smith, stretched out to make a leaping catch of Steve Young's pass at the 1, and Floyd went in for the score on the next play.
The 49ers added Gary Anderson's 28-yard field goal with 2:15 remaining. Iheanyi Uwaezuoke's 34-yard punt return set it up.
Dallas, with the league's second-worst touchdown scoring percentage inside an opponent's 20-yard line, saw another drive stall just short of the goal line.
Despite getting a 54-yard completion to Anthony Miller that reached the 6, the 49ers defense held, stuffing two runs from the 1 by Sherman Williams and forcing Dallas to settle for Richie Cunningham's 21-yard field goal and a 10-7 lead with 4:26 left in the third quarter.
San Francisco, trailing at halftime, tied it at 7, starting the third quarter with a 77-yard drive. An 18-yard completion to Uwaezuoke, who fumbled earlier, gave San Francisco a first down at the 1. A broken play pushed San Franciso back to the 8, but Hearst, sprung by tight end Greg Clark's block, broke through for a touchdown.
The Cowboys forced San Francisco into its second turnover when Kevin Smith stripped the ball from Uwaezuoke following a 6-yard reception.
Darren Woodson recovered at the Dallas 17, ending San Francisco's most promising drive to that point and keeping the 49ers scoreless in the first half for the first time this season.
San Francisco's first turnover led to Aikman's scoring pass to Irvin late in the first period.Sanders, reading a screen pass from his corner position, swooped into the backfield for the interception and nearly scored himself before being brought down by Young after a 31-yard return to the San Francisco 33. Sanders was flipped over by the tackle, but bounced up to celebrate, thrusting his arm skyward.
Aikman, shaken up on the previous series when he was sacked on consecutive plays, got the drive started with a 4-yard completion to Eric Bjornson. Three straight runs and a 6-yard pass to Emmitt Smith advanced the ball to 5, and Irvin beat Woodson's coverage on the next play for the touchdown.
Jets 19, Ravens 16
With backup quarterback Glenn Foley coming off the bench to lead them for the second straight game, the Jets beat Baltimore on John Hall's 37-yard field goal in overtime.
Combined with New England's loss to Minnesota and Miami's loss in Buffalo, it put the Jets (6-3) in first place for the first time this late in 11 seasons. New England, Miami and Buffalo (all 5-4) are in a three-way tie for second.
"Now there is a different kind of pressure," Parcells said. "We're playing with the lead and everyone is after you. I don't know if they'll be able to handle that. It's a new experience for this team. But we'll see."
Foley, who replaced Neil O'Donnell after halftime and led the Jets to a win over New England two weeks ago, came on in the fourth quarter this time.
After Vinny Testaverde tied the game at 16-all on a pass to Derrick Alexander with three seconds left in regulation, Foley drove the Jets 60 yards to set up Hall's game-winner.
Vikings 23, Patriots 18
New England's offense and special teams stumbled most of the game against the Vikings (7-2), who won their fifth straight game.
Moe Williams' 74-yard return of the opening kickoff set up a field goal, and Minnesota never trailed. John Randle led the Vikings' defense that allowed the Patriots only three points in three quarters and rarely gave Drew Bledsoe time to throw.
Robert Green's recovery of Cris Carter's fumble at the New England 1 set up a touchdown run by Williams. Brad Johnson's 28-yard TD pass to Carter with 2:39 remaining clinched the game.
Buccaneers 31, Colts 28
In Indianapolis, Karl Williams scored two touchdowns, set up another TD with a 63-yard punt return and put Tampa Bay (6-3) in position for Michael Husted's winning field goal with eight seconds left.
Husted missed a critical extra point last week in a 10-6 loss by the Bucs. The Colts (0-9), the NFL's only winless team, took a 28-21 lead behind third-string quarterback Kelly Holcomb, but Trent Dilfer's 24-yard TD pass to Williams tied it.
"It wasn't as artistic a win as we would have hoped for," coach Tony Dungy said. "But we were at a point where we needed a win, and I think that says a lot about these guys."
Bengals 38, Chargers 31
Cincinnati (2-7) won for the first time since the opening week, getting three second-quarter touchdowns off turnovers, one of them John Copeland's 25-yard fumble return.
But no one but Metcalf could do much for San Diego (4-5), which lost Stan Humphries in the third quarter with his second concussion in three games.
Bills 9, Dolphins 6
Steve Christie had field goals of 41, 40 and 39 yards for the Bills (5-4), who overcame six fumbles and a muffed punt on the rain-slicked turf at Rich Stadium. The last came with 10:42 left in the game to break a 6-6 tie.
Dan Marino sprained his left ankle and left in the third quarter after going just 4-of-14 for 67 yards and throwing an interception.
Panthers 38, Raiders 14
Fred Lane, a free-agent rookie, replaced the injured Tshimanga Biakabutuka and ran for three touchdowns as the Panthers (5-4) ran for a franchise-record 216 yards and won their third straight.
Carolina had five rushing touchdowns against the NFL's worst defense. Kerry Collins threw for 198 yards and ran for one score.
Redskins 31, Bears 8
The Redskins (5-4) scored on their first three possessions, going 76, 55 and 80 yards for touchdowns against Chicago (1-8.)
Terry Allen, who had missed the previous two games with a sprained knee, finished with 125 yards on 20 carries.
Falcons 34, Rams 31
Morten Andersen's 27-yard field goal with two seconds left gave Atlanta (2-7) its win.
Isaac Bruce had 233 receiving yards for the Rams (2-7), who tied the score at 31 on Tony Banks' 1-yard scramble with 1:10 left. But Harold Green caught a 19-yard pass, then ran 22 yards to help set up Andersen's winning kick.
Jaguars 30, Oilers 24
The Jaguars avoided blowing a fourth-quarter lead for a third straight week Sunday when Tony Brackens tackled Frank Wycheck short of the goal line on fourth-and-2 with 2:58 left, preserving a victory over the Tennessese Oilers.
The Oilers (4-5) finally got their offense moving and trimmed a 27-10 deficit in the third quarter to 30-24, then got the ball back with less than 10 minutes left.
McNair moved the Oilers 84 yards to Jacksonville's 7 by completing four passes in five attempts. But the Oilers, winners of three straight, couldn't get closer than the 2 before Brackens' tackle ended their final drive.
Broncos 30, Seahawks 27
John Elway, who threw two touchdown passes to Warren Moon's three, completed a 49-yard pass to Shannon Sharpe to set up Jason Elam's 22-yard field goal with 7:28 left, lifting the Denver Broncos.
Denver (8-1) took a 20-10 lead on the opening play of the second half, but thanks to two Broncos turnovers, Seattle (5-4) twice drew into a tie, the last time at 27-27 on Moon's 8-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Brian Blades with 12:02 remaining.
Denver then went 69 yards for what proved to be the clinching field goal. With NFL rushing leader Terrell Davis throwing two downfield blocks, Sharpe turned a short pass into a 49-yard gain on the first play of the drive.
Cardinals 31, Eagles 21
Kent Graham, sidelined by leg injuries since Oct. 12, scored two touchdowns in the final 3:10, and the Arizona Cardinals snapped a six-game losing streak.
Plummer was 7-for-18 for 132 yards and one touchdown, but fumbled and threw an interception on Arizona's last two possessions of the third quarter. His fumble on a sack by Hollis Thomas led to Philadelphia's go-ahead touchdown, an 18-yard pass from Ty Detmer to Freddie Solomon with 3:32 left in the third.
But the Eagles, 4-0 at home but 0-5 on the road, were hurt by 15 penalties for 140 yards, the most damaging being a holding call that wiped out Chris Boniol's 27-yard field goal with 7:00 left in the game. Boniol then hit the upright from 37 yards, leaving the Eagles with a 21-17 lead.