Quitting Time Comes Only After Last Play

IRVING, Texas —  Jason Garrett won the Battle of the Backups.

Carolina’s Steve Beuerlein threw three touchdown passes, but couldn’t get the Panthers into the end zone on two possessions in the final two minutes, allowing the Dallas Cowboys to hold on for a 27-20 victory on Sunday.

Garrett, subbing for the injured Troy Aikman, threw two touchdown passes to help give the Cowboys a 13-point lead.

The victory wasn’t wasn’t secured until Beuerlein threw a pass out of the end zone as time expired.

Beuerlein, a former Cowboy making his first appearance of the season when starter Kerry Collins decided he didn’t want to play, was 22-of-31 passing for 286 yards. He completed his first 12 attempts.

“You had a feeling they would rally around Steve and play well,” Dallas Coach Chan Gailey said.

Deion Sanders intercepted a Beuerlein pass with 1:55 to play, but Carolina got the ball back with 51 seconds left and got to the Dallas 37, where Beuerlein let fly on a desperate heave that overshot his three receivers with no time left.

Garrett--whose fumble on a sneak midway in the fourth quarter led to Carolina’s third touchdown--said he couldn’t watch.

“I was just shaking my head,” Garrett said. “I have immense respect and admiration for him. He’s a true competitor.”

Beuerlein said he thought Carolina (0-5) could pull off the upset.

“We showed a lot of heart, never quit, and were in it to the end,” Beuerlein said.

Garrett, 5-1 as a starter for his career, rallied Dallas from a 14-3 deficit after Beuerlein threw two first-half touchdown passes to Rocket Ismail.

Garrett directed a 93-yard drive late in the first half, connecting with former Panther receiver Ernie Mills for an 18-yard touchdown.

Garrett, who was 14 for 22 for 287 yards, gave the Cowboys (4-2) the lead for good with a six-yard scoring pass to Chris Warren early in the third quarter. The touchdown was set up when Anthony Johnson fumbled and Kevin Mathis recovered at the two. Johnson was in the lineup because starter Fred Lane missed the team plane on the flight to Dallas.

Emmitt Smith’s two-yard touchdown run to made it 27-14. Smith rushed for for 112 yards in 21 carries--his first back-to-back 100-yard games since 1995.