NFL: Cowboys 26, Chiefs 20; Austin's 250 receiving yards lifts Dallas in OT
By DOUG TUCKER
AP Sports Writer
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Miles Austin scored the winning touchdown in overtime on a 60-yard catch-and-run to cap a monster game in place of the injured Roy Williams, and the Dallas Cowboys escaped with a 26-20 victory Sunday over Kansas City.
Austin had 10 catches for 250 yards as the Cowboys survived numerous mistakes against the winless Chiefs.
Austin also had a tackle-breaking 59-yard touchdown catch to give the Cowboys (3-2) a 20-13 lead with 2:16 left in the fourth quarter. On both plays, he slipped the grasp of cornerback Maurice Leggett and then made safety Mike Brown miss.
The loss dropped the Chiefs (0-5) to 2-28 in their last 30 games. Kansas City, winless for 315 days, tied it 20-20 on Matt Cassel’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe with 24 seconds left.
Austin is the third Cowboys receiver when Williams is healthy. He was unstoppable against the Chiefs, who led most of the game but couldn’t take advantage of all the opportunities the Cowboys kept handing them. Dallas was penalized 13 times for 90 yards and Tony Romo overthrew several open receivers.
But he and Miles connected when it mattered most. Late in the fourth quarter, Austin caught Romo’s pass, broke loose from tackles by Leggett and Brown, and gave the Cowboys their first lead of the day.
Then Cassel swept the Chiefs down the field, hitting Bowe in the end zone on fourth-and-7. Ryan Succop, who had a 53-yard field goal attempt blocked by Jay Ratliff right before Dallas’ last TD in regulation, kicked the extra point for the tie.
Romo was 20 for 34 for 351 yards and two TDs. Cassel, still winless since being traded from New England, was 23 for 41 for 263 yards. Neither quarterback threw an interception.
Chiefs linebacker Mike Vrabel made his 11th career touchdown catch to give Kansas City a 10-0 lead. After Romo’s fumble was recovered on the Dallas 16 by Brown, the Chiefs had faced third-and-goal from the 1. Vrabel, a 13-year veteran, lined up on the left side and was ignored by the defense as he drifted into the end zone and caught Cassel’s soft toss, giving him 11 touchdowns in 11 career catches.
The Chiefs won the coin toss and received in the overtime but failed to get close enough for a field goal attempt.