Cinema Insiders's video: Eagles-Cowboys Rivalry: 09 05 91 Eagles Defense Sacks Troy Aikman 11 Times in 24-0 Win in Dallas

Eagles' Defense Sacks Aikman, Cowboys, 24-0 September 16, 1991|From Associated Press IRVING, Tex. — Clyde Simmons revisited Troy Aikman in the Dallas quarterback's worst nightmare. Simmons, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles who separated Aikman's shoulder last November, led a defensive charge Sunday that sacked Aikman 11 times and forced him into throwing three interceptions in the Eagles' 24-0 victory. Simmons had a club-record 4 1/2 sacks and Rich Miano had two interceptions for the Eagles (2-1). The 11 sacks were a record for both teams. "I'll give Troy credit, he hung in there and took it," Simmons said. "He's a tough guy and he had a tough day." It was the Eagles' eighth consecutive victory over the Cowboys (1-2). Emmitt Smith, the leading rusher in the NFC, was held to 44 yards in 13 carries by the Eagles. The Cowboys didn't cross midfield under their own power until the last two minutes of the game, when they drove to the eight. "We know what we can do but we did even better than we expected," said defensive lineman Reggie White, who held the Eagles' previous club record of four sacks. Said Jerome Brown, who had 2 1/2 sacks: "We dominated like we can dominate. It's nothing new." The 11 sacks produced 67 yards in losses for the Cowboys, who had only 45 yards passing. "I got hit a lot more than I cared," said Aikman, who completed 12 of 26 passes for 112 yards. "It was one of those days. We've been through it before. It was very frustrating. It was not a good day for anybody." Dallas Coach Jimmy Johnson said Monday night's 33-31 loss to Washington hurt his team against the Eagles. "We were not into playing Philadelphia, to be quite honest," Johnson said. "Washington had more of effect on us then I thought it would." Jim McMahon, who completed 18 of 29 passes for 207 yards, converted three third-down opportunities in the first quarter to set up an 11-yard touchdown pass to Fred Barnett, who had seven receptions for 111 yards. McMahon also threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Keith Byars with 3:31 left. Dallas started a series from the Eagles' 11 in the fourth quarter but Aikman was sacked three consecutive times and lost a fumble. The 1991 Philadelphia Eagles season resulted in missing the postseason, despite having a 10–6 record and finishing with the top-ranked defense in the NFL. During Week 1, quarterback Randall Cunningham was lost for the season with a knee injury. Statistics site Football Outsiders ranks the 1991 Eagles as the greatest defensive team in their ranking's history. Says Football Outsiders, "The 1991 Eagles completely lap the field in terms of defensive DVOA. Only the 2002 Bucs had a better pass defense, and only the 2000 Ravens had a better run defense, and the Eagles were much more balanced than either of those teams. "It's crazy to imagine how few points the Eagles might have given up if they were playing with a halfway-decent offense instead of losing Randall Cunningham to a torn ACL in the first game of the season. The Eagles were stuck depending on an over-the-hill Jim McMahon for 11 starts, plus Jeff Kemp for two and Brad Goebel for two. McMahon actually wasn't half bad ... but the other two quarterbacks were awful, especially Goebel who had no touchdowns with six interceptions. And the running game was dreadful, with 3.1 yards per carry as a team. "Still, the Eagles were fifth in the league in points allowed, and first in yards allowed by nearly 400 yards – and the team that was second in yards allowed is also on that top-ten defenses list, the 1991 New Orleans Saints. The Eagles allowed 3.9 yards per play, where no other team allowed fewer than 4.5. As bad as their running game was, their run defense was even better, allowing 3.0 yards per carry. Three-fourths of the starting defensive line was All-Pro (Reggie White, Jerome Brown, and Clyde Simmons). Linebacker Seth Joyner and cornerback Eric Allen made the Pro Bowl as well."