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SEATTLE (AP) – Now that he’s healthy, Julius Jones is making it look easy.

The rookie had 198 yards rushing and three touchdowns, helping Dallas erase a 10-point deficit with less than three minutes to play as the Cowboys stunned the Seattle Seahawks 43-39 on Monday night.

Vinny Testaverde threw for 225 yards and three TDs, including a 34-yard TD pass to Keyshawn Johnson that pulled Dallas to 39-35 with 1:45 left in the game.

Jason Witten recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Dallas (5-7) was in business at its own 43 with 1:44 to go.

Jones ripped a 16-yard run to move Dallas to the 17. After an incompletion, Jones burst through the middle for his third touchdown, capping an eight-play, 57-yard drive that lasted only 1:13.

The Seahawks (6-6) reached midfield on their final possession, but Matt Hasselbeck’s Hail Mary attempt bounced off Bobby Engram’s facemask after hitting two Dallas defenders and fell to the turf in the end zone and giving the Cowboys an amazing victory.

Seattle’s Jerry Rice set his 35th NFL record and caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Matt Hasselbeck, but the Cowboys scored 26 unanswered points to take control.

Playing in his 45th Monday night game, Rice broke Brian Mitchell’s NFL record for career combined yards.

Seattle scored on its first two possessions, but self-destructed from there, fumbling twice and turning the ball over on downs in Dallas territory.

The second fumble came on the second play of the second half. Shaun Alexander fumbled at Seattle’s 30. Dat Nguyen recovered the ball and returned it to the 21.

Following an 11-yard completion from Vinny Testaverde to Keyshawn Johnson, Jones ran 10 yards for his second score of the game. He had 140 yards rushing after three quarters.

It was Jones’ second straight 100-yard rushing game, following a 150-yard, two touchdown performance in a victory over Chicago on Thanksgiving.

Seattle’s offense went three-and-out on its next series and boos began raining down from the record crowd of 68,093.

Jones had a 16-yard TD run called back on a holding call on the Cowboys’ next series. Billy Cundiff kicked a 47-yard field goal – his third of the game – to extend the lead to 15.

Late in the quarter, Seattle drove 77 yards to the Dallas 3, but Hasselbeck’s third-down pass was batted down in the end zone. Josh Brown kicked a 21-yard field goal to pull Seattle to 29-17.

Seattle’s offense started strong, taking advantage of field position and third-down conversions to build its lead. Hasselbeck was 14-of-16 for 204 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He found Darrell Jackson on a 2-yard TD pass to complete a 79-yard drive and give the Seahawks a 14-3 lead.

Cundiff pulled Dallas to 14-6 in the second quarter after bouncing a 49-yard field goal off the left upright, and the Cowboys offense then capitalized on the only turnover of the first half.

Hasselbeck threw a 17-yard pass to Jerheme Urban into Dallas territory, but cornerback Terence Newman stripped the ball. Lynn Scott recovered the fumble, returning it 26 yards to the Seattle 39.

Testaverde threw to tight end Jason Witten for 16 yards, then found Terrance Copper on a 9-yard TD pass with 6:08 left in the half.

The Cowboys went for the 2-point conversion, but after taking a direct snap, wide receiver Patrick Crayton was stopped at the 1.

With the Seahawks ahead 14-12, Hasselbeck fumbled on fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 39 with 3:07 left in the half.

Testaverde led Dallas down the field, finding Witten for 22 yards on third-and-10 at the Seattle 28. Three plays later, Jones scored 32 seconds before halftime.

Seattle’s first touchdown was set up after Maurice Morris returned a punt 22 yards to the Dallas 47. It was the Seahawks longest punt return of the season.

The Cowboys made it 7-3 on Cundiff’s 39-yard field goal, set up by a 53-yard run from Jones on the first play from scrimmage after Rice’s TD.

Seattle was trying to protect a half-game lead over St. Louis in the NFC West. The Rams hold the tiebreaker over Seattle because of their two wins over the Seahawks.

A win for Dallas would get the Cowboys back in the chase for an NFC wild-card spot.

AP-ES-12-06-04 2336EST


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