IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Facing the NFL's worst pass defense in Texas Stadium was exactly the combination Troy Aikman needed.

Aikman had his best game in months, throwing for 242 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to David LaFleur, as Dallas beat Philadelphia 20-10 Sunday to keep the Cowboys undefeated through six home games.

	Dallas linebacker Darren Hambrick returns the ball 19 yards after intercepting a Donovan McNabb pass late in the first quarter.

By taking more chances downfield instead of settling for dump passes, Aikman was able to jump-start a Dallas offense that had scored just one touchdown in 11 quarters.

The Cowboys (7-6) found the end zone twice for the first time in four games, and they won without points from their special teams or defense for the first time since the opener. And they did it without Emmitt Smith, who left with a strained groin after one carry.

Aikman, though, wasn't ready to call this a breakthrough, probably because it came against the Eagles (3-11), the league's 30th-ranked defense and 31st against the pass.

"Everybody wants to know how much the team progressed one week to the next, but I don't know," said Aikman, who was battling the flu. "I think it's unfair to say whether you did or didn't make progress."

Dallas remained tied with the New York Giants, a game behind Washington in the NFC East. Despite being 1-6 on the road, the Cowboys are 6-0 at Texas Stadium for the first time since finishing 8-0 in 1981.

Early in the game, Dallas lost Greg Ellis, its best defensive lineman, for the season with a broken left leg. Smith will be re-evaluated Monday.

Philadelphia lost quarterback Donovan McNabb to a sprained left knee ligament late in the third quarter. He, too, will be re-evaluated Monday.

McNabb wasn't effective anyway as the Eagles lost their fourth straight to finish 1-7 on the road, losing the last five. The league's most generous team handed out three more turnovers, although the Cowboys didn't score off them.

"It was sort of tough because the past couple of weeks we were able to get things rolling early," said McNabb, who ran for 24 yards and threw for 49. "We couldn't get into a rhythm. I don't think this is a step backwards."

Aikman came out chucking, throwing a season-high 25 first-half passes. He finished 22-of-40 for his most attempts and completions since the opener as Dallas got 11 of its 22 first downs through the air.

Aikman had been gun shy since losing Michael Irvin, his favorite receiver, to a neck injury in an Oct. 10 loss to Philadelphia.

This time, Aikman was willing to throw the ball downfield and to a variety of players. He had completions of 25, 25, 24 and 19 yards -- all to different receivers. Eight guys caught passes, seven getting more than one.

GAME NOTES

Troy Aikman's touchdown pass was his 153rd, tying Roger Staubach for No. 2 in Cowboys history. Danny White had 155. Aikman also won his 100th career game, including the playoffs. The Eagles have dropped nine of 10 at Texas Stadium. Dallas became the fourth team to win 100 regular-season games in the 1990s. Eagles kicker Norm Johnson upped his extra-point streak to 293. Dallas rookie Ebenezer Ekuban recorded his first sack in the first quarter, then got another in the third.

"We never seem to know from one game to the next or one series to the next who those guys are going to be," Aikman said. "It's been tough because we're relying on guys we haven't spent a lot of time playing with. That's been the biggest challenge for me."

Rookie Chris Brazzell's first career catch was a 12-yarder on third-and-10. Deion Sanders caught two for 14 yards in his first game on offense this season and Raghib Ismail had four for 52 yards

"Troy is going to find whoever is open -- the receivers, backs or tight ends," said Jason Tucker, an NFL Europe graduate who had three catches for 37 yards in his first start.

Chris Warren filled in nicely for Smith, running 25 times for 92 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown that put Dallas ahead for good 7-3 in the first quarter.

The Cowboys made it 13-3 at halftime behind field goals of 30 and 34 yards from Eddie Murray, kicking in his first game since 1997. He also hit the right upright on a 49-yarder on the Cowboys' first drive and he went wide right on a 33-yarder in the fourth quarter.

The Dallas defense, which couldn't hold a 10-0 fourth-quarter lead the last time these teams met, held an opponent to 13 or fewer points for the fourth straight game and the ninth overall.

Philadelphia gained 108 of its 233 yards in the fourth quarter after getting behind 20-3. Doug Pederson threw for all of the fourth-quarter yards, including a 25-yard touchdown to Na Brown with 6:41 left.

The Eagles' only other points were a 44-yard field goal by Norm Johnson on their opening drive.

"We just weren't getting the right calls and were physically getting beat," center Steve Everitt said.