IRVING, Texas -- Asked if he "sensed something magical" during the Dallas Cowboys' 93-yard touchdown drive on Sunday, Emmitt Smith tried to downplay the importance of the accomplishment.

	Known for his accuracy and efficiency, Troy Aikman would make a great quarterback coach, Mort says.

"I didn't think about going to Disneyland, if that's what you mean," Smith said.

Considering that the Cowboys had scored only 20 points in its last two games combined, Dallas' offensive outburst in its 38-20 victory over Washington was almost as surprising as anything Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck could have done.

Thanks to a strong rushing effort by Smith and a suddenly-efficient passing attack led by Troy Aikman, the Cowboys dominated the Redskins defense all afternoon, putting the two teams into a tie for first place in the NFC East.

"I thought we stayed aggressive throughout the game," quarterback Troy Aikman said. "We mixed it up enough so that we had Washington on their heels a little bit."

Even more impressive than Smith's 80 rushing yards and Aikman's 20-for-32, 244-yard, two-touchdown effort was the fact that the Cowboys responded every time their opponent threatened to steal the momentum, something that Dallas couldn't do in consecutive losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.

The biggest statement came after Washington's Brad Johnson threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Albert Connell to cut the Cowboys' lead to 24-20. Dallas responded with the 13-play, 93-yard drive that lasted 6:26 and deflated the Redskins' hope of mounting a comeback.

The decisive possession was highlighted by a 12-yard pass to Ernie Mills on third-and-10, a key pass interference penalty drawn by Alvin Harper, and a 52-yard completion to Jason Tucker on a "free" play in which Aikman went long after Washington jumped offsides.

"Those little things make a huge difference, and those were things that we weren't doing the last two weeks," Dallas coach Chan Gailey said.

Many players said that drive wouldn't have been possible if it hadn't been for the Cowboys' strong start. A surprising early tackle by Deion Sanders sparked the Dallas defense, and Smith gave the offense a similar launching point with a bruising 12-yard run on the Cowboys' first play of the game.

Aikman completed all three of his pass attempts on that drive, including a 13-yard TD pass to Raghib Ismail that had the Cowboys as excited as they have been in almost a month. Ismail finished with six catches for 76 yards.

"The way we performed over the last two weeks, I thought it was important to start off on a roll," Smith said. "We made a concentrated effort to play with more intensity."

Gailey also credited the team's success on third down (9-for-15) for the turnaround, and Aikman cited the Cowboys' ability to take advantage of the Redskins' mental mistakes.

"If we draw them off and we have a chance to push the ball up the field," Aikman said. "We're going to take a shot."