THE reigning Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys were dethroned by Carolina, a second year club of National Football League cast-offs who toppled the Cowboys 26-17 in Charlotte yesterday.
Pat TerreIl intercepted a Troy Aikman pass to set up John Kasay's clinching 32-yard field goal with one minute 48 seconds to play and the Panthers advanced into next Sunday's semi-final at Green Bay for a berth in the Super Bowl.
"If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man," Carolina defender Eric Davis said. "This feels great. It's the biggest game we have ever played and by far the best victory."
The defeat ended a Dallas bid for their fourth American football crown in five years and some redemption in a season marred by players involved with drugs and accused of sexual assault. "I congratulate Carolina," Dallas coach Barry Switzer said. "I also congratulate our players. They battled against some tough odds and a tough team out there."
Carolina won their ninth consecutive home game and continued a mastery of the second half by allowing Dallas only six points in the final two quarters. They allowed only 19 second-half points at home this season.
This is the first time since 1991 that neither San Francisco nor Dallas have reached the NFL semi-finals. They, along with Pittsburgh and Denver, were ousted this weekend, a toppling of the NFL status quo by a new elite.
Jacksonville, another second year club that played their first game 16 months ago, play at New England next Sunday in the other semi-final.
New England's Curtis Martin ran for three touchdown as the Patriots routed Pittsburgh 28-3. Martin, who grew up in Pittsburgh, ran 19 times for 165 yards against a Steeler defence ranked second in the league. He scored on runs of two, 23 and 78 yards to spark the Patriots to their first play-off victory in 11 years.
During the whole week, I was hyped up the coaches were scared," Martin said. "They were afraid I wouldn't be able to focus when it came time to play the game. But I was able to focus."
The Patriots, whose only prior home play-off game was in 1978, seek their second Super Bowl appearance. Jacksonville, a second-year club that barely made the play-offs with a 9-7 record, faces a New England squad that went 11-5 and had a first-round bye this season. The clubs met in September, when New England blew a 22-point lead before escaping with a 28-25 over-time triumph over the Jaguars.
Mark Brunell threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday to guide the Jacksonville Jaguars to its seventh consecutive triumph, a 30-27 National Football League quarter-final upset of season co-champion Denver.
The Green Bay Packers moved within one victory of their first Super Bowl berth since 1968 by pounding San Francisco 35-14. The Packers have now won 17 consecutive games at Lambeau Field.
Edgar Bennett ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns and Desmond Howard scored on a 71-yard punt return to spark the Packers offence while the Green Bay defence forced five turnovers, four in the second half.
