Jones Caps Improbable Comeback for Cowboys

SEATTLE — Now that he’s healthy, Julius Jones is making it look easy.

The rookie had 198 yards rushing and three touchdowns, including a 17-yard run with 32 seconds left, and Dallas erased a 10-point deficit with less than two minutes to play in a 43-39 stunner over the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.

Vinny Testaverde threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns, including a 34-yard scoring pass to Keyshawn Johnson that pulled Dallas to 39-36 with 1:45 left. Tight end Jason Witten recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Dallas (5-7) was in business at its 43.

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.

“They were going to have to do something quite spectacular to come back, and they did,” Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “They made some great plays at the end. That catch by Keyshawn was great.”

The Seahawks (6-6) reached midfield on their final possession, but Hasselbeck’s desperation attempt bounced off Bobby Engram’s facemask after hitting two Dallas defenders and fell into the end zone.

Seattle fell into a tie with St. Louis atop the NFC West, but the Rams hold the tiebreaker because they’ve beaten the Seahawks twice. The Cowboys got an amazing win that keeps them in playoff contention in the weak and wide-open NFC.

“I proved that I can handle the load,” Jones said. “And tonight we did it as a team. This is huge. We still have a shot at the playoffs. We needed this game.”

For the Seahawks, it was reminiscent of their fourth-quarter collapse in Week 4 against the Rams. They blew a 27-10 lead in that game and lost, 33-27, in overtime.

“I felt pretty good when we were up by 10 with a couple minutes to go,” Seattle Coach Mike Holmgren said. “Let’s just say it: You should win those. We’ve lost two of those this year, and it might prevent us from getting into the playoffs.”

Jones broke his left shoulder in his NFL debut on Sept. 19, but he’s been sensational after an eight-week absence. After going for 150 yards rushing and two touchdowns as Dallas beat Chicago on Thanksgiving Day, he excelled again in Seattle.

Hasselbeck completed 28 of 40 passes for 414 yards and three touchdowns.