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Miles Austin looked nothing like a backup making his first career start.
Stepping in for injured wide receiver Roy Williams, Austin caught 10 passes for a franchise-record 250 yards and scored the winning touchdown in overtime of the Dallas Cowboys' 26-20 victory yesterday over the winless Kansas City Chiefs.
In dooming the host Chiefs to their 28th loss in 30 games, Austin erased the record of 246 yards that Hall of Famer "Bullet" Bob Hayes set against Washington almost 39 years ago.
"It's a feeling that's unbelievable," he said. "It's amazing. I never saw that coming today. I was ready today, but you never expect a huge game like that."
Austin's tackle-breaking, 59-yard catch-and-run from Tony Romo gave the mistake-prone Cowboys a 20-13 lead over the Chiefs with 2:16 left. Then after Matt Cassel's 16-yard TD pass to Dwayne Bowe tied it at 20-20 with 24 seconds to go in regulation, Austin got free on a 60-yard scoring play on Dallas' second possession in overtime. Each time, he broke cornerback Maurice Leggett's tackle.
"It's very frustrating," Leggett said. "But we also have to focus on the bigger stuff so we can get better each and every day. Don't take big jumps and focus on getting 2 percent better every day."
Kansas City (0-5) is winless for 315 days and has lost eight in a row at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs were nearly invincible during the 1990s.
"I thought the guys fought hard in all phases," said coach Todd Haley. "I know the guys are hurting."
Austin is the third Cowboys receiver when Williams is healthy. But he was unstoppable against the Chiefs, who led most of the game but couldn't take advantage of the many opportunities the Cowboys kept handing them.
"I just wanted to show people I'm ready to play. I wanted to show my teammates that I want to contribute as much as I can," he said. "I was able to do that."
Dallas (3-2) was penalized 13 times for 90 yards and Romo overthrew several open receivers. Other passes were dropped. Dallas also muffed a punt and missed a field goal attempt.
In another NFC East game:
* PANTHERS 20, REDSKINS 17: At Charlotte, Carolina scored the game's final 18 points, and Jonathan Stewart's 8-yard touchdown run with 9:21 remaining capped the win over Washington.
The TD was set up when the Panthers recovered a muffed punt at the Washington 12. The maligned Jake Delhomme later ran a bootleg for a first down with just under 2 minutes left to give the Panthers (1-3) their first win.
The Redskins (2-3) and coach Jim Zorn took another defeat against a previously winless team despite leading 17-2 early in the third quarter.
Delhomme, who threw his eighth interception in a miserable season, later iced the win. He dragged cornerback DeAngelo Hall for the final yard needed for a first down. His chinstrap bunched up under his nose, Delhomme pumped both fists before kneeling down to run out the clock.
