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2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame Information Guideyards, the second best passing day in club history andjust the third 400-yard passing day in team history. Thatyardage total gave him his 11th career 300-yard passingday, breaking the club record of 10 he had shared withDanny White. One of his completions was a 67-yardtouchdown to Patrick Jeffers, Aikman’s longest pass ofthe season. Aikman’s string of seven straight gameswith a touchdown pass was snapped at New Orleans(12/6) when Dallas was kept out of the end zone. Heended the day 16-of-32 for 192 yards. He came back thenext week to connect on two fourth quarter touchdownpasses – his fourth multiple touchdown day of the season– at Kansas City (12/13) and was 18-of-35 for 199yards. In a 13-9 win over Philadelphia (12/20), Aikmancompleted a season-low 10-of-23 passes for 120 yards.He finished out the regular season against Washington(12/27) by guiding Dallas to 20 first half points on 10-of-15 passing (184 yards) before sitting out the secondhalf. In the game, he attempted the 4,000th pass of hiscareer. In the Cowboys short playoff run, Aikman was 22-of-49 for 191 yards, one touchdown and three interceptionsagainst Arizona (1/2/99) in a wild card playoffgame.1997: Aikman started the season by toppling yet anotherclub record, career starts by a quarterback.Staubach’s club record of 114 was broken when Aikmanlogged his 115th career start in the Cowboys game atArizona (9/7). For the year, Aikman led the Cowboys inpassing for a club-record ninth season, breaking themark of eight held by Staubach. Aikman’s 78.0 ratingwas good for eighth in the NFC, and he also tied for fifthin the NFC – 10th in the NFL – with 19 touchdown passes,the second highest single-season total of his career.In posting those numbers, Aikman attempted a careerhigh518 pass attempts, the second highest figure inclub history. For the third consecutive season and thefifth time in his career, Aikman topped the 3,000 yardpassing mark, throwing for 3,283 yards – which rankedhim third in the NFC and eighth in the NFL. Aikman wasfourth in the NFC, 12th in the NFL, in the lowest interceptionrate in the league at 2.3%, throwing just 12 interceptionsin 518 attempts. Aikman opened the season atPittsburgh (8/31) by earning NFC Offensive Player of theWeek honors for completing 19-of-30 passes (63.3%) for295 yards and a career-high tying four touchdowns. Itwas the third time in his career he had thrown four touchdownpasses. The following week at Arizona (9/7), hebroke Staubach’s record for starts by a Dallas quarterbackand went on to complete 21-of-40 attempts for 171yards. In a last second come-from-behind-win overPhiladelphia (9/15), Aikman capped off a 62-yard, sevenplay drive by throwing a 14-yard scoring pass to AnthonyMiller with 0:51 remaining to give Dallas a 21-20 win.After Dallas fell behind 17-3 in the second quarter, heguided the club to points on five of the final six possessions,including 12 fourth quarter points, and was 13-of-20 for 163 yards and a touchdown in the second half. Hefinished the game 17-of-36 for 205 yards and one touchdown.Coming off the bye weekend, Aikman threw twotouchdown passes against Chicago (9/28), but he alsohad his string of 124 consecutive pass attempts withoutan interception snapped when he was picked off in thesecond quarter. The next week, he set Dallas singlegamerecords for attempts (since broken) and completionswhen he was 34-of-52 for 317 yards at the N.Y.Giants (10/5). He broke the mark of 49 attempts held byfour others and the mark of 33 completions held by himselfand Gary Hogeboom. In the fourth quarter, Aikmanguided Dallas to a touchdown and two-point conversionwith 1:54 remaining to pull the team to within three at20-17, and he then directed a final 47-yard drive to theGiants’ 17-yard line as time expired. Aikman completeda season-long 64-yard touchdown pass to HerschelWalker with 6:32 remaining to give Dallas a 26-22 winover Jacksonville (10/19). For the game, he completed21- of-32 (65.6%) passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns.Aikman suffered his fifth concussion as a NFLplayer on the second series of the game at Philadelphia(10/26) and did not return. He bounced back the nextweek to complete 22-of-36 passes (61.1%) for 218yards, one touchdown and two interceptions at SanFrancisco (11/2). He completed a season-high 68.2% ofhis passes (15-of-22) for 216 yards, one touchdown andone interception against Arizona (11/9). In the final 5:48of the game against Washington (11/16), Aikman engineereddrives for the game tying touchdown and twopointconversion and then the game-winning field goal ingrabbing a come-from-behind victory with a 17-14 win.First he guided Dallas 97 yards for a touchdown with1:55 remaining, finishing the drive off with a six-yardscoring toss to Michael Irvin. He then hit Emmitt Smithfor the two-point conversion, tying the game at 14-14.After a Washington punt, he drove Dallas 28 yards in thefinal 1:29 to set up Richie Cunningham’s 42-yard gamewinningfield goal. He was six-of-nine for 87 yards on thetouchdown drive and then three-of-five for 23 yards onthe field goal drive. For the day, he was 25-of-45 for 217yards and one touchdown. With 130 yards passing atGreen Bay (11/23), he moved past the 25,000 yardmilestone for career passing yards. Despitesuffering from back spasms in pregame warm-ups,Aikman threw for a season-high 356 yards againstTennessee (11/27) on 27- of-42 passing. It was the 10th300-yard passing day of his career, tying White’s clubrecord. Aikman broke his two-month-old club record of52 pass attempts in a game when he attempted 53 atCincinnati (12/14). He was 28-of-53 for 285 yards with- 16 - Profootballhof.com