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IRVING, Texas (Ticker) -- Emmitt Smith moved into second place on the NFL's all-time rushing list, but Doug Flutie stole the show. Flutie passed for 353 yards and two touchdowns to lead the San Diego Chargers to a 32-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. "We had an efficent offense. I was very happy with the way things went," Flutie said. "We moved the ball well and had a bunch of big plays." With additions like Flutie, former Cowboys cornerback Ryan McNeil, receiver Tim Dwight and running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the Chargers (2-0) needed just two games to surpass their win total all of last season when they finished with a franchise-worst 1-15 record. Flutie, who signed with the Chargers after being waived by Buffalo, hit tight end Freddie Jones and Curtis Conway with scoring passes of 11 and 7 yards in the first quarter to stake San Diego to a 14-0 lead. "Flutie was the difference offensively for them," Cowboys coach Dave Campo said. "He threw the ball well and ran well when he had to." Two interceptions by McNeil, who left Dallas to sign a five-year, $15.5 million deal with San Diego in the offseason, set up two of Wade Richey's four field goals. "I think it was a total team effort," McNeil said. "When the defense needed a break, the offense controlled the clock. When the offense needed the ball back, we got it for them." Dwight, acquired along with Tomlinson in the trade that sent the top overall pick in the 2000 draft to Atlanta, caught a 78-yard pass to set up another of Richey's field goals and scored on a 16-yard run in the third quarter. "We've got to get it in Dwight's hands a few times a game," said Flutie, who completed 23-of-38 passes. "He can really make plays." After rushing for 113 yards in San Diego's season-opening 30-3 rout of Washington, Tomlinson, who led the nation in rushing the previous two seasons at Texas Christian in nearby Fort Worth, gained 90 yards on 27 carries. "When I walked out there the first time, I thought I can't believe I'm here playing against the Dallas Cowboys," Tomlinson said. "People don't really know how explosive our offense is. Slowly but surely, people will start to see it." Flutie's 353 passing yards were 13 shy of tying a career-high set on December 23, 2000 as a member of the Bills against Seattle. Smith surpassed Barry Sanders and moved into second place on the NFL's all-time rushing list. Needing 64 yards to pass Sanders, Smith rushed for 66 yards in the first half and finished the game with 85 yards on 17 carries for the Cowboys. In his 12th season with Dallas, the 32-year-old Smith has rushed for 15,291 yards. Sanders rushed for 15,269 yards in 10 years with the Detroit Lions. Walter Payton is the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards in 13 years with the Chicago Bears. "I have mixed feelings about it. You want to be up here talking about the record coming off a win, but that's not the case," Smith said. "Just to be compared to guys like Walter Payton and Barry Sanders is an honor. To be able to pass him (Sanders) is a wonderful feeling but I'm a team player and this is just not about me." Dallas' Anthony Wright started at quarterback for injured rookie Quincy Carter and passed for three touchdowns, including an 80-yarder to Rocket Ismail, but was intercepted three times. He completed 7-of-12 passes for 142 yards in the first half, but was just 5-of-13 for 51 yards with two interceptions in the second half. "It's not my decision to make whether or not I start next week," Wright said after his performance. Carter is sidelined with a sprained right thumb. It marked the second straight year the Cowboys (0-2) have opened the season with two losses. The day did not start out well for Wright, who fumbled a snap from center Mark Stepnoski and defensive tackle Jamal Williams recovered for the Chargers at the Dallas 38. The Chargers converted the turnover into a touchdown when Flutie lofted an 11-yard scoring pass to Jones 4:37 into the game. Flutie's touchdown pass to Conway, who made a leaping grab in the back of the end zone, capped a 10-play, 48-yard drive. McNeil reached over Ismail to intercept a pass and lateraled to safety Rodney Harrison at the Dallas 43. "They know that I'm aggressive," McNeil said. "It was my job to make a play first so that they would be thinking about me over there." Flutie hit Conway with a 19-yard pass and the Chargers settled for a 22-yard field goal by Richey, increasing their lead to 17-0 with 13:30 left in the half. But following the ensuing kickoff, Wright connected on an 80-yard touchdown with Ismail, who raced by Harrison on the right side. The Chargers responded with a big play of their own -- a 78-yard pass over the middle from Flutie to Dwight to the Dallas 7 -- and settled for a 24-yard field goal by Richey with 3:55 left in the half. Dallas closed the half with a seven-play, 70-yard drive which was capped by an 11-yard TD pass from Wright to Wane McGarity, pulling the Cowboys within 20-14. Smith shook loose for a 14-yard run during the drive to surpass Sanders. "We had a nice lead early in the game and then we let them back into it," Chargers coach Mike Riley said. "I think we will learn a lot from this game about how things go in circles with the momentum." Dwight scored on a 16-yard run with 6:55 left in the third quarter and Richey added two more field goals in the second half for the Chargers. Wright hit tight end Mike Lucky with a seven-yard touchdown with 9:21 left in the fourth quarter for Dallas' only points of the second half. The 77-yard drive featured a 47-yard pass interference penalty against rookie cornerback Tay Cody. "We made adjustments at halftime and were able to slow them down a little," Chargers linebacker Junior Seau. "When the offense is controlling the clock, it's a blessing for the defense."
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