Aikman Not Satisfied With 27-3 Victory : Interconference: Cowboy quarterback complains about missed assignments by the offense against the Colts.

INDIANAPOLIS — Troy Aikman was a little miffed with the way the Dallas Cowboys dispatched the error-prone Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Aikman passed for one touchdown, Emmitt Smith rushed for another and Jay Novacek scored on a fake field goal as the Cowboys beat the Colts, 27-3.

But Indianapolis nearly matched the defending Super Bowl champion Cowboys’ offensive yardage, and without five Colt turnovers, the outcome might have been much different.

“There were times I thought we had opportunities to convert on third downs and should have moved the ball a little bit better than what we did, and that’s frustrating,” Aikman said.

“There are reasons for that. There are breakdowns for that. There (are) a lot of things I can tolerate, but I can’t tolerate busted assignments,” he said. “So today was a little frustrating for me.”

Aikman, the NFC passing leader, completed 21 of 28 attempts for 245 yards. But the Cowboys (3-2) were helped just as much by Indianapolis (2-3) turnovers, and Aikman couldn’t find any fault with the Dallas defense.

“They did a great job keeping Indianapolis from scoring with the turnovers they forced. So there’s no doubt when the defense plays that good and creates turnovers it shortens the field for us,” he said.

Early in the second quarter, the Colts lost defensive tackle Steve Emtman because of torn ligaments and tendons in his right knee.

“No question it’s going to hurt,” Coach Ted Marchibroda said of the loss of Emtman, the first player taken in the 1992 draft. “From what they told me, it doesn’t look good at all, a rather severe injury. But we have to go on.”

Emtman missed the final nine games of last season with a similar injury to his left knee.

“It’s a frustrating situation,” linebacker Duane Bickett said. “We know it’s part of the game. It happens every year, unfortunately, but you have to go out and keep playing and pull together.”

Two plays after Emtman was hurt, the Colts lost cornerback Chris Goode with a neck sprain. Both players were carted off on stretchers.

The first two Cowboy touchdowns were set up by interceptions, and the third came on a two-yard run by Novacek when the Colts were fooled on an apparent field-goal try by Eddie Murray.

Don Majkowski replaced starting quarterback Jack Trudeau on the next series and took Indianapolis to the Dallas 33 before the Colts lost the ball on downs late in the third quarter. The Cowboys then went 64 yards, including an 11-yard reception by Novacek, before Murray kicked a 30-yard field goal.

Murray added a 32-yard field goal midway through fourth quarter, and the Cowboys stopped the Colts with an interception by Ken Norton at the Dallas five in the closing minutes.

Indianapolis rookie Roosevelt Potts rushed for 113 yards in 18 carries, the first time the Colts had a runner top 100 yards since Eric Dickerson almost two years ago.