Cowboys-Redskins: What we learned
LANDOVER, Md. -- Quarterback Tony Romo rallied the desperate Dallas Cowboys from a nine-point deficit with less than seven minutes remaining to beat the Washington Redskins 24-23 and stay alive in the NFC East race.
After running back DeMarco Murray lost nine yards on third-and-goal from the Washington 1-yard line, Romo had plenty of time to find Murray for the game-winning 10-yard touchdown pass by the right pylon with 1:08 left.
"It was a remarkable sequence," said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, whose job is reportedly in jeopardy if Dallas doesn't win the division for the first time in his four seasons. "You don't anticipate having a (9-yard) loss on a short-yardage, goal-line type of run. Somehow our guys collected themselves. Tony's been remarkable throughout his career being able to create a little time for himself, buy a little time for the receivers and he did it again."
Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall had strung out Murray on third down but failed to keep him from catching the fourth down pass.
"I felt like we had the right call dialed up and we just didn't execute," Hall said.
The Cowboys (8-7), who lost Week 17 showdowns for the division crown to the New York Giants in 2011 and to Washington in 2011, can win the NFC East title by beating the Philadelphia Eagles at home next Sunday in a winner-take-all regular-season finale. The Redskins sank to 3-12 with their seventh straight defeat, the second in a row by a point.
Romo connected with backup wide receiver Cole Beasley for 20 yards on fourth-and-6 on the 15-play, 73-yard possession which ended with Dan Bailey's 25-yard field goal that brought Dallas within 23-17 with 6:09 remaining.
Four plays later, Redskins cornerback Josh Wilson slipped and wide receiver Terrance Williams hauled in a 51-yard bomb from Romo. The quarterback found wide receiver Dez Bryant for 17 yards on the next snap before hitting Murray for the victory four plays after that.
What the Cowboys said
"We got a chance for some serious rewards. A game like today builds everything we want to build. Coming back (from last week's blown 23-point lead), playing hard can help your character. Now, I don't recommend that. I don't recommend coming back the way we won this one today as a way to get there." -- Owner/general manager Jerry Jones on the Cowboys having a chance to win the NFC East by beating Philadelphia at home next Sunday.
What the Redskins said
"I couldn't imagine it being much tougher than this week just because this was the last time I get to wear the burgundy and gold in front of the fans here." - Redskins captain London Fletcher, who announced his all-but-certain retirement last week after 16 seasons, on looking ahead to next Sunday's season finale at the New York Giants.
What we learned about the Cowboys
1. The Cowboys have not won the NFC East since 2009, but Sunday's victory raised their record against division foes to 5-0, including 3-0 on the road, heading into next Sunday's finale for the title against visiting Philadelphia. Dallas has never gone 6-0 in the NFC East since the divisions were re-organized in 2002 and Arizona moved to the NFC East.
2. Dallas can come through in the clutch after all. The Cowboys were famously victimized at Detroit, 31-30, in Week 8 after leading 27-17 with less than 4:00 remaining, and by Green Bay, 37-36, after leading 26-3 at halftime in Week 15.
What we learned about the Redskins
1. Whatever home-field advantage Washington had while going 5-1 against its NFC East rivals last year (including 3-0 at home) is long gone. Sunday's defeat dropped the Redskins to 0-5 in the division, 0-3 at home.
2. Running for 100 yards means very little for Washington, which fell to 3-10 this year while reaching that mark compared to 0-2 otherwise. The Redskins were 10-5 when they topped 100 rushing yards last year, and were 0-1 when they did not.
