In a classic NFC East battle, the Dallas Cowboys outlasted the Washington Redskins in overtime, 27-24.
The Cowboys jumped out to an early lead, before dropping behind at the half on two touchdowns by Rex Grossman – a 4-yard TD run by Grossman, and a 16-yard pass from Grossman to Jabar Gaffney with 0:14 left in the first half to give the Redskins a 14-10 lead at intermission.
Dallas dropped behind 17-10 before Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo came riding in on his white horse. He threw 2 TD passes in a 6 minute span in the fourth – a 7-yard TD to Laurent Robinson and a 59-yard TD to Jason Witten.
“[Romo] makes it look easy,” Witten said. “I think it starts with his ability to see it before the snap, and he has a great awareness about him and an ability to make those type of throws. He’s done it for a long time.”
Grossman brought the Redskins back to score the tying TD with 0:14 left on the clock in the fourth, only to ultimately lose on a 39-yard Dan Bailey field goal in overtime.
Ultimately, it was just too much Romo, who finished the game 23 of 37 for 292 yards with 3 TDs and no INTs. Even the Redskins had to tip their hat to Romo, who used his legs to buy extra time in the pocket. Although he had no rushing yards (2 rushes for -2 yards) his scrambling ability kept several plays alive, including a key third-and-15 in overtime, where he scrambled to buy time before hitting Dez Bryant.
“That’s Romo. He’s like a snake, man,” Washington linebacker Brian Orakpo said. “When you rush him, he’s slippery. He’s all over the place.”
The Cowboys improved their record to 6-4, and with the Giants losing to the Eagles, the Cowboys and Giants are now tied atop the division. The Giants head to Dallas for a matchup on Sunday night, December 11, which could decide the division winner.
The Redskins have now lost six straight after a 3-1 start, to reach 3-7. Redskins’ linebacker London Fletcher said, “I’ve never been part of a losing streak like this…Only thing we can do is keep showing up, practicing, working.”
With tough games left down the stretch against the Patriots, Jets and Giants, the Redskins are virtually (if not mathematically) out of the playoff picture.
“It’s not one of those games where we just got beat down,” said Redskins Jabar Gaffney, who caught seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. “We gave it away. We gave that one away. We’ve got to learn how to win again.”
