LANDOVER, Md. – The Cowboys had many big plays in Washington, including a 51-yard touchdown to Devin Smith and a 42-yard run by Dak Prescott. The defense was flying around the ball with a big sack, and Ezekiel Elliott had some timely runs to move the chains.
But all games have those hidden plays that perhaps go unnoticed or are forgotten, yet still played a huge role in the outcome. Here are the five plays you can't forget about:
Penalty stunts Redskins' momentum
The Redskins already led 7-0 in the second quarter and had a first-and-5 near midfield looking to add to the lead. But a holding call on lineman Brandon Scherff was a setback that Washington didn't recover from. The offense eventually had to punt after a third-down sack by Tyrone Crawford. The Cowboys got the ball back and marched 97 yards to tie the game, 7-7.
Washington's costly 4-point penalty
The Cowboys were sending the field goal unit on the field just before halftime when the officials announced a defensive holding call on Washington, giving the offense a first down at the 3-yard line with 13 seconds left. On the next play, Jason Witten caught his second touchdown of the year, giving the Cowboys a 14-7 halftime lead instead of just 10-7.
Dak's long run flipped the field
It's hard to think that Prescott's longest rush of his career would be on the "don't forget about" list, but in a game where a lot of big plays were occurring, this one needs to be mentioned because of how it flipped the field and the momentum. The Cowboys had third-and-1 at their own 37-yard line when the quarterback alertly kept the ball after a play-fake to Elliott. Prescott took off for a 42-yard run down to the 21-yard line, setting up a go-ahead touchdown later in the drive.
Jarwin gives Cowboys control again
Immediately after the Redskins had trimmed the lead in half and the FedEx Field crowd was back in the game, the Cowboys went to work again. On first down, Prescott threw one of his better balls of the day, hitting Blake Jarwin on a sideline corner for 22 yards. Not only did that get the Cowboys moving, but it got them closer to midfield and back on track. The offense marched down for a field goal, putting the lead back to two scores.
Keenum's Fourth-Down Miss
Case Keenum had been on point most of the day, but needing a crucial fourth-down conversion early in the fourth quarter and down by 10, he missed a pass to Chris Thompson that turned the ball over on downs. The Cowboys held a 24-14 lead and with the ball back at the 11:04 mark, the offense put the game away with a drive that was capped by Elliott's 2-yard touchdown.
