Rank'Em
Rank’Em: Cowboys’ Top 10 Wins at Washington
The Cowboys and Redskins have produced too many great games to count, but we'll give it a try, narrowing it down to the best moments in Cowboys history up in Washington D.C.
HM - 2014 – The Cowboys were wrapping up a magical regular season and still had business to finish in Washington. Not only did the Cowboys win their 12th game of the season, but a few records fell that day as DeMarco Murray set the club single-season rushing record with 1,835 yards. Dez Bryant also set the single-season record for TD catches, hauling in two to finish the season with 16 as the Cowboys routed Washington 44-17.
10. 2000 – After an 0-2 start to the season and starting QB Troy Aikman out with a concussion, veteran Randall Cunningham stepped in to deliver the first win for new head coach Dave Campo. Cunningham had two touchdowns, including one here to Jackie Harris (88), who scored in front of Deion Sanders, who was playing in his first game against the Cowboys since signing with the Redskins that offseason. The 27-21 victory also had a side story as the Redskins were the first team in the NFL to charge fans to attend training camp. Because of that, it was within the rules for the Cowboys to send a scout to every practice that summer. Pro scout Larry Dixon had plenty of notes to take home, and it seemed to help. While the Cowboys were just 5-11 that year, they swept the Redskins in both meetings.
9. 2016 - The Cowboys were 0-1 and still trying to figure out if Dak Prescott could handle being the starter as a rookie. But he carried the team on his back, throwing and rushing for touchdowns and keeping the Redskins off track with his dual-threat abilities. Prescott not only led the Cowboys to the 27-23 for his first win of his career. That was the first of an 11-game winning streak by Dak, who went on to win Rookie of the Year as he guided the Cowboys to a 13-3 record.
8. 1988 – While it meant very little to the standings, the Cowboys at least gave Tom Landry his final victory against the Redskins. With Herschel Walker running the ball, and rookie receiver Michael Irvin catching three TDs, the Cowboys stunned the Redskins 24-21 late in December in what would be Landry's final season – a disappointing 3-13 finish.
7. 2013 – With Tony Romo barely able to walk, suffering from a back injury he sustained early in the game, the Cowboys were facing elimination in the playoffs with another loss. Still, Romo found a way to rally the offense down the field and on fourth-and-goal, he found DeMarco Murray just in time for the running back to sneak into the end zone. The Cowboys held on for a 24-23 to save the season. However, with Romo unable to play, the Cowboys lost the next week to the Eagles and missed a chance to win the NFC East.
6. 1966 – The Cowboys had an offensive explosion this day in Washington as Don Meredith and "Bullet" Bob Hayes were unstoppable. Hayes had a 95-yard touchdown catch and finished the day with 246 receiving yards, a Cowboys record for the next 43 years. The Cowboys and Redskins traded big plays and in the end, kicker Danny Villanueva booted a 20-yard field goal to give Dallas a 31-30 victory. It was the first of four straight wins for the Cowboys, who finished 10-3-1 and played Green Bay in the NFL Championship Game.
5. 1977 – After starting the season 9-0, the Cowboys had lost two straight and were staring a three-game losing streak in the face after trailing 7-0 at the half to the Redskins. But Roger Staubach was known for his comebacks and he led the Cowboys to two scoring drives in the second half. Rookie Tony Dorsett gave the Cowboys the lead with a 1-yard run in the fourth and Dallas held on to a 14-7 win. The Cowboys would take the momentum from D.C. and never lost again, winning the final three regular season games, and then three more in the playoffs, including Super Bowl XII vs. Denver.
4. 1983 – Not only were the Redskins opening the 1983 season as the defending Super Bowl champs, but they were crushing the hated Cowboys 23-3 at the half. But Danny White and the Cowboys weren't fazed. White hit Tony Hill on two deep balls to start the third quarter and rushed for another score late in the game stun the RFK Stadium crowd with a 31-30 victory.
3. 1999 – The Cowboys kicked off the season in Washington D.C. and by the start of the fourth quarter, there were plenty of verses of "Hail to the Redskins" to go around. Washington led 35-14 and looked on its way to a blowout win.
But Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin went to work, with Smith cutting into the lead with a short touchdown run early in the fourth. Irvin, who had been rather quiet most of the day, got into the act with a 37-yard touchdown with 3:51 to play. And the defense finally gave the Cowboys a stop, giving the ball back to Aikman, who engineered a 90-yard drive that ended with another Irvin score – this time of 12 yards to tie the game.
In overtime, the new guy made his presence felt. Rocket Ismail won the game with a 76-yard touchdown from Aikman, who finished the day with 362 yards and five touchdowns.
The 21-point comeback was the largest in team history before the Cowboys matched that in 2014 in a game against the Rams.
2. 1989 – After eight straight losses, the first victory of the Jerry Jones era occurred in Washington in front of a Sunday Night Football audience. The 0-8 Cowboys were simply better than the Redskins, shutting down Washington's attack all night. Running back Paul Palmer and rookie quarterback Steve Walsh mustered just enough offense to give the Cowboys a 13-3 win in what be the only victory of the season in a 1-15 campaign.
1. 1991 – The Cowboys were 6-5. The Redskins were 11-0. No problem, right? That was the Cowboys' mentality that day in D.C., even after Troy Aikman went down with a knee injury. Veteran backup Steve Beuerlein stepped in and finished the job. The Cowboys used an onside kick, a Hail Mary and a strong performance from Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin to deliver a stunning blow to the Redskins. The 24-21 victory also triggered a turnaround to the season, as the Cowboys won their final five games to finish 11-5 and make the playoffs for the first time in six years. The Redskins went on to win the Super Bowl that year, but the Cowboys would win the next three of four, taking claim to the Team of the 90s.
