Photo by Willie Martin "Mr. Will"
Last week I had the pleasure of watching the Dallas Cowboys play as complete a game as one could ask for in a 31-21 victory over the New York Giants.
While my lifelong loyalties lie with the Minnesota Vikings (that team that gave you three Super Bowls in the 90s for Herschel Walker) it always amazes me the level of fandom that permeates fans of the Silver and Blue week in and week out in Texas, much less worldwide.
Dallas won their sixth straight. This was an impressive team win as DeMarco Murray hit the 100 yard mark for a seventh straight week.
Then the conversations around me began which all sounded like the following in unison.
"Super Bowl. We got this. Redskins going down. No way we lose to the Hogs from the state capital! Colt McCoy who?"
"Team Of The 90s revisited. We Got Triplets!"
It was then I looked to make sure no one was pregnant to realize there was a reference to Troy, Michael, and Emmitt.
The calendar date said October. Nothing gets resolved until December. Despite the 6-1 mark all across the radio airwaves and internet the same mantra was being repeated.
1.Defense can't get sacks.
2.Romo is still vulnerable in the pocket. Can't go all season.
3.This is a team that's overachieved.
4.Dez has been able to save Tony Romo on 3rd down.
5.DeMarco can't go all season. He'll suffer an injury.
6.Romo gets hurt we are done.
7.Gavin Escobar is a great secret weapon!
8.Dan Bailey is money inside 45 yards.
9.Jason Garrett is finally earning his keep.
10. Home field advantage at last.
When Las Vegas placed the Washington Redskins as a nine and a half point favorite for the Monday Night showdown yours truly told anyone and everyone who listened that in between the Giants win and perhaps look ahead to a twelve noon shootout with the Arizona Cardinals.
Alas, when it looks like a done deal and the record says done deal and everything seems to go exceedingly well and act like you can mail it in then it's time to worry.
No way in the world the Cowboys blow out the Redskins. While I thought Dallas could win my concern was with Alfred Morris, DeSean Jackson. and Pierre Garcon doing to the Cowboys what the Silver and Blue have done for six straight weeks.
Monday night's meeting between the Cowboys and the Redskins was their 16th meeting under the lights. My first recollection was a 9-5 victory at RFK in 1978. There have been some dandies. Dallas held the all time record on this one night by an 8-7 count.
Now it's 8-8 at a severe cost.
NOBODY on ESPN gave the Redskins a chance to win in Arlington October 27. An anniversary date from 2002 when Emmitt Smith became the all-time rusher in a 17-14 loss to the Seahawks. That's when I knew.
Expecting a high scoring affair the first half was a clinic on creating turnovers and power football as Colt McCoy kept connecting on high percentage stuff, DeMarco Murray inched close to 1,000 yards. He had 975 at the half.
Washington got on the board first after a great punt return and Kai Forbath connected on a 44 yard field goal.
Dez Bryant caught a five yard pass for a touchdown to complete an eight play eighty yard drive that took all of four miutes and 18 seconds for a 7-3 lead at the half.
Twice in the first half a stingy Redskins defense forced Josh Randle and DeMarco Murray to cough up the football. McCoy was unable capitalize to score from 25 yards out as JJ Wilcox picked off a pass.
McCoy improved as the game went into the second half beginning with making DeSean Jackson his primary receiver instead of Andre Roberts. Alfred Morris began getting his running shoes working while McCoy found Jackson six times for 136 yards-one for 49 yards-before Morris took a 5 yard run into the end zone to give the Redskins a 10-7 lead to start the second half.
A Dan Bailey field goal at 4:03 knotted things up at 10-10. Moments before DeMarco Murray peeled off a 51 yard run and surpassed the 1,000 yard mark.
Entering the 4th quarter Colt McCoy had his passer rating from 49 all the way to 94 as the ex-Longhorn (with Mom and Dad in the building) led Washington on another 80 yard drive on nine plays that took five and a half minutes when Colt McCoy streaked into the teeth of the middle for a score at 13:38.
17-10 Washington. Nine and a half points my ass!
The fourth 80 yard drive was about to be enjoyed but not before the collective hearts of Dallas Cowboys fans fell into their mouths when Tony Romo took a shot from Keenan Robinson that kept him down on the ground for a few minutes before being taken off the field.
Romo returned with less than two minutes to play in a 17-17 tie after backup Brandon Weeden found Jason Witten on a sideline route and a 25 yard touchdown pass with 9:27 remaining.
Both sides made key stops as regulation wound down. Onto overtime it went where Colt McCoy found Pierre Garcon and Jordan Reed for 23 and 16 yards. Alfred Morris pounded out another ten yards leading to a Kai Forbath 40 yard field goal and a 20-17 lead.
Tony Romo was unsuccessful in three of four pass attempts from the 20 and the ballgame was Colt McCoys and the Redskins.
The game no one saw coming. I tried to warn you. 2009 a 7-6 win. 2010 a 33-30 thriller after Rex Grossman got into the game. 2011 the 18-16 game. 2012 a 38-31 defeat on Turkey Day.
In defeat Tony Romo was 17 of 28 for 209 yards and one touchdown. In victory Colt McCoy was 25-30 for 299 yards for 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
Alfred Morris had 18 carries for 73 yards. DeMarco Murray had 19 carries for 141 yards.
DeSean Jackson led all receivers with six catches and 136 yards.
Colt McCoy was all smiles in his first visit back since a 13-12 victory over Nebraska.
"Last-second wins, right?" McCoy said. "But I grew up as the game went on. I felt more and more comfortable, and I started seeing the defense right. We made some plays down the stretch that good teams have to make to win games."
What changed for the ex-Longhorn as the evening progressed?
"I just tried to stay composed," said McCoy. "I don't know if it was nerves or not. I called a play wrong in the huddle one time. But we found a way to win and found a way to play well in the second half."
Without question this was easily the biggest upset of the season so far.
"Well, it's terribly disappointing," owner Jerry Jones said. "Jay Gruden and his staff, their organization, they came in here and took it to us, and they won the game. We couldn't get it done."
Tony Romo spoke about the hit and coming back in the 4th.
"Even if I hadn't had back surgery, I probably would have felt that one pretty good," said Romo. "It was a direct shot."
Statistically this was as even a game as you could ask for, except for that one the Cowboys were so good at the previous siux weeks. Time of possession favored Washington led 38:12 to 28:37.
Redskins now take on the Vikings at 3-5 and very much alive as the Cowboys fall to 6-2 with the Arizona Cardinals in town for a noon start on November 2nd.
Look for Arizona to roll with Justin Durant is out and Tony Romo far less than 100%.
Let this be a lesson to you fans. Where there's a bitter rival, all statistics are thrown out the window!
Congratulations to the Washington Redskins for shocking ESPN, and for shocking the NFL world.
On any given Sunday, or Monday in this case.
NOTEWORTHY
DeMarco Murray had 187 rushes through his 1st 7 games... The only player with more through his team's 1st 7 games was O.J. Simpson in 1975.
DeMarco Murray is averaging 79.1 rush yards per game before initial contact this season, the most in the NFL and on pace to be the most by any player in the last five seasons. To put that number in perspective, only three players besides Murray (Arian Foster, Le'Veon Bell and Rashad Jennings) are averaging 79.1 TOTAL rush yards per game this season.
Dallas has now lost three OT games under Jason Garrett - it followed each of the previous two with a loss.
Colt McCoy's 83.3% completion percentage (25-30) is the highest ever in a game by a Redskins QB with at least 30 pass attempts. also of note: 3 QB have had a completion percentage of at least 83% in a game in which they had 30 pass attempts this season. Tom Brady Drew Brees and now Colt McCoy. In fact, all 3 did it this week.
Over and out in Big D.
Mr. Will