Week 11 Recap - @ Washington

It had to happen and it did. Dallas went into FedEx field, took a win away from Washington and at the same time, they may have just saved their season.

It was one of the hardest fought battles I've seen from The Cowboys in quite a while. They played with intensity, desire and emotion. In the end, the pieces came together. They managed a 14-10 victory over The 'Skins and a 6-4 record, which throws them right back into the wildcard hunt.

This game in Washington could be a big turning point for the rest of the season, and it will be memorable for more than that.

Think back when Dallas was home and they were inducting Aikman, Emmit and Michael Irving into The Cowboys 'Ring of Honor.' That game was a prime-time matchup against The Redskins that Dallas should have won. Unfortunately, they didn't.

This time around, Washington was all set to win. They had a pre-game celebration where two of their greatest players of all time, Art Monk and Darrell Green, received their Hall of Fame rings. The crowd was into it, The Cowboys were very questionable and The Redskins were looking to gain a 2 game lead. Unfortunately for Washington, they didn't get that.

They got a full dose of Dallas defense and they won't soon forget it. They'll remember Jay Ratliff, who got a career high 2 sacks plus plenty of tackles and they'll remember Terence Newman, who came back from injury and mirrored "Cowboy Killer," Santana Moss the entire game, holding him to only 29 yards. No, they will not forget the way the defense played and held them to only a touchdown and field goal.

The Dallas offense, which has been dysfunctional and inconsistent in the past four games did not have the memorable qualities that the defense had, but they finally took strides to put themselves back together.

Tony Romo was back and about 75% healthy, which is still 130% better than Brad Johnson or Brooks Bollinger. Kyle Kosier was back and the offensive line played better than they have since the Green Bay game.

Rookie Martellus Bennett enjoyed his second touchdown of the season which put Dallas in the lead at 14-10 and ended up being the final score of the game. He did a funky little dance to celebrate, it could use work.

The offensive line also helped Marion Barber close the game down. The last drive was filled with 11 straight touches from Barber to run down the clock and sail to victory. His ability to punish defenses is what helped Dallas win this game, as he ran around and through Washington all night.

I haven't even mentioned Clinton Portis, who was practically listed as out all week, but miraculously managed to play the whole game. Well I haven't mentioned him because he was barely noticed. He managed only 68 yards, 20 of which came on the first Washington drive for their only touchdown. Whether the injury hampered Portis or the defensive line played that good, he shouldn't have taken that field.

It was an impressive win, given the fact that they lost 4 of the last 6 games and seemed to be totally falling apart. It was a win they need, a big division win and it keeps hopes alive. They must continue improving and playing with urgency down the stretch, whether they're playing San Fransisco or The Giants, it doesn't matter, they must play to win.

Next Sunday, 3-7 San Fransisco is going down to Dallas to try and spoil playoff wishes and add a few 'W's' to keep some dignity. Any given Sunday, anything can happen, but it would be great if Dallas can somehow pull off a win before heading into a short week. Crossing my fingers and pointing to the sky... yee haw, let's go!!