Redskins vs Cowboys: 8 Things We Learned from Dallas' 27-24 Win

How bout them Cowboys, eh? The Dallas Cowboys bested the Washington Redskins 27-24 in overtime after overcoming several mistakes, bad defensive miscues and a gritty Redskins team determined to beat their arch rival.

With the win, the 'Boys move to 6-4 on the season and will take on the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving Day.

The Cowboys defense gave up 336 total yards and 'Skins quarterback Rex Grossman went off for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Dallas didn't allow much on the ground but gave up plenty of yards through the air when it counted.

The story of the day, to me at least, was the play of Tony Romo. He did not turn the ball over, came up big in crucial situations and led Dallas down the field in overtime to set up the winning field goal. For all of the shade that's thrown Romo's way, he showed up in a big way on Sunday afternoon in D.C.

So Dallas moves closer to guaranteeing a winning season and a possible playoff berth, and the Redskins lose their sixth straight. It wasn't an easy victory by any stretch for Dallas, and it just adds to this team's resiliency.

Because of that, I believe they are headed toward a playoff berth, but they still must improve upon a few things before they get to that point.

Here are eight things we learned about Dallas in their three-point victory over the Washington Redskins.

Head Coach Jason Garrett Is Sold on the Run

Running back DeMarco Murray ran the ball 25 times for 73 yards. He only averaged a paltry 2.9 yards per rush, had no touchdowns and his longest run of the day was eight yards.

The running game just wasn't going for Dallas and Jason Garrett still stuck with it. He called a pretty balanced game with 32 rushes and 37 passes. Murray is a strong, tough running back, and though he never developed a rhythm, he continued to pound and finish runs.

He's the Cowboys' No. 1 and for good reason.

Felix Jones made his triumphant return to the field, as well.

Romo-Vember Is in Full Effect

I saw a photo of Romo that Fox did and they labeled it Romo-Vember. Tony has a QB rating of 113 in November with 47 touchdowns and 17 victories compared to just two losses.

I think that shows just how capable he is of playing down the stretch. Now we won't get into December and January as we're focused on the now, but you get the picture.

Romo was clutch today because of his ability to scramble outside of the pocket and find Dez Bryant for 26 yards. He was under duress and escaped with his signature spin and found Bryant for on the most critical plays of the ball game.

Romo finished with almost 300 yards passing and three touchdowns.

Clutch! Clutch!

Rob Ryan’s Defensive Scheme Needs Tweaking

When I say that the middle of the field for the 'Skins was soft, it was Charmin soft. Time after time Rex Grossman was able to step up in the pocket after feeling pressure from the edge and find little to no pressure in the middle.

In the second half, almost all of the Cowboys pressure came from the edges, but Grossman was still able to find his receivers for big gains. Take Jabar Gaffney's touchdown late in the second quarter for example. Grossman felt pressure from the edge but stepped up and found Gaffney in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown.

He was able to set his feet, push through the throw and find Gaffney.

Grossman's line of sight was clear as he took a step forward and the only pressure guy up the middle was Jay Ratliff, but he was being double-teamed.

I imagine that Ryan is still tailoring his scheme and the Cowboys players are still in the process of learning everything, but the type of big plays that were given up cannot continue to happen. This was a rivalry game, so the 'Skins were jacked up to play the 'Boys, but heading into their game against the Dolphins, a few changes will have to be made.

Cowboys Running Game Missed Tony Fiammetta

Last week I broke down a single running play that illustrated why Fiammetta was so important to the Cowboys' running success.

His presence was sorely missed.

Murray couldn’t find running success up the middle without Fiammetta, and it showed by his paltry per-rush average. Garrett tried to get things going by pushing Murray to the outside on sweeps and tosses but really to no avail.

Fiammetta should be back on Thursday, and I can guarantee that Dallas will have a better showing rushing the ball when he returns.

He has great vision and leverage and just flat-out knows how to block. Just look how important the two Tonys are to the Cowboys' success.

Dallas Made Far Too Many Mental Errors

The Cowboys racked up nine penalties for 48 yards against the 'Skins. They escaped a delay of game penalty right before Dan Bailey nailed his game-winning field goal. The play clock was down to just a couple of ticks when Romo came up to call timeout. Problem is the Cowboys were out of them and should have been flagged for delay of game.

But the Redskins called timeout before Romo and saved the Cowboys from kicking an even longer field goal.

Before that there were offsides, defensive holding and other penalties that were just pure mental breakdowns. Tension and emotions run high with rivalry games, and that was evident in this one.

The Cowboys have to cut out the unnecessary mistakes moving forward if they have any hope of making the playoffs.

Dan Bailey Is Clutch

I'll stop short of saying that he's automatic because I don't want to jinx him.

Bailey knows how to split 'em though, and with his game-winning overtime field goal he made his 23rd-straight field goal for Dallas.

The only way you get more clutch than that is if he kicks a Super Bowl-winning field goal for Dallas.

Dallas Is Resilient

Despite the errors and mistakes, no matter the circumstance or blown chances, the Cowboys were still able to win this game. The Redskins offense was stomach-turningly awful in the first half and because Washington's defense was able to stymie the 'Boys offense they were able to hang around.

By all accounts the 'Skins shouldn't have won this game by their play, but they continued to fight. Dallas did the exact same thing, and they emerged victorious in overtime by way of Bailey's magic right foot.

The running game was off, Romo never found a rhythm with his receivers and the defense was less than good. But they did enough to win and sometimes you have to win games that way, and instead of losing this one, the Cowboys won it.

Cowboys Are 6-4, Face Miami Dolphins Next

The Cowboys are in the softest portion of their schedule and face the Dolphins on Thanksgiving day next. The Cowboys have the Cardinals after Miami and their record should be—emphasis on should be—8-4 after this stretch.

There is really no reason for Dallas not to win out, but that's not living in reality. Look for Murray to get back on track against the Dolphins and the Cardinals in the next couple of weeks.

P.S. Cowboys fans should remember this one Thanksgiving play.

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