Bell: Cowboys 'still in this thing' ... just ask them after wacky win in Washington
LANDOVER, Md. — It was the NFL's version of The Twilight Zone. Strange things just kept flowing at FedEx Field on Monday night. A fumble here. A missed field goal there. A big return. A facemask penalty. Sudden touchdowns for crying out loud. Finally.
Welcome to NFC East football, the worst divisional race since, well, last year's NFC South.
For all of the odd occurrences, though, nothing tops the ultimate takeaway of how an improbable 19-16 Dallas Cowboys victory over Washington impacts the standings. The Cowboys, now 4-8, are one game out of first place.
No kidding.
"This is a crazy game," Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant said after a wild finish was marked by Dallas and Washington combining for 17 of the game's 23 fourth-quarter points in the final 74 seconds. Dan Bailey won it with a 54-yard field goal with 9 seconds left.
"One of the craziest games I've ever been a part of," said Cowboys quarterback Matt Cassel, whose NFL tenure spans 11 years and 5 teams. Cassel called it an "emotional rollercoaster."
Over in the other locker room, it had to feel more like a natural disaster. Monday was supposed to be the time for Washington, controlling its own destiny as the division leader, to seize the moment and pull the plug on Dallas' impossible dream for a repeat crown while pulling away from the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.
But it was quite evident that Washington — which has been potent at home yet winless on the road — is not ready for prime time … or the playoffs. Now Washington (5-7) is in a three-way tie with the Eagles and Giants as leaders of the most flawed division in the land. And with a quarter of the regular season remaining, Dallas is lurking.
"It's weird," Cassel said, "but I'm thankful that that's the case right now."
Quick trivia question: Cassel is the first Cowboys quarterback other than Tony Romo to win a game since?
"Troy Aikman," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, facetiously playing along with the theme.
Romo suffered a fractured collarbone in Week 2 and then re-fractured it in his second game back on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys had been 0-7 without him this year. Going back further, since Romo became the starter in 2006, Cassel is the first to quarterback the Cowboys to a victory since Stephen McGee, who won the season finale against Philadelphia in 2010.
Years from now, it's doubtful that many will recall the details of the latest Dallas-Washington installment. OK, Lucky Whitehead's folks will remember. Whitehead, who grew up in nearby Prince William County, Va., had the big 46-yard kickoff return in the final minute to jump-start the game-winning field goal drive.
For much of the night, though, the game was a snoozefest that seemed destined to go down as one of the least memorable games of one of the NFL's most intense rivalries. Through three quarters, the field goal battle was tied 6-6.
But magic came late. Cassel hit Bryant for a 42-yard completion that set up a field goal. DeSean Jackson fumbled deep in Washington territory while trying to create a big punt return, setting up a Darren McFadden touchdown. But then Jackson made amends by hauling in a beautiful 28-yard TD rainbow throw from Kirk Cousins, tying the game at 16, with 44 seconds left.
In the end, Dallas had the last laugh and never-say-never hope.
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When someone asked Bryant whether the Cowboys played with free spirit because they had nothing to lose, the star receiver respectfully disagreed with the premise.
"We do have something to lose," Bryant said. "We're still in this thing."
Of course they are. Membership in the NFC East has its privileges.
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Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell
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