IRVING, Tex., Oct. 15 -- The game was every bit as underwhelming as it had promised to be, and the miseries continued to mount for the Washington Redskins. They had a lead late in the fourth quarter. They didn't yield a touchdown. But they remained winless as they lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 9-7, tonight on Tim Seder's 26-yard field goal as time expired.
The Redskins fell to 0-5 and lost an eighth straight meeting with the Cowboys (1-4). The Redskins last beat Dallas on Oct. 13, 1997, and last won at Texas Stadium on Dec. 3, 1995.
Michael Westbrook pulls in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Tony Banks that gave the Redskins a 7-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.
(L.M. Otero - AP)
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Quarterback Tony Banks connected with wide receiver Michael Westbrook for a 31-yard touchdown pass to give the Redskins a 7-3 lead just under three minutes into the fourth quarter. The Redskins led 7-6 and were driving into Dallas territory in the final minutes. But tailback Stephen Davis lost a fumble at the Cowboys 38-yard line with 2 minutes 40 seconds to play, and quarterback Anthony Wright and running back Emmitt Smith led Dallas to the winning field goal.
The Cowboys got a field goal by Seder late in the first half and led 3-0 into the fourth quarter. The closest the Redskins had come to scoring was a missed field goal by Brett Conway as the first half ended, and Westbrook had been a missing man on offense. But he and Banks teamed for only the Redskins' second touchdown of the season. Seder's second field goal of the evening got the Cowboys to within a point with just over 6 1/2 minutes left.
The Redskins expected the Cowboys to run the ball often, but Dallas came out throwing. Redskins cornerback Champ Bailey was playing with a sprained ankle, but Wright was attacking Fred Smoot. The Cowboys had some early success, as Wright completed his first three passes. But Dallas's opening drive stalled on a third-down incompletion, and the tone was set.
The Redskins' first offensive play came from their 8-yard line, and Banks fumbled the snap from center Cory Raymer. Banks made the recovery, but the Redskins went three plays and out without gaining a yard.
The Redskins managed only one first down and eight yards of offense in the first quarter, but remained tied because the Dallas offense was equally inept. Wright kept the Cowboys' second drive going with a 12-yard scramble on third and seven, but Seder sent a 41-yard field goal try wide left.
Stephen Alexander was hurt on the Redskins' second possession. Fullback Donnell Bennett made an eight-yard reception on first down, and Alexander got his leg caught beneath another player while blocking for Davis on a second-down run for no gain. It has been a frustrating season for the tight end, who reached the Pro Bowl last season but has only nine catches this year. Few balls have been thrown his way, and he has struggled with missteps and dropped passes. Now the Redskins must try to get by at the position with Walter Rasby and Zeron Flemister.
Rookie wideout Rod Gardner dropped a pass to end the Redskins' second possession. LaVar Arrington helped the Cowboys with a pair of penalties on Dallas's next drive, first grabbing Smith's face mask -- although the officials overlooked Smith grabbing Arrington's face mask -- and then jumping onto a pileup late for a personal foul. No matter. Wright missed an open Raghib Ismail with a third-down throw.
The Redskins began giving the ball to Davis regularly and put together their first sustained drive of the night. The Redskins got to the Dallas 36 but stalled. Bryan Barker's punt pinned the Cowboys at their 4. Dallas moved out of trouble and into Redskins territory, adding by a roughing-the-passer personal foul on Arrington. He was penalized for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Wright, the kind of play that often draws a fine by the league.
On a first-down play from the Redskins 40, Wright threw for wide receiver Joey Galloway along the sideline. But Smoot stepped in front of Galloway and made the interception, then provided a 36-yard return. The Redskins took over at the Cowboys 40, but moved only five yards and punted.
Dallas finally crafted a scoring drive. Backup tailback Troy Hambrick broke through the line for a 27-yard run on a third-and-one play, and Smith turned a short pass into a 22-yard gain on the next play.
Smoot was helped off the field after the following play, in which he hurt his knee while chasing Wright on an option run. The Cowboys got to the Redskins 7. But Smith was thrown for a three-yard loss on a screen pass, and Wright threw the ball away on third down with everyone covered. Seder connected this time, and Dallas had a 3-0 lead 21 seconds before the break.
Dallas made a mistake on the kickoff, giving the Redskins the ball at their 46 following a failed squib. Banks provided a 10-yard completion to running back Ki-Jana Carter. He threw incomplete toward Gardner on the sideline with seven seconds left, but connected with Gardner on the same pattern for an 18-yard gain to the Dallas 26. Gardner got out of bounds to stop the clock with one second remaining, but Conway pushed his 44-yard field goal try wide right. Conway had connected on his previous six field goal attempts this season.
The Cowboys had only a three-point lead after a first half in which they had the ball for 21 of 30 minutes and rolled up 202 yards of offense.
The Redskins spent the third quarter making their three-point deficit look insurmountable. They went three plays and out on their first possession of the second half when right tackle Jon Jansen permitted Cowboys defensive end Peppi Zellner to sprint around him for a third-down sack.
Bennett turned a short pass from Banks into a 30-yard gain to move the Redskins to midfield on their next drive. But Gardner had another third-down drop. The Redskins punted, but stopped the Cowboys and got the ball back at the Dallas 48 after a punt. Davis ran for five yards on first down. But left tackle Chris Samuels was called for holding on a second-down throw, and the Redskins again were stopped.
Dallas moved to the Redskins 34, and Cowboys Coach Dave Campo faced a fourth-and-four decision. He opted to have Seder try a 52-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter. The strategy backfired. Seder's kick was short and wide left. The Redskins got the ball at their 42 and handed the ball to Davis on four straight plays. That produced 27 yards, 19 of them on one run.
On a third-and-six play from the Dallas 31, Westbrook sprinted down the middle of the field and got behind linebacker Dat Nguyen. Banks put his throw on target, and the Redskins had their second touchdown of the season.
Dallas got a 24-yard run by Smith and moved to the Redskins 19. But defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson trapped Smith for a three-yard loss. Wright was called for intentional grounding on second down, and the Cowboys had to settle for Seder's 39-yard field goal that got Dallas to 7-6 with 6:45 to play.
