Friday 25 November 2016 08:24, UK
Ezekiel Elliott scored two touchdowns as the Dallas Cowboys beat their NFC East rival Washington Redskins 31-25. Kirk Cousins threw for over 400 yards and three touchdowns but it wasn't enough as the Cowboys continue their winning streak.
In 140 characters...
The Cowboys make it 10 straight and strengthen their position as number one in the NFC. Career night for Kirk Cousins an after-thought in Dallas.
MVP
The power trio of Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Dez Bryant were unstoppable at times. It's difficult to pick one that stood out anymore than the other because they all made big plays when Dallas needed them too.
Game-changer
Elliott's second touchdown of the night really took the game beyond Washington. With just six minutes left and down two scores, the rookie running back's points left too much work for Cousins and the Redskins to fight back.
Stat of the night
10 - Dallas have now won straight games in a single season, setting a franchise record in the process.
The game
The Cowboys started the game at a blistering pace, as running back Elliott wracked up 47 yards in the first drive alone. Lucky Whitehead got 15 yards on the first carry before back-to-back runs from Elliott moved Dallas into Redskins territory. A 13-yard gain by Cole Beasley then set up Elliott to finish the drive with a touchdown from four yards.
It looked as though Washington might respond in kind, running back Rob Kelley seeing the bulk of the snaps. However, the Redskins were held up before Dustin Hopkins sent the 42-yard field goal attempt wide left.
They did get on the board at the start of the second quarter as Hopkins slotted a 24-yard attempt, but Dallas made them pay for their lack of redzone quality when they added their own field goal, and then extended the advantage to 17-3 with another touchdown.
After starting the drive just inside their own half, Dallas quickly drove down the field as Alfred Morris and Bryant made first down catches. Prescott scrambled for 18 more yards, before throwing a 10-yard pass to Terrance Williams who made the catch in the front corner of the end zone, expertly controlling his body to get both feet in bounds for the score.
The Redskins attacked once more, but again couldn't finish the drive, settling for a 20-yard chip shot field goal. It wasn't until the final quarter that they found the end zone, as Jordan Reed caught a five-yard pass from Cousins to make it a one score game.
Dallas extended their lead to 12 points as Prescott's seven play, 75-yard drive with a 12-yard scramble into the corner of the end zone. The rookie quarterback has five rushing touchdowns this season.
The Redskins weren't ready to give up on the game though, as Cousins threw a 67-yard pass to a wide open DeSean Jackson. The wide receiver was given too much room by rookie corner Anthony Brown as he jogged down the right hand side and into the end zone.
But it was Elliott again who kept the visitors at bay. Prescott set up the one-yard rush with a pinpoint 26-yard pass to Bryant who was able to reach up and grab the ball ahead of Kyle Fuller.
Washington pushed Dallas to the end as Reed scored with just under two minutes to play, but the Cowboys held onto the ball, recording their tenth straight win. In his interview at the end, Elliott talked of fatigue coming from a short week, but it didn't show as he added 97 rushing yards as well as 33 receiving.
Redskins quarterback Cousins put up 449 yards with three touchdown passes. Franchise tagged for the season, the fifth year player improved his chances of a lucrative, long-term deal with another fine display. Washington (6-4-1) remain third in the NFC East but still remain in the hunt for a wild card play-off spot.
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