The Cowboys came in averaging 440 yards, 32 points and 32:54 minutes of ball control. But against the Redskins, those numbers were 344, 24 and 21:51.

Pro Bowl running back Marion Barber entered the game averaging 95 yards and 4.6 yards per carry. He ran eight times for 26 yards against Washington.

"That was one of the things we emphasized coming into the ballgame, being able to stop the run," said middle linebacker London Fletcher. "They ran for over 200 yards against the Packers last week. That was one of the things that we (knew) we had to do, otherwise it would be a long day for us. The coaches put in a great game plan, and we went out and executed it."

The Cowboys got away from the run after falling behind 17-7, but despite playing without two of their top three cornerbacks, Shawn Springs and Fred Smoot, for much of the second half, Washington's pass defense was solid.

"That was an incredible job coaching as well as playing," Zorn said. "We had safeties in the game that we had to use as corners and they did a tremendous job of, just to line up, for coaches to get them lined up or get (them) in the right position. Several things had to happen. One, they had to call the right defense. Then the players had to communicate and get to the right position. I tip my hat to the safeties and the coaches. We stayed just as aggressive."

While the young safeties adjusted on the fly, Carlos Rogers played like a true No. 1 cornerback in the absence of Springs and Smoot. After the Redskins extended their lead to 23-17 early in the fourth quarter, Tony Romo threw three straight passes to superstar receiver Terrell Owens with Rogers covering and came up empty each time.

"Carlos did an unbelievable job," Zorn said. "He really put his stamp on that drive. On that particular series it was totally him. There were different types of plays that he had to rise up for and he did."

Rogers was only supposed to be easing back into the lineup now after undergoing major knee surgery last November, but he returned to full practice in mid-August and has started every game this season. Maybe he, like his team -- a consensus last-place pick in the rigorous NFC East -- has been underestimated.

"Maybe people underestimated our resolve and how battle-tested we were from last year (when they won their final four games to make the playoffs after the murder of star safety Sean Taylor) and how it carried into this year," Fletcher said. "We knew we had a good team last year. We let some games get away from us and we were fortunate to get into the playoffs. This year, we're finishing better, especially these last three ballgames. The defense is making a play to get the offense in position to score, whether it's a takeaway or a big stop."