DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant each broke single-season franchise records, leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 44-17 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday. Our takeaways:
- Murray's 12th 100-yard performance of the season leaves him with 1,845 rushing yards, besting Emmitt Smith's Cowboys record of 1,773. Dez Bryant outraced the Redskins' defense for a 65-yard touchdown and added a toe-tapping 23-yard score, bringing his season total to 16 touchdown. Terrell Owens previously held the team record with 15. If there is a slight concern with Dallas' new "Triplets," it's that Murray has averaged 3.9 yards per carry over the last five weeks after topping 4.0 in every game from Weeks 1-11. He's not the explosive tackle breaker he was early in the season.
- Thanks to a fourth-quarter interception, Tony Romo finished with a single-game passer rating under 129.0 for just the second time in the past six weeks. He is likely to finish the season as the league leader in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating. Although he has done more game managing this season, Romo remains in the MVP conversation with Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt and Tom Brady.
- Robert Griffin III's numbers belie his struggles. He tossed red-zone interceptions on back-to-back possessions and handed the Cowboys defense a touchdown with a strip-sack fumble deep in his own territory. The Redskins' two best plays of the day came via play action, with Griffin throwing at or behind the line of scrimmage. In a humbling and lost season, Griffin left the organization with nothing but skepticism about his potential to develop into a passer capable of winning games from the pocket.
- Credit Jason Garrett for keeping his foot on the gas pedal to maintain momentum for a Cowboys squad riding a four-game winning streak into the postseason. His starters played the entire game on Sunday. Dallas will host the Detroit Lionsnext week.
- Romo's hot streak has coincided with the emergence of Cole Beasley as the third option in the aerial attack. Much like Randall Cobb in Green Bay, Beasley does his best work on broken plays when Romo is forced to improvise.
- Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has done a tremendous job papering over key injuries all year. He has another one to contend with after linebacker Anthony Hitchens was sidelined with an ankle sprain during Sunday's game. A fourth-round rookie, Hitchens has been excellent in run support since replacing an injured Justin Durant at midseason.
The "Around The NFL Podcast" is now available on iTunes! Click here to listen and subscribe.
