Courtesy of Yahoo Sports

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes and the New York Giants won an all-or-nothing game to claim the final spot in the NFL playoffs, beating the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 on Sunday night.

The regular season went down to the last game, and it was coach Tom Coughlin’s Giants (9-7) who won the NFC East and returned to the postseason for the first time since 2008.

The loss left Jerry Jones’ Cowboys (8-8) out of the playoffs for the second straight year.

New York won three of its final four games and earned a wild-card home game next Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons (10-6).

The Cowboys lost four of their final five games in their first full season under coach Jason Garrett.

Courtesy of Yahoo Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Michael Vick threw two touchdown passes to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a 20-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday in a game that had all the intensity of a preseason dress rehearsal.

This game became somewhat meaningless midway through the first quarter. A victory by the Giants eliminated the Eagles from the playoffs and turned the Dallas-New York game next weekend into a showdown to decide the NFC East title.

 The Cowboys (8-7) sat quarterback Tony Romo after one series and running back Felix Jones after two.

Vick threw a touchdown pass on the opening series and again just before halftime. Alex Henery kicked field goals of 43 and 51 yards for the Eagles (7-8), who came within 7 seconds of a shutout. Dallas scored on a 4-yard TD pass from Stephen McGee to Miles Austin.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tony Romo made it look easy, shredding Tampa Bay's secondary at will and helping the Dallas Cowboys get back on track in the NFC East.

"This was an important game," Romo said after throwing for three touchdowns and running for a fourth first-half score Saturday night to lead the first-place Cowboys to a 31-15 rout of the struggling Buccaneers.

"Really the playoffs started for us; that's the way we approached it. Guys came out with great energy and it was a great week of practice. We just had to go forward."

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Yasinskas The Bucs lost their eighth consecutive game and are 4-10. Can the Bucs keep coach Raheem Morris, asks Pat Yasinskas. Blog

Dallas stopped a two-game losing streak in which it blew fourth-quarter leads to allow a seemingly solid grip on the division lead slip away.

The victory gave the Cowboys (8-6) a half-game lead over New York. Although the Giants hold a tiebreaker advantage after beating Dallas 37-34 last week, the Cowboys can claim the division title and host a playoff game by finishing with wins the next two weeks over Philadelphia at home and the Giants on the road.

"I think it showed our character, our resolve, what we're made of," Dallas linebacker Keith Brooking said. "It was obviously doom and gloom around Valley Ranch for the past couple of weeks -- kind of the world was caving in on us. But we just kept fighting and kept plugging away, and we still control our own destiny."

The Bucs (4-10), meanwhile, lost for the eighth straight time and played a miserable first half that certainly didn't do anything to help coach Raheem Morris make a case for keeping his job.

Romo threw a pair of 8-yard TD passes to Miles Austin and Dez Bryant in the first quarter, then finished a seven-play, 89-yard drive with a 9-yarder to Laurent Robinson to make it 21-0 with just under 5 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Romo increased the lead to 28 points on a quarterback sneak in the closing seconds of the opening half.

Romo rolls

All three of Tony Romo's touchdown passes came out of three-plus wide receiver formations Saturday. Romo has thrown 11 touchdown passes out of such formations over his last eight games, compared to one over his first six games.
Romo with 3+ WRs this season
    First 6 Games     Last 8 Games*
Comp pct     61.8     66.7
Yds/att     6.8     8.1
TD-Int     1-2     11-0
*16-20, 189 yds, 3 TDs Saturday

powered by ESPN Stats and Info

"I thought he just had a good feel for what we were doing against what they were doing," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "I thought he got back quickly and got the ball out of his hands, and when he had to move and make plays, he was able to do that too. He made a lot of big plays and not many bad plays."

Tampa Bay managed just one first down and was outgained 279 yards to 55 in the first two quarters, yet found a way to make it more interesting in the second half.

The Bucs, who had yielded 69 consecutive points dating to the second quarter of the previous week's 41-14 loss at Jacksonville, finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter when rookie Adrian Clayborn sacked Romo from behind, forcing a fumble that linebacker Dekoda Watson returned 4 yards for a TD for a much-needed spark.

Josh Freeman's 13-yard TD pass to Dezmon Briscoe and a two-point conversion throw to Kellen Winslow cut it to 31-15 heading into the final quarter.

The Cowboys have led in the fourth quarter in five of their six losses, however there wouldn't be a late collapse this time. Tampa Bay turned the ball over on downs twice in the last 6 minutes, and Sammy Morris picked up a first down inside the Bucs 10 to give the Cowboys an opportunity to run out the clock.

"Too little, too late," Morris said about Tampa Bay's comeback. "Not enough ... at the beginning. You can't dig holes like that for yourself."

Austin's TD midway through the first quarter was set up by Tampa Bay's NFL-leading 32nd turnover, a fumble by Freeman on the fifth play of the game.

The Tampa Bay quarterback scrambled 25 yards on third-and-5 to march the Bucs near midfield, but the opening possession of the night came to an abrupt halt on the next play when Freeman took off again for a 7-yard gain and was stripped of the ball at the Cowboys 44.

Linebacker Bradie James recovered and it took Romo seven plays to get Dallas in the end zone for the first time. The Cowboys marched 69 yards in 10 plays on their next possession, with Romo finishing the drive by finding a wide-open Bryant in the back of the end zone to make it 14-0.

In three career games against Tampa Bay -- all lopsided victories -- Romo has thrown for 908 yards, 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. He was 23 of 30 for 249 yards and was sacked twice Saturday night.

"I was just finding guys who were open and the guys do the rest," Romo said. "I thought the offense played good as a whole."

Felix Jones, back in the starting lineup after DeMarco Murray broke his right ankle last week in a 37-34 loss to the Giants, broke a 38-yard run on the drive leading to Robinson's TD and finished with 108 yards on 22 carries -- his second straight 100-yard performance had 67 yards rushing on 12 carries at halftime.

Freeman, making his second start since missing a game because of an injured throwing shoulder, was 17 of 27 for 148 yards and no interceptions. He led the Bucs in rushing with 37 yards on four attempts and was sacked three times, once by DeMarcus Ware, who notched his 16th of the season.

Thanks to a large contingent of Cowboys fans, the Bucs played before a sellout crowd at home for just the second time in two seasons. Judging by all the blue and white jerseys scattered throughout the 65,000-seat stadium, at least half the house appeared to be rooting for Dallas.

The Bucs have lost eight straight following a 4-2 start that included wins over NFC South rivals New Orleans and Atlanta. The skid has Morris on the hot seat just a year after the NFL's youngest head coach led his team to a surprising 10-6 finish that heightened expectations coming into this season.

Tampa Bay finishes up with games at Carolina and Atlanta. Freeman said Morris' status is out of his hands, but that he and his teammates intend to give maximum effort the rest of the way.

"If you're not going out and giving everything you have for these last two games, you don't really deserve to be out there," Freeman said. "You've got to take some pride in what you're doing."

Game notes
Tampa Bay CB Aqib Talib started after sitting out the previous week because of a sore right hamstring, however he aggravated the injury in the first half and did not return. ... By building an early lead, the Cowboys essentially took leading rusher LeGarrette Blount out of Tampa Bay's lineup. Blount, who rarely plays in passing situations, was limited to 21 yards on nine carries. ... Morris finished with 53 yards rushing on 12 attempts for the Cowboys.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

The Dallas Cowboys placed running back DeMarco Murray (ankle) and safety Barry Church (shoulder) on injured reserve today. Both players suffered their injuries against the N.Y. Giants (12/11).

Murray rushed for 897 yards on 164 carries (5.5 avg.) with two touchdowns while adding 26 catches for 183 yards in his rookie campaign.

Church was credited with 25 tackles, two tackles for loss and one pressure while adding 11 tackles on special teams.

The club signed veteran running back Sammy Morris (#23) and safety Mana Silva (#36) to the active roster and added cornerback C.J. Wilson (#27) to the practice squad.

Morris was originally drafted in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills out of Texas Tech. For his career, he has started 37-of-141 games playing for Buffalo (2000-2003-), Miami (2004-06) and New England (2007-10). He was released by New England on September 3, 2011 and remained out of football. Morris has carried the ball 708 times for 2,955 yards (4.2 avg.) with 26 touchdowns and added 161 receptions for 1,245 yards with one touchdown. 

Silva signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Hawaii following the 2011 NFL Draft. He spent time on their practice squad before his release on November 1, 2011. Silva was added to the Buffalo Bills' practice squad on November 10, where he remained until signing with Dallas.

Wilson was originally drafted in the fourth round (226th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers out of Baylor. For his career, he has played in 23 games (no starts) and recorded 17 tackles with four pass breakups and one fumble recovery. Wilson was released by Carolina on September 3, 2011.

Never count out Eli Manning and the New York Giants -- not in a game, or in the division race.

Down by 12 late in the fourth quarter of a game they had to win for a realistic chance to make the playoffs, the Giants put together two touchdown drives in the final 3:41 and Jason Pierre-Paul preserved it with a blocked field goal for a 37-34 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

Just like that, the Giants' four-game losing streak was done. And the NFC East race is cracked open, with New York reclaiming the inside track.

"We needed to have a locker room celebration," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "We were starving for this."

New York's recent skid was filled mostly with narrow losses to division leaders. The Giants (7-6) appeared headed to another setback trailing 34-22 with 5:41 left, but a series of clutch plays on their part and meltdowns by Dallas changed everything. The teams are tied, with the Cowboys headed to the Meadowlands for a season-ending rematch on New Year's Day.

"We knew what was on the line," Cowboys linebacker Bradie James said. "But those guys made one more play than we did."

Dallas has gone from winning four straight to losing two in a row, both in dramatic, frustrating fashion that involved missed kicks by rookie Dan Bailey, who'd been so good for so long this season. The Cowboys also lost running back DeMarco Murray to a broken right ankle, ending his record-setting rookie season.

"We certainly know we've got our work cut out for us," team owner Jerry Jones said in a brief statement.

Neither team led by more than five points for most of this back-and-forth game until Tony Romo threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant with no one else around. He strutted into the end zone, putting Dallas up 34-22 with 5:41 left.

Yet instead of that ending the excitement, the fun was just beginning.

Manning -- who'd already pulled out five wins in the fourth quarter this season -- mounted an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jake Ballard. The play had to withstand a video review to make sure he really got the ball past the front of the goal line before his knee landed inches shy of the stripe.

New York's defense followed with a three-and-out, and the Giants got another break when Dallas' usually reliable punter, Mat McBriar, had a 33-yarder, letting Manning take over at his 42 with 2:12 left.

Two penalties on the Cowboys' defense helped, as did completions of 21 and 18 yards to Ballard. Brandon Jacobs scored on a 1-yard run with 51 seconds left and D.J. Ware followed with the 2-point conversion.

Romo still had 46 seconds left. He hit Miles Austin for gains of 22 and 23 yards to set up Bailey for a 47-yard field goal that would force overtime. The rookie who'd made four winning kicks, but was coming off a game-losing debacle the previous week, split the uprights -- only it didn't count because Coughlin called a timeout.

On the do-over, Bailey's kick was clipped by the outstretched arms of Pierre-Paul. He'd been a disruption all night, sacking Romo for a safety early in the game and forcing a fumble in the second quarter.

"I rushed the center, put my hands up and got the block," Pierre-Paul said.

Manning was 27 of 47 for 400 yards and two touchdowns. It was his third 400-yard outing this season, and the club racked up 510 yards, its most since having 512 in December 2009.

Jacobs ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Hakeem Nicks had seven catches for 154 yards, including an early 64-yarder. Mario Manningham had two catches for 62 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown reception.

"Guys stepped up and made some big plays," Manning said. "It won't mean anything unless we finish the season strong. That's the mindset. We can't relax now or feel great about ourselves."

Romo was 21 of 31 for 321 yards with four touchdowns, two in the fourth quarter.

Laurent Robinson caught four passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, with a 74-yarder. Austin, who'd missed the previous six weeks with a hamstring injury, caught four passes for 63 yards with a touchdown.

Felix Jones ran for 106 yards, and caught six passes for 31 yards. He started the season as Dallas' featured running back, and will end it that way, too, now that Murray is gone. The rookie got his foot twisted awkwardly at the end of an 8-yard run in the first quarter. He finished his season with 897 yards, with a franchise-record 253 coming in one game.

"This one's going to hurt, it's going to sting, but we've got to figure out how to do things a little better and play our best game of the season next week," Romo said. "We need to get a win next week and get back going."

The Cowboys have lost six straight Sunday night games. They are 0-3 against the Giants at Cowboys Stadium. Romo also continued his trend of winning in November, then slumping in December.

Game notes
New York RB Ahmad Bradshaw did not start as punishment for breaking an unspecified team rule. He finished with 12 yards on eight carries, all in the second half. ... Romo went over 20,000 yards passing for his career, joining Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach and Danny White as the only Cowboys to do so. ... Cowboys C Phil Costa sustained a concussion, pushing rookie Kevin Kowalski into action for the first time. His snaps were OK, but he seemed flummoxed early in the final drive.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

The Arizona Cardinals did it again to Dallas.

For the third time in their three meetings since 2008 -- all of them in Arizona -- the Cardinals beat the Cowboys in excruciating fashion.

LaRod Stephens-Howling caught a short pass from Kevin Kolb and zipped 52 yards for a touchdown in overtime to give the Cardinals a 19-13 victory Sunday, snapping the Cowboys' four-game winning streak.

"There's something about the Cowboys," Arizona wide receiver Andre Roberts said. "I don't know."

The loss was made more painful because Dallas probably should have won it, but the Cowboys called a timeout a heartbeat before Dan Bailey's 49-yard field goal sailed through the uprights for what would have been the game-winner at the end of regulation.

"The play clock was running down. We just wanted to make sure that he had a real clean opportunity at it," Dallas coach Jason Garrett explained. "It was at about 6 (seconds) and we were still getting settled in, so we banged a timeout to give him the opportunity to get the snap, hold and kick as clean as possible."

Bailey's next try was short and to the left, sending the game to overtime.

"The first one, I felt like I hit it good. Obviously it went in," Bailey said. "We called the timeout, but that is my job to regroup and make the next one. I didn't do that. No excuses. I should have made it despite the circumstances."

Bailey earlier missed a 53-yarder, snapping a streak of 26 in a row he had made, dating to Week 2.

"I was glad they iced their kicker so I didn't have to," said Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, whose team won at home in overtime for the second time this season.

It was simply a typical Cowboys-Cardinals finish.

Last Christmas, Arizona beat Dallas 27-26 on Jay Feely's 48-yard field goal with 5 seconds to play. In 2008, the Cardinals won in overtime 30-24 on a blocked punt.

Stephens-Howling, who stands just 5-foot-7, dodged a host of would-be Cowboys tacklers to scamper in with the score.

"It was supposed to be a screen, but the linemen couldn't get out because the D-line was pressuring us," he said. "I saw the end zone when I turned around, I knew I had to go, and we had a lot of guys downfield helping me."

Kolb completed 16 of 25 passes for 247 yards in his first game in five weeks.

Tony Romo was 28 for 42 for 299 yards for the Cowboys.

Arizona (5-7), which has won four of five, beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season. The Cowboys (7-5) remained alone in first in the NFC East because the New York Giants (6-6) lost to undefeated Green Bay.

Each quarterback was sacked five times.

The Cardinals won the toss and got the ball for the first and only possession in overtime.

Kolb's 16-yard pass to Roberts, who had six catches for 111 yards, advanced the ball to the Dallas 47, but a false start penalty moved it back to the Arizona 48.

On first-and-15, Kolb threw a short swing pass to Stephens-Howling. The play easily got the first down, but the diminutive back stayed on his feet, avoided would-be tacklers and made a couple of nifty cuts en route to the end zone.

"LaRod felt it all get bottled up because the pressure came strong side, then he just kicked it out wide," Kolb said. "I tried to hold on as long as possible to give him enough room to make a play and then he does what he does best and that's making people miss in the open field. It was an exciting day and one I'll never forget, for sure."

Kolb was thinking field goal, not touchdown, as Stephens-Howling ran downfield.

"As soon as he broke for 20 (yards), I'm screaming behind him 'Go down! Go down!' " he said. "But when those guys get a chance, they're not going to, and I'm glad he didn't now."

Kolb, out with turf toe and a bruise on the side of his right foot since Oct. 30, was rusty early, but after halftime, he was 9 of 14 for 203 yards.

Bryant had eight catches for 86 yards, but DeMarco Murray managed just 38 yards on 12 carries. Beanie Wells gained 67 yards on 20 attempts, including a 5-yard touchdown run.

Kolb directed a quick six-play, 79-yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter to tie it at 13. The big plays were his passes of 40 and 22 yards to Roberts. Wells' TD run up the middle tied it with 13:08 remaining.

The Cardinals had to punt from the end zone late in the game after Early Doucet dropped a third-down pass that would have given Arizona a first down. Bryant returned the punt to the 22, but an illegal block in the back penalty against Orlando Scandrick pushed it back to the Dallas 40.

"Of course I think it was a bad call," Bryant said.

On third-and-11 from the Cardinals 46, Romo threw 15 yards to Bryant to the Arizona 31 as time slipped away. That set up Bailey's missed field goal.

As usual, there was a huge contingent of white-jerseyed Dallas fans, a fact apparent not only from the color of their apparel but from the loudness of the cheering when the Cowboys did something good.

But the team could not cash in on early opportunities. The Cowboys were in Arizona territory six of the seven times they had the ball in the first half, yet led only 10-3 at the half.

On Dallas' second possession, Bailey tried a 53-yarder, his longest since coming to the NFL, but was wide right, just his second miss in 28 attempts this season. Later in the first half, Bailey's 50-yard attempt bounced off the right upright and through to tie it at 3.

Arizona, meanwhile, was mired in awful field position most of the first half.

Dallas finally got the first touchdown late in the opening half. DeMarcus Ware's 15th sack of the season pinned the Cardinals at their own 2 and Bryant's 14-yard punt return put Dallas at Arizona's 33. Romo found Jason Witten over the middle for 28 yards to the Arizona 5, then threw to a wide-open Bryant for the touchdown. That put Dallas up 10-3.

"There were a lot of mistakes out there today," Romo said. "We can look at a lot of different areas. We are going to be very disappointed in some of the things we did as a football team."

Game notes
The roof at University of Phoenix Stadium was open for the second game in a row. ... Ten different players were credited for the game's 10 sacks. ... Dallas TE Martellus Bennett left with a rib injury in the third quarter.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=311204022

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Win big, win small; win pretty, win ugly. Tony Romo learned a long time ago that victories are the only thing that matter in the NFL.

So on a day when he was sloppier than he'd been in months, and when his defense was giving up plenty of long drives but only one touchdown, Romo had one chance to make it pay off -- and he did. He and DeMarco Murray led an efficient final drive, setting up rookie Dan Bailey for a 28-yard field goal as time expired to give the Dallas Cowboys a 20-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday.

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• Archer: Romo delivers again
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Dallas (7-4) won its fourth straight, and fourth this season decided by a kick by Bailey in the final two minutes or in overtime.

Heck, it was the second time in five days that he ended a game with a winning field goal.

"We're just finding ways to win," said Romo, who offset a pair of interceptions with a pair of touchdown passes.

That plucky formula will send the Cowboys into December leading the NFC East. They're a half-game ahead of the New York Giants, pending their game at New Orleans on Monday night. If New York wins, the clubs would be tied; a Saints win would keep Dallas on top alone.

"There is no favorite," Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman said. "I'll tell you what happens at the end of the season. We just have to keep on plugging and get some wins."

The Dolphins (3-8) had four drives that got within 10 yards of the end zone, yet settled for field goals every time. Their only touchdown came on a 35-yard pass from Matt Moore to Brandon Marshall.

You've Been Rob-ed

RobinsonCowboys wide receiver Laurent Robinson has four receiving touchdowns in the fourth quarter this season, tied for the most in the NFL.
Most 4th Quarter Rec TDs This Season
Player     Team     TDs
Laurent Robinson     DAL     4
Vincent Jackson     SD     4
Victor Cruz     NYG     4
Plaxico Burress     NYJ     4
Larry Fitzgerald     ARI     4

powered by ESPN Stats and Info

However, Miami still nearly pulled it out. In the second half, the Dolphins scored on all but their final drive, and that was all it took to end a three-game winning streak.

"When you come into somebody else's place, those (deep drives) have got to be touchdowns," Miami coach Tony Sparano said. "They've been touchdowns the last few weeks and that's why you win."

Eighteen years after these teams played another Thanksgiving game decided on a last-second field goal -- one best remembered for Leon Lett's gaffe on snow and ice -- conditions were so balmy that the glass end-zone doors at Cowboys Stadium were opened for the first time all season.

Maybe that's what caused both teams to play so sloppy for so long. TV viewers, especially anyone fresh off a huge holiday meal, might've dozed off watching the first half.

But things got plenty interesting after halftime. Moore led Miami on three straight scoring drives of at least 70 yards, the last putting the Dolphins up 19-17 with 7:14 left.

Dallas punted on its ensuing drive, then Moore was finally stopped, too. Miami punted and Dez Bryant made a rare appearance as a returner, taking it 20 yards.

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Romo took over at the Cowboys 36-yard line with 2:59 left. Jason Witten went into the huddle and told teammates, "We need this W, whatever it takes. No penalties. We've got to get it there," left guard Montrae Holland said.

Witten caught consecutive passes to put Dallas at the outer edge of Bailey's range. Then it was up to Murray to drive the ball closer.

With blood streaked across the white numbers on his blue jersey, Murray churned out 27 yards on the next five carries. His constant gains -- between 3 and 9 yards, including one where he went down rather than stretch for more and risk going out of bounds -- took the clock from 2:41 to :17. After a kneel-down to waste more time and center the ball between the hash marks, Bailey split the uprights.

"That's what they are paying me to do, I guess -- to go out there and make kicks," said Bailey, who has made 26 in a row, one shy of the club record.

Romo ended a streak of 128 straight passes without an interception, but he completed 22 of 34 for 226 yards. Many of those came while scrambling and some while also being hit or grabbed. He was patient waiting for a 5-yard touchdown pass to Laurent Robinson to develop, and the pair were in sync on an 18-yarder made with Romo moving to his left.

"He just kind of kept hanging in there," Garrett said. "I thought he moved in the pocket really well. In critical situations, he ... allowed us to make plays."

A Star Is Born?

DeMarco Murray is the latest in a long line of legendary Cowboys running backs, but Murray's rookie season may be better than any other in franchise history.
Most Rush Yards by Cowboys Rookie
1st 11 games, Since 1970
Season     Player     Yards
2011     DeMarco Murray     834
1977     Tony Dorsett     659
1990     Emmitt Smith     522
2005     Marion Barber     380
-- Source: ESPN Stats and Information

Murray ran 22 times for 87 yards, and caught four passes for 41 yards. Robinson caught seven passes for 79 yards. Witten had four catches for 43 yards and Bryant caught three balls for 35 yards.

Moore was 19 of 32 for 288 yards and a touchdown. He took four sacks and had trouble handling several snaps; one went through his hands and was recovered by Dallas only 5 yards from the end zone. That set up the first Romo-to-Robinson touchdown, with 55 seconds left in the half, ending Miami's streak of 13 quarters without allowing a touchdown.

Reggie Bush ran 16 times for 61 yards and had 35 more on three receptions. Marshall had 103 yards on five catches, including the TD pass hauled in while Newman had him in a headlock for about 5 yards.

"We felt like we played a good game all day, but we didn't make enough plays and they did," Miami safety Yeremiah Bell said. "That's the price you pay, so if we would have made more plays, we would have won the game."

Game notes
The Cowboys improved to 28-15-1 on Thanksgiving. Romo is 5-0 on the holiday; he missed last year's game -- which Dallas lost -- with a broken collarbone. ... The Dolphins are 3-4 on Thanksgiving. ... Miami's Shayne Graham, who was among Bailey's competition for the Dallas job in the preseason, made FGs of 23, 26, 27 and 28 yards.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

Tony Romo went this way and that way, scrambling to find Laurent Robinson for the game-tying touchdown and Jason Witten for the go-ahead score -- both in the fourth quarter.

When that wasn't enough, the Dallas quarterback used his feet again in overtime, buying enough time to spot Dez Bryant on a third-and-15. The 26-yard completion set up Dan Bailey's winning field goal Sunday as the Cowboys won their third straight, topping the hard-luck Washington Redskins 27-24.

"That's Romo. He's like a snake, man," Washington linebacker Brian Orakpo said. "When you rush him, he's slippery. He's all over the place."

Romo completed 23 of 37 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns -- plus no interceptions and a 100-plus quarterback rating for the third straight week. He keeps, with no dispute, his title as the NFL's Mr. November as he improved to 18-2 with 49 TDs and 12 interceptions in the month. The Cowboys (6-4) also keep their momentum in what is shaping up to be a fascinating December duel with the New York Giants for the NFC East title.

"He makes it look easy," Witten said. "I think it starts with his ability to see it before the snap, and he has a great awareness about him and an ability to make those type of throws. He's done it for a long time."

On the heels of back-to-back double-digit wins, Romo and the Cowboys had to rally against a team that has been in the doldrums for more than a month. The Redskins (3-7) have lost six straight, the longest skid since owner Dan Snyder bought the team in 1999 and extending the longest losing run in Mike Shanahan's head coaching career. The 1998 team started 0-7.

At least they mounted a stern challenge this time, proving there's always some steam in the Dallas-Washington rivalry. The Redskins scored more points than the 20 they had in their three previous games combined. They sent the game to overtime on Rex Grossman's 4-yard fade pass to Donte' Stallworth with 14 seconds left in regulation and barely missed winning when Graham Gano's 52-yard field goal was barely wide right on the opening possession of the extra period.

"It's not one of those games where we just got beat down," said Washington's Jabar Gaffney, who caught seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. "We gave it away. We gave that one away. We've got to learn how to win again."

The Redskins also suffered another injury along the offensive line. Left tackle Trent Williams hurt the MCL in his left knee on the missed overtime field goal. Shanahan said the injury "didn't look very good."

Grossman, making his second start since regaining the starting job from John Beck, completed 25 of 38 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Gano's miss set the stage for a flashback moment. It was on a third-and-21 that Romo found Bryant open against cornerback DeAngelo Hall for a 30-yard gain that set up the winning field goal in the Cowboys' 18-16 win over the Redskins in Week 3. Hall was again the victim in the key Romo-to-Bryant connection Sunday, leading to Bailey's 39-yard field goal 9:21 into overtime.

"The way I'm playing right now, they need to go and cut me," Hall said, "because I'm definitely not worth what I'm getting."

All seemed set for a dreary Redskins day. They were slumping, and their rivals came in on a roll. There was minimal buzz for the usually electric "Dallas Week," and there were so many Cowboys fans in the stadium that a huge roar went up when it was announced that the visitors had won the opening coin toss. Washington hadn't scored in the first half or held a lead since Oct. 4 and was using its fifth starting offensive line configuration in six weeks.

Grossman's 4-yard quarterback draw in the second quarter ended the first-half touchdown drought, and his 16-yard pass to Gaffney made the score 14-10 just before halftime -- giving Washington that ever-elusive lead.

Rookie DeMarco Murray ran for 73 yards on a workhorse 25 carries and also caught a team-high six passes for 32 yards for the Cowboys. However, unlike the previous two weeks when he wasn't sacked, Romo couldn't escape the Redskins' pass rush -- he went down four times.

Nevertheless, he extended plays when he needed to. With the Cowboys trailing 17-10, he tossed the 7-yard strike to Robinson, then rolled left to spot a wide-open Witten for a 59-yard score, a play that lasted almost as long as Romo's explanation.

"Once I got out of the pocket and started to roll, there was really one guy that was in the vicinity to where Jason's angle was going," he said. "So, I, just for a second, looked back. He kind of took it, stopped his feet. Because he was moving with me as I was moving left across the field with Jason right behind him, I just kind of stopped him with my eyes going back. He stopped, and then came back, and that's when he was out of position. Jason's angle was great, because he was kind of running away from him. It was perfect."

As simple as that.

Game notes
Dallas has won six of seven vs. Washington. ... Redskins CB Josh Wilson left with a hamstring injury. S LaRon Landry was inactive with an ailing left Achilles tendon, and rookie LG Maurice Hurt was out with a knee injury. ... RB Tashard Choice, making his Redskins debut against his old team on his birthday, had six carries for 7 yards.

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Tony Romo is finally healthy and now he's got a running game, too. Throw in an opportunistic defense and a kicker who hasn't missed since mid-September, and it's clear the Dallas Cowboys are headed in the right direction.

Just ask the Buffalo Bills.

Facing the best team he'll see for a month, Romo guided touchdown drives on his first four series, and Terence Newman returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown, sending the Cowboys cruising past the Bills 44-7 on Sunday.

Dallas (5-4) won its second straight and could be starting a big surge. Not only were the Cowboys clicking in all phases Sunday, they're going into a soft patch on their schedule. Their next three foes went into this weekend a combined 6-18.

"We needed a game like this," tight end Jason Witten said. "This needs to be the foundation of what lies ahead for this team."

The Cowboys scored their most points since Sept. 9, 2007, which was the first game that current coach Jason Garrett was coordinating the offense. They also enjoyed their most lopsided win since Oct. 22, 2000. This 37-point margin is bigger than any regular-season victory in Dallas with Jimmy Johnson, Bill Parcells or Barry Switzer on the sideline.

"I think that's as good as we played against a team that's credible," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "I think overall -- the (run-pass) balance, feeling like we could create problems for their defense -- I haven't felt like that since Jason has been the head coach. It shows we are making improvement."

Romo put Dallas ahead 21-0 by throwing touchdown passes of 34 yards to Dez Bryant and 58 and 5 yards to Laurent Robinson. He hit his first 13 attempts and finished 23 of 26 (88.5 percent), setting the franchise record for single-game accuracy.

Romo didn't lead any more touchdown drives after those first four possessions, but he also didn't do anything to ruin what he'd built.

He had no interceptions and wasn't sacked, doing both for a second straight week. Being error-free Sunday was especially noteworthy because he was facing the defense that leads the NFL in takeaways and had the second-most interceptions.

"We are learning a little bit about who we are and what we can do and what we are capable of doing," Romo said.

Romo is clearly benefiting from the rapid development of rookie running back DeMarco Murray. He turned 20 carries into 135 yards and a touchdown and had 35 yards on six receptions. Murray was a concern of the defense all day, drawing enough attention to create open space for Romo in the secondary.

Murray also continued to show it's going to take a lot of guys to stop him as he made several highlight-worthy moves -- hurdling safety Jairus Byrd and, on another play, cutting back across the field to turn a likely loss into a 25-yard gain.

"They can't load the box on us and they can't double-team wide receivers," Murray said.

Another reason for Romo's crisp performance: He's finally over the broken rib he hurt in Week 2. This was the first game he played since then without a special vest for protection.

Buffalo (5-4) lost its second straight and third in four games. The rout made it an especially bitter homecoming for coach Chan Gailey and running back Fred Jackson. Gailey coached the Cowboys to the playoffs in 1998-99, his only two years on the job, and Jackson grew up in this suburb, at one time living on the property that's now Cowboys Stadium.

Gailey said he told the Bills they did little right, but that he still believes in them.

"We will regroup and continue to work to get better," Gailey said. "But you have to go do it. Nobody's going to give you anything in this league."

Ryan Fitzpatrick was 20 of 31 for 146 yards and a touchdown, a 3-yarder to David Nelson punctuated by Nelson presenting the ball to his girlfriend -- a Cowboys cheerleader.

Fitzpatrick helped make Cowboys cheerleaders happy all afternoon. He threw a season-worst three interceptions and converted only 2 of 7 third-down attempts.

This was the second straight ugly outing for Fitzpatrick, who recently signed a $59 million, six-year contract.

"We put in some good practice time and really thought we'd come out here and play well," Fitzpatrick said. "It's hard to even think ahead right now because of how embarrassing that loss was."

Dallas' defense was opportunistic from the start, with DeMarcus Ware sacking Fitzpatrick on Buffalo's first offensive play. The Cowboys racked up four turnovers, including a fumble by Jackson. The local kid still had a productive day, gaining 114 yards on 13 carries.

Game notes
Buffalo's previous worst loss this season was by 16 points, the previous Sunday. ... This was Romo's 21st game with three TD passes, breaking the record held by Danny White. White also had the accuracy record of 87.5 percent (21 of 24). ... The Cowboys haven't won three in a row since the end of the 2009 season. ... Buffalo C Eric Wood left with a knee injury in the third quarter and was to be evaluated Monday. ... Witten caught five passes, pushing him past Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome for the third-most catches by a tight end in NFL history. ... Cowboys rookie kicker Dan Bailey made three field goals to extend his streak to 21 straight, the third-best in franchise history.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

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