Very Ordinary Cowboys Come Up Just Short Again

It might have been the night the nation got a glimpse of the average team the Dallas Cowboys seem to have become.

Stephen Davis, subbing for the injured Terry Allen, ran for two touchdowns and backup tight end James Jenkins caught a 13-yard TD pass from Gus Frerotte as the Washington Redskins beat the Cowboys 21-16 Monday night.

In the end, it came down to a Washington defense led by its secondary - Darrell Green, Cris Dishman, Stanley Richard and Jesse Campbell - that held off the Cowboys after they had cut a 21-3 deficit to 21-16.

First, Richard stopped Sherman Williams on third-and-1 at the Dallas 44 with 6 minutes left, then Dishman rushed Troy Aikman into a third-down incompletion, and Green stayed with Anthony Miller on a fourth-down pass to the end zone with 2:32 left. And the Redskins held Emmitt Smith to 61 yards on 17 carries - just 34 after he gained 27 on his first two runs.

“They keep coming, they’re good and you have to keep staying with them,” Dishman said of Dallas. “You have to make plays on every down against a team like that.”

It’s the second straight week Dallas (3-3) had come back only to fail in the end. Last week it trailed the New York Giants 20-9 in the fourth quarter, closed to 20-17, but couldn’t get off a late field goal attempt.

And again it was the Dallas offense that failed, getting into the end zone only once and remaining the only NFL team without a rushing touchdown.

“Dallas is pretty basic,” Harvey said. “We knew they were going to run the ball and establish a ground game.”

One Dallas TD came on rookie linebacker Dexter Coakley’s 18-yard fumble return, and the Cowboys cut it to 21-16 on Aikman’s 14-yard TD pass to Michael Irvin with 9:40 left in the game.

But Washington, particularly the secondary, made the lead stand up.

“When we play well we can stop most teams,” said linebacker Ken Harvey, whose sack of Aikman forced a fumble that set up a Washington TD.

Dallas had only two sustained drives - the one for the score and an opening drive that took it crisply to the Washington 2, but the Cowboys couldn’t get in the end zone. That’s been typical of the Cowboys’ troubles - they have just four TDs on their last 20 trips inside the 20.

“We just bog down and don’t make the plays. If you’ve got any answers, come help us,” coach Barry Switzer told reporters. “It’s just frustrating.”

But Washington found a way.

Allen sprained his left knee early and didn’t return and Washington also had to play without receiver Michael Westbrook, who also sprained his left knee.

The Redskins (4-2) took over first place in the NFC East, a half-game ahead of the Giants and a game ahead of the Cowboys.

“Something’s wrong with this picture,” Deion Sanders said. “No one is standing out right now.”