LANDOVER, Maryland - Observed and heard in the locker room after the Dallas Cowboys’ 44-17 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday at FedEx Field.
Finish the fight: Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said there was no such thing as a meaningless game. Even if Sunday's victory doesn’t improve the Cowboys’ playoff standing, it was important to the coach to make sure the Cowboys entered the playoffs with a victory. With a 27-7 lead in the second quarter, the Cowboys took control early. “Our job was to take care of what we needed to take care of and control what we can control,” Garrett said. “That’s what we did, and we practiced the right way this week. I thought we played the right way today. A big part of today was how we started it. I thought we did a great job offensively, cashing in early. I thought we responded well after they made the big play and kept putting it on them.”
Record-setters: On back-to-back plays, DeMarco Murray became the Cowboys’ single-season rushing leader and Dez Bryant set the single-season record for touchdown catches in a season. Murray finished with 100 yards on 20 carries to close the regular season with 1,845 yards. Emmitt Smith held the record with 1,773 yards in 1995. Bryant caught touchdown passes of 65 and 23 yards to give him 16 touchdowns -- one more than Terrell Owens recorded in 2007. But neither player cared much about the records. “We all know what we want at the end of the year,” Murray said. “Those records don’t mean much. We’re fighting for something bigger.”
Health update: Rookie linebacker Anthony Hitchens left in the second quarter with a right high-ankle sprain. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said there is hope it is not as serious as some high-ankle sprains can be. Defensive tackle Henry Melton suffered a left knee injury and did not play in the second half. It is the same knee in which he tore his anterior cruciate ligament last year. Coach Jason Garrett and Jones were not sure of the severity. Linebacker Rolando McClain remained in Dallas with an illness. “He wanted to come, but by the time we were leaving [Saturday], nothing had really changed, so it was in the best interests of him and the football team not to be here,” Garrett said.
