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Cowboys pound Redskins to end regular season

Dec 29, 2014 - 12:49 AM Landover, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Tony Romo had a pair of touchdown passes to Dez Bryant as the Dallas Cowboys pounded the Washington Redskins, 44-17, in the final game of the regular season.

Dallas came into the game having already secured its first NFC East crown since 2009 and had the potential to sit as high as first overall, but will have the third seed and host the Detroit Lions next week.

"Our job was to take care of what needed taking care of," said Dallas head coach Jason Garrett. "That's what we did. We practiced right all week and I thought we played the right way today."

Romo finished the game 22-for-34 for 299 yards with an interception, and DeMarco Murray set a franchise record for rushing yards in a season for the Cowboys (12-4), who won their final four games of the season to post their best mark since a 13-3 finish in 2007.

"I'm playing at a level I'm proud of and hope to get better," said Romo. "I'm just excited about the progression of improvement and want to keep this going in our next game."

Murray, who totaled 100 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, finished the regular season with an NFL-best 1,845 yards to surpass Emmitt Smith's single- season mark of 1,773 yards in 1995.

Robert Griffin III finished off a lackluster season with 336 yards and a touchdown along with two interceptions on 27-of-41 attempts for the Redskins (4-12), who finished last in the division for a second straight year.

"As a player, you always have to know who you are," said Griffin. "I know who I am and what I need to get better at. We get to play this game and have an opportunity to play this game, it's a blessing."

The Cowboys started the game with the ball and put points on the board as Dan Bailey hit a 36-yard field goal to give the team a 3-0 lead just under four minutes in. Jason Witten caught a pair of passes for 25 yards on the drive.

Each team then exchanged long touchdowns, with the Redskins scoring after DeSean Jackson caught a short pass out to the left and getting a nice block on his way to a 69-yard score. It was the first opening drive touchdown for Washington in 13 games.

Four plays later, Bryant caught a short pass out to the left and made a move past the initial defender and raced down the sideline, stiff-arming another tackler near the end zone on his way to a 65-yard score.

After a three-and-out, the Cowboys put more points on the board when Romo went deep to the left corner of the end zone and Bryant made a leaping grab for a 23-yard score. The play was initially ruled incomplete, but a review showed that Bryant held the ball and got both feet on the ground before going out of bounds.

On the play before the score, Murray took a carry for 32 yards to break Smith's single-season rushing record.

Getting the ball back after another three-and-out from the Redskins, the Cowboys got a 32-yard field goal from Bailey for a 20-7 lead, and quickly got the ball back as they recovered a surprise onside kick attempt.

The short field enabled Dallas to take a 20-point lead, as Murray broke a couple of tackles on his way to a 9-yard score with 8:10 to play in the first half.

Washington came back with a nearly seven-minute drive that got the team into the red zone, but came away with just a 25-yard field goal from Kai Forbath to make it a 27-10 game going into the break.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Redskins were able to make it a 10-point game with 6:45 to play as Griffin ran the ball in for a 2-yard score to cap a 10-play, 58-yard drive.

The Cowboys, though, came back with a 61-yard drive capped on a Bailey 23-yard field goal with 3:31 to play to put the game out of reach.

Griffin fumbled the ball two plays later, with Anthony Spencer taking it in from five yards out, and Joseph Randle's 65-yard touchdown run with 1:40 to play turned the game into a rout.

Game Notes

Bryant set the franchise record for touchdown receptions in a season with 16, passing Terrell Owens mark of 15 set in 2007 ... Dallas went 8-0 on the road this season ... Washington finished the season 3-5 at home ... Dallas totaled 457 yards and Washington finished with 413.