ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott showed off his strong arm even when effectively using his feet in yet another victory.
While the rookie’s season-low passing total of 195 yards was less than half of what Washington’s Kirk Cousins had on Thanksgiving Day, the Dallas rookie used a stiff-arm to get extra yards on one play and later tied the single-season franchise record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a 31-26 victory.
“You see him run by a secondary player and then when he puts that stiff arm on there, you quit worrying about him a little bit,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said about his young quarterback running the ball.
The NFL-leading Cowboys (10-1), with their rookie combo of Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, stretched their team-record winning streak to 10 games. They have their 10th win by Thanksgiving for only the second time since 1995 — the last of their five Super Bowl championship seasons.
Prescott’s stiff-arm on Washington safety Donte Whitner for extra yards on an 18-yard run immediately before he threw a touchdown late in the first half.
“Guys are tired, guys are beat us. But that’s no excuse,” Whitner said. “We didn’t make enough plays.”
The Redskins (6-4-1) were within 17-12 after Cousins threw a 5-yard TD pass to Jordan Reed on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Elliott started the ensuing drive with a 21-yard run.
Prescott completed all three passes on that drive, including a short throw to Elliott for a 19-yard gain before rolling to his right and sneaking into the front corner of the end zone. The 6-yard score was Prescott’s fifth rushing TD and matched Don Meredith’s total in 1966.
“I just let the game come to me. I never go into a game thinking I have to rush for so many yards or have so many carries,” said Prescott, who had eight carries for 39 yards. “They were matching some routes and doing a good job of that. But they didn’t have anyone to contain me or assigned to me. I was just using my feet.”
After Washington scored again, Prescott scrambled for 7 yards to converted third-and-7 — and Dallas got an extra 15 yards when Whitner was penalized for unnecessary roughness after his hit on the sliding quarterback. Prescott then almost took off running again before he saw Dez Bryant in 1-on-1 coverage and delivered a strike for a 26-yard gain to the 1.
“Over and over again at critical times, he came up with big plays,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He made a lot of plays with his feet out in space. He made plays with his arm. … He handled different situations really, really well.”
Here are a few things learned after the latest Redskins-Cowboys holiday matchup:
NO LOVE LOST
After professing their respect for each other before first their first meeting in Week 2, Bryant and high-priced Washington CB Josh Norman were facemask-to-facemask after Round 2. “Tell Washington to get their money back,” Bryant yelled at reporters on his way into the locker room. During the game, Bryant was most upset when Norman grabbed his leg after a tackle on a catch in the second half. They had to be separated after the game .
SOME NUMBERS
While Cousins threw for 449 yards and three touchdowns, all of the scores coming in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys are the only NFL team this season that still hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher. … Dallas was held to 353 total yards, ending their streak of eight consecutive 400-yard games. That matches the NFL record with the 2007 New England Patriots and 2013 Denver Broncos.
TOUGH REED
When Redskins TE Jordan Reed fell hard on his shoulder in the first half, it wasn’t clear if he would return. “I was a little surprised,” Cousins said. “He can’t watch, he wants to play.” Reed finished with 10 catches, including seven for two TDs in the fourth quarter.
TONY’S THANKSGIVING
Tony Romo hasn’t played a regular-season game for the Cowboys since their Thanksgiving Day game last season, when he broke his collarbone for the second time in a matter of months. He has now been active as Prescott’s backup the past two games after a back injury in the preseason.
