Redskins 35-7 Cowboys - Verdict

Washington fans could not have hoped for a better early present, while Drew Bledsoe is not the only Dallas resident who will have woken up on Monday morning hoping the whole thing was just a nightmare before Christmas.

The Redskins defensive front put massive pressure on Bledsoe all day, exposing a weakness at left tackle that has been screamingly evident since Flozell Adams was lost for the season with a knee injury in week six.

Dallas's young defense, which had stood up to the pass so well for the first two-thirds of the season, appeared unable to half Clinton Portis and Troy Cooley (playing the H-back position invented by coach Joe Gibbs during his first spell at Washington and now used around the league) left them completely bamboozled.

Only once did Dallas look like altering their game plan to deal with the heavy pressure, looking to use short passes in the drive just before half-time, a drive killed by the second of three interceptions.

Even if these two sides end up with even records, Washington now has the tie-break advantage after winning both games this season. It only took 60 minutes of play for Dallas's promising year to come to nothing.

NFLBriefing.com