ARLINGTON, Tex. -- The Washington Redskins were back within one possession early in the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. They received the second-half kickoff, drove 58 yards in six plays and were rewarded with a 42-yard field goal from kicker Dustin Hopkins.
Once down, 20-3, the Redskins now faced a seven-point deficit.
However, that's as close as the Redskins would get to their NFC East rival in a 47-16 defeat. The Cowboys immediately responded with a touchdown, then scored two more touchdowns before the end of the third quarter to go ahead, 37-16.
The loss caps a 3-13 season for the Redskins, their worst since 1994. They'll have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Check out photos of the Washington Redskins during their regular season Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Redskins' season-long issues were apparent throughout Sunday's game at AT&T Stadium.
Their league-worst third-down defense (49%) allowed the Cowboys to convert 8 of their 5 tries (53%), while their 31st-ranked rushing defense (141.1 yards allowed per game) gave up 222 on the ground and allowed an 100-yard rusher for the fourth straight game (Ezekiel Elliott gobbled up 135 total yards and two touchdowns on 21 touches).
As a whole, the Cowboys' top-ranked offense compiled 516 total yards and 47 points -- the most the Redskins have allowed since Week 13 of the 2014 season. Quarterback Dak Prescott had yet another 300-yard passing game and threw for four touchdowns.
There were bright spots, such as rookie outside linebacker Montez Sweat, who stuffed the stat sheet with five tackles (two for loss), three quarterback hits, two sacks and a forced fumble. Offensively, Steven Sims Jr. scored his fourth receiving touchdown in his past three games as part of his five-reception, 81-yard afternoon.
But in the end, the Redskins' problems were too great to overcome. They entered the game last in time of possession (27 minutes, 18 seconds), yet they had the ball for just 25:45 of Sunday's regular season finale. They were tied for 31st in third-down conversions (30%), yet were 1-for-12 in those situations against the Cowboys.
They were in the game early in the third quarter, threatening to eliminate any sort of hope that Dallas had of making the postseason. But then the Cowboys scored 27 unanswered points, eliminating any chance of the Redskins finishing the 2019 campaign on a positive note.
