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Redskins.com's Andrew Walker takes a closer look at Sunday afternoon's matchup between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys at FedExField.

FIRST IMPRESSIONSThe last time the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys met, the Cowboys came into the game as one of the hottest teams in the NFL.

But the Redskins brought the fire extinguisher with them for that Week 8 matchup, defeating the Cowboys 20-17 in overtime in Arlington, Texas, and snapping their six-game winning streak.

On Sunday, once again, Dallas came into its matchup against Washington as one of the hottest teams in the league, winners of three straight – and five of its last six – and averaging 32 points per game since Week 10.

This time, however, the Cowboys were able to keep their momentum going.

The Redskins wrapped up their 2014 season with a 44-17 loss to the Cowboys in front of 80,897 fans at FedExField.

PLAY OF THE GAMESpeed kills.

On the Redskins' first drive of the game, it took just three plays for them to show off exactly why they were one of the top big-play teams in the NFL in 2014.

On first and 10 from the Washington 31, quarterback Robert Griffin III lined up under center, with running back Alfred Morris behind him and DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garçon lined up wide to his left.

On the snap, Griffin III faked a handoff to his right to Morris, before finding Jackson to his left on a designed screen play. Jackson already had a little daylight ahead of him, but the field was broken wide open when left tackle Trent Williams sprinted about seven yards ahead of the receiver to deliver a punishing block on Dallas safety Barry Church.

From there, Jackson turned on the burners for a 69-yard touchdown.

With the play, he was able to add to his league-leading totals in total touchdowns of 50-plus yards (21) and receptions of 50-plus yards (26) since entering the league in 2008, and became the first member of the Redskins with four 50-yard touchdowns in a season since Santana Moss, who had four in 2005.

Jackson also tied Ken Burrough and Devin Hester (21) for the sixth-most total touchdowns of 50 yards or more in the NFL since the 1970 merger.

PLAYER OF THE GAMEKeenan Robinson on Sunday made the most of his first appearance on the field since injuring his knee Nov. 30 against the Indianapolis Colts.

He was clearly trying to make up for lost time.

The third-year Texas product was all over the field for the Redskins' defense against the Cowboys, collecting 10 tackles, one pass defensed and a sack for a loss of 16 yards that ended the first half.

Robinson continued to impress with his sideline-to-sideline speed and tackling abilities – something he displayed up until that Week 13 injury against the Colts – and unofficially ended his first year as a starter with a team-best 109 tackles with 2.5 sacks, 3 passes defensed and an interception and fumble recovery each on the year.

Robinson is one of a few extremely talented – and young – defensive players the Redskins are excited about bringing back for what they hope is a huge turnaround in 2015.

UNSUNG HEROJackson Jeffcoat is making the most of his opportunities.

A week after recording his first-career sack against the Philadelphia Eagles, Jeffcoat -- the son of former Cowboys great defensive end Jim Jeffcoat -- earned his first-career interception in the fourth quarter of

Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

With Dallas backed up deep in their own territory, quarterback Tony Romo tried to thread the needle on a touch pass over Jeffcoat's head, but the Texas product made a nice adjustment to pluck the ball out of the air and return it to the Cowboys' 16-yard line.

Jeffcoat is on a mission to show everybody around the league that he shouldn't have gone undrafted after such a solid career with the Longhorns. At this rate, it'll be interesting to see how he can take these advantage of these opportunities moving forward.

WHAT'S NEXTWell, that's it, folks. The 2014 season is in the books.

For most Redskins players, the season officially wraps up tomorrow, when they head into the facility for a final team meeting, exit interviews with their coaches – and the media – before cleaning out their lockers for the offseason.

Some players will stick around the area to train and to get treatment for various injuries, while others will head to their respective hometowns for a bit until returning as soon as April 20 for the first official day of the offseason workout program.

Here are some key NFL 2015 offseason dates to keep in mind:

Dec. 29, 2014:
• Clubs may begin signing free agent players for the 2015 season.

• Clubs may renegotiate or extend the rookie contract of a drafted rookie who was selected in the 2012 NFL Draft.  Any permissible renegotiated or extended player contract will not be considered a rookie contract, and will not be subject to the rules that limit rookie contracts.

• Option exercise period begins for fifth-year option for first-round selections from the 2012 NFL Draft. To exercise the option, the club must give written notice to the player on or after December 29, 2014 but prior to May 3, 2015.

Jan. 17, 2015:
• East-West Shrine Game, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Jan. 24:
• Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala.

Jan. 25:
• Pro Bowl, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.

Feb. 1:
• Super Bowl XLIX, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.

Feb. 2:
• Waiver system begins for 2015.

Feb. 10:
• Beginning at 12 noon, New York time, NFL clubs may begin to sign players whose 2014 CFL contracts have expired. Players under contract to a CFL club for the 2015 season or who have an option for the 2015 season are not eligible to be signed.

Feb. 16:
• First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

Feb. 17-23:
• NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.

March 2:
• Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 7-10:
• Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2014 contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 10. However, a contract cannot be executed with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 10.

March 10:
• Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must exercise options for 2015 on all players who have option clauses in their 2014 contracts.

• Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must submit qualifying offers to their Restricted Free Agents with expiring contracts and to whom they desire to retain a Right of First Refusal/Compensation.

• Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2014 contracts and who have fewer than three accrued seasons of free agency credit.

• Top-51 Begins. All clubs must be under the 2015 salary cap prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time.

• All 2014 player contracts expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time.

• The 2015 league year and free agency period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time. The first day of the 2015 league year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 10. Clubs will receive a personnel notice that will include all transactions submitted to the league office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 10.

• Trading period for 2015 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2014 contracts.

March 22-25:
• Annual Meeting, Phoenix, Ariz.

April 20:

• Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.

April 24:
• Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign offer sheets.

April 29:
• Deadline for prior club to exercise Right of First Refusal to Restricted Free Agents.

April 30-May 2:
• 2014 NFL Draft, Chicago.

May 8-11:
• First weekend after the NFL Draft: clubs may elect to hold their three-day post-draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday.

May 11:
• Rookie Football Development Program begins.

May 15-18:
• Second weekend after the NFL Draft: clubs may elect to hold their three- day post-draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday.

May 18-20:
• NFL Spring League Meeting, San Francisco.

June 1:
• For any player removed from the club's roster or whose contract is assigned via waivers or trade on or after June 1, any unamortized signing bonus amounts for future years will be included fully in team salary at the start of the 2016 League Year.

• Deadline for prior club to send "June 1 Tender" to its unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents.  If the player has not signed a contract with a club by July 22 or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later, he may negotiate or sign a contract from that date until the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, at 4:00 p.m., New York time, only with his prior club.

• Deadline for prior club to send "June 1 Tender" to its unsigned Restricted Free Agents who received a qualifying offer for a Right of First Refusal Only in order for such player to be subject to the CBA's "June 15 Tender" provision.

June 15:
• Deadline for club to withdraw qualifying offer to Restricted Free Agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting "June 15 Tender" of one-year contract at 110 percent of the player's prior-year Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior-year contract carried forward unchanged).

June 21-27:
• Rookie Symposium, Aurora, Ohio.

July 15:
• At 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for any club that designated a Franchise Player to sign such player to a multi-year contract or extension.  After this date, the player may sign only a one-year contract with his prior club for the 2015 season, and such contract cannot be extended until after the club's last regular season game.

Mid-July:
• Clubs are permitted to open preseason training camp for rookies and first-year players beginning seven days prior to the club's earliest permissible mandatory reporting date for veteran players.

• Veteran players (defined as a player with at least one pension- credited season) other than quarterbacks or "injured players" (as defined in CBA Article 21, Section 6) may report to a club's preseason training camp no earlier than 15 days prior to the club's first scheduled preseason game or July 15, whichever is later.

• Veteran quarterbacks and injured players may be required to report to the club's preseason training camp no earlier than five days immediately prior to the mandatory reporting date for all other veteran players, provided the club has already opened (or simultaneously opens) its official preseason training camp for all rookies and first-year players.

• A three-day acclimation period will apply to players who are on a club's roster up to and including the mandatory veteran reporting date. Players who join the roster after that date may practice (including wearing pads) and play immediately after passing a physical.

July 22 (or the first-scheduled day of NFL training camp, whichever is later):
• Signing Period ends for unrestricted Free Agents to whom a "June 1 Tender" was made by prior club. - - • After this date and until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights.

• Signing period ends for Transition Players with outstanding tenders.  After this date and until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights.

RELATED LINKS:-- Follow @Redskins On Twitter
-- Washington Redskins Media Gallery

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