Needing both a jolt and a stabilizing force on offense in the second half against the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris came through big time in Monday night's 20-17 victory, carrying the ball 11 times for 52 yards and a touchdown during those two crucial quarters.

Twenty-nine of those yards came on his first carry of the half.

"Big runs excite everybody," Morris said after the game. "So getting those definitely helps out mentally and it makes the physical part that much easier. It makes it a lot easier, but at the same time, you just got to go out there and do it."

Later on the Redskins' first drive of the third quarter, Morris, who was lined up alongside quarterback Colt McCoy in the shotgun, gave Washington its first touchdown of the evening, sprinting into the end zone nearly untouched for a five-yard score.

It was his first touchdown since Week 4.

"It's just one of those things where you just got to roll with the punches," Morris told the media when asked about his brief touchdown drought. "A little here, a little there, but eventually it's going to break.

"You can't expect to have a home run every time you get the ball as running back. So I don't get frustrated, just continue to stay positive and continue to work at."

In total, the Redskins rushed for 123 yards on 31 carries against Dallas, whose win streak was snapped at six.

Knowing how much the aerial attack relies on a sturdy run game, Morris commended the Washington running backs for doing "a great job" of keeping the Dallas defense on their toes in overtime thriller.

"It was kind of rough at first," Morris admitted of a first quarter in which the Redskins rushed for only one yard on five carries. "We got some rotation, different backs, a couple different looks and I think it really opened up towards the end of the second quarter and coming out after halftime and we really got after them in the run game."

The Florida Atlantic product said that individually, he was "able to find some creases and get it going."

Also playing a large factor in the final outcome?

Third-down efficiency. The Redskins have had their struggles on third down in recent games, but converted 6-of-14 attempts on Monday, extending several key drives.

"Another thing we did was convert on third down," Morris said. "If you can't covert on third down, you're going to be on the sideline. ... We did a good job converting on third down, did a great job of staying on the field and getting those opportunities to get our run game going and to open up our playbook and to make some plays in the passing game.

"Just getting the win and coming into someone's back yard, arguably the best team in the NFL right now, coming in their back yard and getting win and then a division win, this keeps us in the race."

RELATED LINKS:-- Young Cornerbacks Come Up Big On National Stage
-- Redskins Down Cowboys 20-17 In Dallas 

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