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Week 10: Redskins (6-3) vs. Cowboys (5-4)

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Gameday Graphic for Game on 11/16/2008

Coming off their bye week, the Redskins renew their long-standing rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Nov. 16 at FedExField. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. ET. The Redskins-Cowboys game is presented by GEICO.

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FedExField is a natural grass surface. The stadium seats 91,704.

It's the first NFC East home game the Redskins have played this year. The Redskins are 2-1 in NFC East play this season. They lost to the New York Giants 16-7 in Week 1, but later defeated the Cowboys 26-24 in Week 4 and the Philadelphia Eagles 23-17 in Week 5.

The Redskins are 3-2 at FedExField so far this season. They are 0-2 in nationally televised prime time games, with losses to the Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9.

Since 1990, the Redskins are 12-7 coming off a bye. The Cowboys are also coming off a bye this week and they have a 14-5 record in games following their bye.

The game will be televised to a national audience on NBC. Al Michaels handles the play by play with color commentary from John Madden. Andrea Kremer serves as sideline reporter.

On radio, the game will be broadcast locally on ESPN 980. Larry Michael handles the play by play with color commentary by Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff. Rick "Doc" Walker serves as sideline reporter.

Westwood One Radio will also broadcast the game nationally. Dave Sims handles the play by play with color commentary by Jim Fassel.


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PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS

OFFENSE
Pos. Redskins Cowboys
WR 89 Santana Moss 81 Terrell Owens
LT 60 Chris Samuels 76 Flozell Adams
LG 66 Pete Kendall 63 Kyle Kosier
C 61 Casey Rabach 65 Andre Gurode
RG 77 Randy Thomas 70 Leonard Davis
RT 76 Jon Jansen 75 Marc Colombo
TE 47 Chris Cooley 82 Jason Witten
WR 82 Antwaan Randle El 84 Patrick Crayton
QB 17 Jason Campbell 9 Tony Romo
FB 45 Mike Sellers 34 Deon Anderson
RB 26 Clinton Portis 24 Marion Barber
DEFENSE
Pos. Redskins Cowboys
DE 99 Andre Carter 96 Marcus Spears
DT 96 Cornelius Griffin 90 Jay Ratliff
DT 64 Kedric Golston 99 Chris Canty
DE 55 Jason Taylor 98 Greg Ellis
SLB 53 Marcus Washington 56 Bradiie James
MLB 59 London Fletcher 55 Zach Thomas
WLB 52 Rocky McIntosh 94 DeMarcus Ware
LCB 24 Shawn Springs 41 Terence Newman
RCB 22 Carlos Rogers 42 Anthony Henry
SS 48 Chris Horton 25 Patrick Watkins
FS 30 LaRon Landry 26 Ken Hamlin
SPECIAL TEAMS
Pos. Redskins Cowboys
P 1 Ryan Plackemeier 2 Sam Paulescu
K 6 Shaun Suisham 6 Nick Folk
H 1 Ryan Plackemeier 14 Brad Johnson
LS 67 Ethan Albright 91 L.P. Ladouceur
KOR 31 Rock Cartwright 19 Miles Austin
PR 82 Antwaan Randle El 84 Patrick Crayton


SERIES HISTORY

Sunday night's Redskins-Cowboys matchup marks the 98th time the two clubs have played since their storied rivalry began in 1960.

The two teams have played at least twice a year each regular season since 1961, with the exception of the strike-shortened 1982 season.

Dallas leads the all-time series 56-39-2, with victories in 16 of the last 22 games. The Redskins have won five of the last seven contests, however.

In Week 4 earlier this season, the Redskins defeated the Cowboys 26-24 at Texas Stadium. The Redskins held a 38-minute time of possession advantage and out0rushed the Cowboys 161-44 in the game.

After trailing 7-0 early on, the Redskins scored 17 points in the second quarter and led 26-17 late in the fourth quarter. The defense fended off a late rally to seal the win in the last Redskins-Cowboys regular season game at Texas Stadium.

Shaun Suisham connected on four field goals in the game. Jason Campbell completed 20-of-31 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, while Clinton Portis logged 121 rushing yards and Santana Moss hauled in eight passes for 145 yards.

The Redskins and Cowboys split their season series in the 2006-07 seasons.

The first time the two clubs met was in 1960. The Cowboys were just three weeks old and has lost their first game. Dallas headed to Washington for its first-ever road contest and lost 26-14 in front of 21,142 fans.

The Redskins and Cowboys have clashed twice in the postseason, with Washington winning both meetings: 26-3 in the 1972 NFC Championship Game and 31-17 in the 1982 NFC Championship Game.


TALE OF THE TAPE

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REDSKINS 2008 RANKINGS
Offense Rank Yards/Game
Total Offense 11 348.3
Rushing Offense 4 144.7
Passing Offense 18 203.7
Defense Rank Yards/Game
Total Defense 4 272.1
Rushing Defense 6 80.7
Passing Defense 8 191.4

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COWBOYS 2008 RANKINGS
Offense Rank Yards/Game
Total Offense 12 345.2
Rushing Offense 8 115.8
Passing Offense 10 229.4
Defense Rank Yards/Game
Total Defense 11 300.9
Rushing Defense 17 107.1
Passing Defense 11 193.8


FAMILIAR FACES ON THE COWBOYS

Quarterback Brad Johnson played for the Redskins from 1999-2000. Johnson started 27 games in two seasons. In 1999, he passed for 4,005 yards, second-most in franchise history, and threw 24 touchdowns.

Midwest area scout Bill DeKraker was in the Redskins' scouting department from 1995-97.


REDSKINS-COWBOYS NEWS & NOTES

-- Highlights of the Rivalry

The Redskins-Cowboys rivalry is always a highlight of the NFL regular season. Here's a breakdown of the series:

-- 49 games have been decided by 10 points or more
-- 33 games have been decided by two or more touchdowns
-- 19 games have been decided by three or more touchdowns
-- 38 games have been decided by less than a touchdown
-- There have been two ties, a 28-28 game in 1961 and a 35-35 game in 1962
-- Dallas had a 10-game winning streak from 1997-2002
-- Biggest Redskins win was by 28 points in 2005
-- Biggest Redskins loss was by 35 points in 1993
-- The two clubs have played 14 Monday Night games, six Thanksgiving games, three Sunday night games, one Friday game and a Saturday game
-- The two clubs have played eight season openers and seven season finales

-- First-Year Head Coaches

Jim Zorn is 6-3 in his first nine games as head coach. He is aiming to lead the Redskins to their third winning season in the last four years.

Zorn is looking to become the seventh Redskins head coach to record a winning record in his first year at the helm.

The list of first-year head coaches with winning records includes Ray Flaherty (7-5 in 1936), Dutch Bergman (6-3-1 in 1943), Dudley DeGroot (6-3-1 in 1944), Dick Todd (5-4 in 1951), Vince Lombardi (7-5-2 in 1969) and George Allen (9-4-1 in 1971).

Seven first-year head coaches finished their rookie campaign with a .500 mark, while 12 finished with a losing record.

-- Zorn As a Cowboy

As an undrafted rookie quarterback, Jim Zorn got his NFL start with the Dallas Cowboys in 1975. He spent time in the Cowboys' training camp, playing behind future Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach.

"I played in Texas Stadium a long, long time ago," Zorn said. "I played in my first NFL [preseason] game there, against the Oakland Raiders."

Zorn was released by the Cowboys and eventually signed on with the Seattle Seahawks in 1976.

He started all 14 games with the Seahawks in 1976 and went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL.

-- Gathering Moss

Against Dallas, Moss has had some of the best games of his 8-year NFL career. In Week 4 earlier this season, Moss caught eight passes for 145 yards in the Redskins' 26-24 win over the Cowboys at Texas Stadium.

In two games versus Dallas last year, Moss caught 17 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

Overall, Moss has caught 41 passes for 747 yards--an 18.2 yards-per-catch clip--and four touchdowns in seven games against the Cowboys.

Of course, Moss's best game versus Dallas came in 2005 when he caught two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 70-yarder from Mark Brunell, to help the Redskins come back and beat the Cowboys 14-13 at Texas Stadium.

-- Cooley And the Cowboys

Chris Cooley is emerging as a player to be reckoned with when the Redskins take on the Dallas Cowboys.

In eight games against the Cowboys, Cooley has caught 34 passes for 391 yards and five touchdowns.

Chris Cooley has caught a pass in 65 straight regular season contests, dating back to Week 9 of the 2004 season.

For his career, Cooley has 279 receptions. He is in second place on the Redskins' career receptions list for tight ends, trailing only Jerry Smith who has 421.

-- Starting In 'Big D'

Three Redskins players got their NFL start in Dallas before finding a home in Washington.

Khary Campbell originally signed with Dallas as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2002. He spent time on the Cowboys' practice squad, eventually landing in Washington in 2004.

Demetric Evans played the 2001-02 seasons with the Cowboys. In 2001, he logged 35 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble in 16 games played. He joined the Redskins as a free agent prior to the 2004 season.

Shaun Suisham played parts of two seasons with Dallas in 2005-06. He played in six games, replacing injured Mike Vanderjagt, and connected on 4-of-6 field goals. He signed with Washington in December 2006.

-- Portis and Alexander

With the addition of Shaun Alexander to Washington's offense on Oct. 14, the Redskins now have two of the top eight active career rushing leaders on the team.

Alexander has 9,452 yards and Clinton Portis has 8,710 yards, as of Week 10 this season. They are two of 30 players in NFL history with at least 8,500 career rushing yards on their resume.

The only other team to have a pair of 8,500-yard rushers playing together was the 1992 Los Angeles Raiders, which featured Hall of Famers Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson.

-- NFC East the Toughest Division?

The four teams of the NFC East have combined for a 24-12 record, the best among the NFL's eight divisions. The clubs have a 18-6 mark outside the division.

The NFC East is the only division without a team with a losing record.

Five of the Redskins' six wins have come against NFC foes, a total which is tied with Tampa Bay for second-most in the conference behind the New York Giants.

-- From Texas to the Redskins

The Redskins have two players on the 53-man roster who hail from the state of Texas: Rock Cartwright is from Conroe, Tex., a suburb of Houston, and rookie Malcolm Kelly is from Longview, Tex., which as about an hour east of Dallas.

In addition, rookie cornerback Matteral Richardson, on the Redskins' practice squad, grew up in Marlin, Tex., near Waco.

Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray hails from Lubbock, Tex.

-- Ball Security

After becoming the first team in NFL history to play its first five games without an offensive turnover, the Redskins have registered five fumbles lost and two interceptions in the last four contests.

Still, the Redskins have only eight turnovers on the season, which is the second-fewest in the NFL behind the Miami Dolphins.

Washington's two interceptions are the fewest in the league. Every other club has at least five.

-- Romo At FedExField

Since being named the Cowboys' starter midway through the 2006 season, Tony Romo has posted a 13-3 mark in road games.

Two of those three losses have come at FedExField: a 22-19 loss in 2006 and a 27-6 loss in 2007.

Romo's only other road loss came at Arizona in Week 6 earlier this season. That's the game that Romo suffered a broken pinky finger, sidelining him for three games.

Romo has completed 65.7 percent of his passes in road games, for 28 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

-- Monk, Green Honored

Redskins legends and 2008 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Art Monk and Darrell Green will receive their Hall of Fame rings during a special pre-game ceremony prior to the Redskins-Cowboys game at FedExField.

"Art and Darrell are very deserving of this honor and it will be special for them to receive their rings and share this experience with Redskins fans," owner Daniel M. Snyder said. "This will be a wonderful and memorable evening to celebrate the accomplishments of these two great Redskins."

Monk and Green were inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 2, 2008, in Canton, Ohio.

-- Redskins Captains

The Redskins have elected six players as captains for the 2008 season. They wear a black "C" on their jersey during games.

On offense, Jason Campbell amd Chris Samuels are the captains.

On defense, Cornelius Griffin and London Fletcher are the captains.

On special teams, Rock Cartwright and Khary Campbell are the captains.

-- FedExField Attendance

FedExField is the largest stadium in the NFL with 91,704 seats. It is more than 11,000 seats ahead of the second biggest stadium, Giants Stadium.

The Redskins set a single-game attendance record--90,910--in the Dec. 30, 2007 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

-- What's Next?

The Redskins travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks at Qwest Field. Kickoff is 4:15 p.m. ET.

Two of the last three Redskins seasons ended in Seattle in the playoffs. In 2005, the Redskins lost 20-10 to the Seahawks. Last year, the Redskins lost 34-14 to the Seahawks.

It's also the first time that head coach Jim Zorn faces off against his former team.

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