Redskins 13, Cowboys 7
The Mike Shanahan era got off to a triumphant start as the Washington Redskins outlasted the visiting Dallas Cowboys 13-7 on Sunday night.
The game came down to the last play, when Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo hit Roy Williams for an apparent touchdown as time expired, but a holding call nullified the score.
DeAngelo Williams returned a fumbled 32 yards on the final play of the first half for the Redskins’ only touchdown.
Donovan McNabb, making his debut with Washington (1-0) following 11 seasons with Philadelphia, struggled in the opener, completing 15 of 32 attempts for 171 yards with zero touchdowns or interceptions.
Romo finished 31 of 47 for 282 yards and one touchdown for Dallas (0-1). Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin had a monster night with 10 receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown.
Graham Gano booted a pair of field goals for the Redskins, including a 49-yard field goal for a 13-7 lead with 1:50 to play in the game.
A boneheaded coaching mistake by the Cowboys on the final play of the first half handed the Redskins a touchdown.
Sitting on their own 36-yard line with just four seconds remaining, Romo went back to pass and started to scramble before pitching to running back Tashard Choice on his right.
Choice was met by three tacklers and was stripped of the ball. Hall scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown with no time on the clock for a 10-0 halftime lead.
Dallas got its only touchdown late in the third quarter when Romo connected with Austin on a 4-yard scoring pass to cut the deficit to 10-7.