Redskins vs. Cowboys is always big; this one's bigger

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -For the Washington Redskins and their fans, any game against the Dallas Cowboys is a big one. This one is bigger than usual: It's the regular-season finale, and it's win-and-you're-in for Washington.

Improbable as it seemed only a few weeks ago, and despite everything they've been through, the Redskins can earn a trip to the playoffs by beating the NFC East champion Cowboys on Sunday.

"This is going to be a first-class, big-time football game, if I had to guess. Certainly Dallas is a big deal for everybody here," coach Joe Gibbs said Monday. "Everything that we've worked for, for 15 weeks, goes on the line this weekend."

Hard to fathom, given where the Redskins were in early December.

Away from the field, they were reeling from the death of teammate and friend Sean Taylor, the Pro Bowl safety shot during a burglary at his home in Florida. On the field, they were 5-7, tied for last place in the division, losers of four consecutive games. The injuries and tough-to-swallow defeats were mounting.

"I don't know of a team - I haven't been a part of one - that's overcome this much," Gibbs said. "It's almost like they're going to overcome whatever's out there. It's also caused a certain camaraderie and chemistry."

His club blew a halftime lead in five of its losses, including a 17-16 heartbreaker against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 2, Washington's first game after Taylor was killed. Buffalo's go-ahead field goal in the final seconds came after Gibbs forgot a rule and drew a penalty for calling back-to-back timeouts in a bid to "freeze" the kicker.

The next day, low as could be, the Redskins traveled to Taylor's funeral.

Then, emotionally and physically drained, and without the benefit of a full practice, Washington faced the Chicago Bears three days later. Making things more daunting, starting quarterback Jason Campbell left in the first half with a dislocated kneecap.

Somehow, the Redskins managed to focus on football and turn things around. By beating the Minnesota Vikings 32-21 on Sunday night, the Redskins won their third game in a row with backup Todd Collins to get to 8-7.

And now: Dallas.

"It's going to be a great game, because it's a rivalry, it's Redskins-Cowboys, it's at our place," linebacker London Fletcher said. "I guess you can't really write a better script."

Since 2001, the Redskins have only one winning streak of four games or longer - and that was in 2005, when they ended the regular season with a 5-0 run to make the playoffs.