Playoffs!

Four weeks ago, the Redskins were 5-7 and dealing with tragedy after the passing of Sean Taylor.

They came together as a team and reeled off four straight wins, capped by Sunday’s 27-6 win over the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField.

With the win, the Redskins finished with a 9-7 record and earned a Wild Card playoff berth.

As the No. 6 seed, the Redskins head west to take on the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 4:30 p.m. ET in the first round of the playoffs.

The Redskins entered Sunday needing a win over the Cowboys to secure a playoff berth. They could have kept an eye on the scoreboard if they wanted, tracking the goings-on with Minnesota and New Orleans, the other two NFC playoff hopefuls.

But they controlled their own fate: Win, and they’re in.

From the outset of Sunday’s game, the Redskins appeared to have more energy and more fight than the 13-2 Cowboys, who had already wrapped up a first-round bye and home field advantage through the NFC playoffs.

Dallas had deactivated Pro Bowl wide receiver Terrell Owens, Pro Bowl cornerback Terence Newman and Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode due to injuries.

Todd Collins was in a rhythm early and produced another outstanding game, finishing with 22-of-31 pass completions for 244 yards and one touchdown, a 42-yarder to Santana Moss in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for the Redskins.

Clinton Portis turned in another hard-nosed outing, with 25 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 27 yards.

On the second of his two touchdowns, he lifted his jersey up to show a Sean Taylor tee-shirt, proving that his close friend is never far from his thoughts.

On defense, the Redskins’ front seven bottled up Dallas’s rushing attack with a remarkable showing. As an offense, Dallas had 16 rushing attempts for just one yard.

Pro Bowl running back Marion Barber had six carries for -6 yards, while Julius Jones logged eight rushes for seven yards.

Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo played the first half and struggled, completing 7-of-16 passes for 86 yards and one interception.

Romo gave way to Brad Johnson in the second half, as the Cowboys rested starters.

Chris Wilson logged two sacks in the game, and Shawn Springs logged an interception and three passes defended. The Cowboys could not pick up a first down on 10-of-13 offensive drives in the game.

The Redskins took an early lead midway through the first quarter, as Collis get into a rhythm early with two pass completions to Chris Cooley for first downs.

Collins’s deep sideline pass to Antwaan Randle El was intercepted, but cornerback Alan Ball was flagged for a 20-yard pass interference penalty, giving the Redskins the ball at the Cowboys’ 23-yard line.

On the next play, Portis took a handoff and burst past blocks by Casey Rabach and Pete Kendall. He cut between two Dallas defensive backs and into open field. Portis wrapped up the touchdown with a flip into the end zone.

Early in the second quarter, the Redskins went on a methodical drive that included a 21-yard pass from Collins to Santana Moss on a 3rd-and-10 play.

The drive, which consumed nearly six minutes of game clock, was capped by a 46-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham.

Meantime, the Redskins’ defense bottled up the Dallas offense. Springs’s interception, on a pass to Terry Glenn, ended one drive. Andre Carter tackled Marion Barber for a 5-yard loss to stymie the Cowboys on another drive.

The Cowboys’ did not pick up a first down until midway through the second quarter, and it came by way of an illegal contact penalty on Fred Smoot.

Later on the same drive, Romo threw deep to wide receiver Sam Hurd, who dove to pull in a deep pass for a 36-yard gain.

But Reed Doughty broke up a third-down pass to Jason Witten, forcing a field goal attempt by Nick Folk. His 28-yarder was wide right, and the Redskins raced off the field in celebration.

On the Redskins’ ensuing drive, Collins was sacked by linebacker DeMarcus Ware, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Tank Johnson at the 18-yard line.

Again, the defense stepped up. London Fletcher broke up a third-down pass to Witten, nearly intercepting the ball in the process.

That forced another field goal attempt, and this time Folk connected on a 37-yard attempt to narrow the Redskins’ lead to 10-3.

Late in the second quarter, the defense pinned Dallas deep and forced them to punt out of their own end zone. The Redskins took over at the Cowboys’ 45-yard line with 49 seconds left in the first half.

Collins converted a third-down pass to Moss for a 15-yard pickup, and then he threw a 19-yard pass to Reche Caldwell. On a draw, Ladell Betts ran eight yards up the middle to the Cowboys 3-yard line.

With nine seconds left, the Redskins had time for one more offensive play. Betts dropped a pass in the flat.

Suisham came on to kick a 21-yard field goal for a 13-3 lead at the break.

The Redskins extended the lead on their opening possession of the second half.

It was another methodical drive, as Collins completed passes to Portis and Caldwell for first downs. On 3rd-and-four at the Cowboys’ 20-yard line, Collins found Randle El for a 14-yard pickup.

Two plays later, Portis burst into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Redskins a commanding 20-3 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Redskins added to their lead when Collins threw deep to Moss running a sideline route. Moss had two steps on cornerback Anthony Henry and caught the pass in stride for the touchdown.

The celebration was on in front of a record-setting crowd of 90,910 at FedExField.

"It’s an awesome feeling," London Fletcher said. "You look at the way we battled to win four straight games against four really good football teams. We earned it. We earned getting into these playoffs.

"I’m ecstatic. You couldn’t write a better script, beating the Dallas Cowboys."

Added Joe Gibbs: "To our players, it was really a testimony these four weeks of just great character. The Lord has blessed us with a great group of guys. When you think about what they have gone through this year.

"To get to the playoffs was a dream of ours and four weeks ago everybody would have said it looked impossible. It was a great four weeks. It was guys just playing their hearts out. We couldn’t have been prouder."

-- PRE-GAME COVERAGE

The Redskins close out the regular season with an NFC East matchup against the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField on Sunday, Dec. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET.

With a win, the Redskins would secure a Wild Card playoff berth in the NFC. If the Redskins lose, they could also earn a playoff spot if both Minnesota and New Orleans also lose on Sunday.

At FedExField, the Redskins are 4-3 this season.

The Redskins are 2-3 in NFC East games this year. In Week 11, the Cowboys defeated the Redskins 28-23 at Texas Stadium.

The Redskins-Cowboys game will be broadcast locally and nationally on FOX. Joe Buck handles the play by play with color commentary from Troy Aikman. Pam Oliver will serve as sideline reporter.

On radio, the game will be broadcast on Triple X ESPN Radio (94.3, 92.7 FM and 730 AM) and WBIG 100.3. Larry Michael handles the play-by-play with color commentary from Redskins legends and NFL Hall of Famers quarterback Sonny Jurgensen and linebacker Sam Huff. Bram Weinstein serves as sideline reporter.

The Redskins are coming off a 32-21 win over the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome last Sunday.

Dallas defeated the Carolina Panthers 20-13 last Saturday and clinched home field advantage through the NFC playoffs.

Quarterback Tony Romo completed 28-of-42 passes for 257 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Running back Marion Barber rushed for 110 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries. Puss-rush linebacker DeMarcus Ware had two sacks.

Terrell Owens left the game in the first half with a high ankle sprain that could sideline him for the Cowboys’ season finale.

-- SERIES HISTORY

Sunday’s Redskins-Cowboys matchup marks the 96th 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 56-37-2, with victories in 16 of the last 20 games. The Redskins have won three of the last five contests, however.

In Week 11 earlier this season, the Cowboys defeated the Redskins 28-23 at Texas Stadium as Tony Romo connected on four touchdown passes to Terrell Owens. The Redskins’ fourth-quarter comeback was thwarted when Terence Newman intercepted Jason Campbell.

The Redskins and Cowboys split two games in the 2006 season.

In Week 2 of the 2006 season, Dallas defeated the Redskins 27-10 on Sunday Night Football at Texas Stadium. The Redskins’ offense was 2-of-14 on third downs and Mark Brunell was sacked six times and threw one interception. Dallas compiled 138 rushing yards in the win.

Seven weeks later, the Redskins stunned the Cowboys with a dramatic win at FedExField.

Tied 19-19, Troy Vincent blocked a last second field goal attempt by Dallas that would have given the Cowboys the win. Sean Taylor scooped up the ball and ran 30 yards, weaving his way past tacklers.

A Dallas penalty gave second-year kicker Nick Novak--who moments earlier had missed a 49-yard attempt--a chance to win it for the Redskins with no time left on the clock. He did just that, with a 47-yard field goal just inside the uprights, lifting Washington to a 22-19 win.

In another recent memorable game, the Redskins defeated the Cowboys 14-13 on Sept. 19, 2005, as Washington orchestrated a memorable come-from-behind victory.

Mark Brunell found Santana Moss for two touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter and the Redskins won 14-13. It was the Redskins’ first victory at Texas Stadium since 1995.

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.

-- REDSKINS-COWBOYS: NEWS & NOTES
 

• With the Redskins’ 32-21 win over the Minnesota Vikings, head coach Joe Gibbs tied Paul Brown for 10th place in NFL history with 170 career victories.

  The win also improved Gibbs’s record in Minnesota to 6-0, a mark that includes his Super Bowl XXVI victory over Buffalo in January 1992.

• Prior to the Redskins-Cowboys matchup in Week 11, Joe Gibbs had never coached against a team led by Wade Phillips.

  Phillips has had head coaching stints with the Denver Broncos (1993-94) and Buffalo Bills (1998-2000). He was also an interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints (1985) and Atlanta Falcons (2003).

  Phillips has an all-time coaching record of 61-44.

  Gibbs has coached against Phillips’ father Bum, though. In 1982, Gibbs’s Redskins defeated Bum Phillips’s New Orleans Saints 27-10 at the Louisiana Superdome.

  Against Dallas, Joe Gibbs has an all-time record of 16-16.

• The Redskins-Cowboys rivalry is always a highlight of the season. Here’s a breakdown of the series:

  -- 48 games have been decided by 10 points or more
  
  -- 32 games have been decided by two or more touchdowns
  
  -- 18 games have been decided by three or more touchdowns
  
  -- 37 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.

• Eleven of the Redskins’ games this season have been decided by eight points or less, or one possession. The Redskins are 5-6 in those games.

• The Redskins have proven to be prime time performers this season.

  Washington has played in four night games this season and have won all four: Philadelphia in Week 2 on Monday Night Football (20-12 final score), Chicago in Week 14 on Thursday night (24-16), the New York Giants in Week 15 on Sunday night (22-10) and Minnesota in Week 16 also on Sunday night (32-21).

• Running back Clinton Portis became the first to rush for 100 yards against the Minnesota Vikings top-ranked run defense last Sunday.

  For the season, Portis ranks third in the NFC and eighth in the NFL with 1,158 yards on 300 carries. It’s the fifth time that Portis has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in his six-year career..

  In his four seasons with the Redskins, Portis has amassed a total of 4,512 rushing yards. That puts him in fourth place on the Redskins’ career rushing list, trailing John Riggins, Larry Brown and Stephen Davis.

  Portis surpassed Earnest Byner and Terry Allen this season.

  Portis’s three seasons with 1,000 or more rushing seasons ties Davis for the second-most in Redskins history. John Riggins has the team mark with four.

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

  Linebacker and special teams standout 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.

  Defensive end 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.

  Kicker 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.

•  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--90,803--in the Sept. 23, 2007 game against the New York Giants.

• If the Redskins secure a playoff spot this weekend, they would travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks in the Wild Card round of the postseason.

-- 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.
   
• Assistant head coach-offensive line coach Tony Sparano served as tight ends coach for the Redskins in 2001.
   
• Secondary coach Todd Bowles played eight years as a defensive back with the Redskins from 1986-90 and 1992-93.