Redskins End Skid Against Cowboys

Nobody seemed happy Sunday as Dallas and Washington finished disappointing seasons.

In the Washington locker room, Steve Spurrier gave the game ball to Dan Snyder. But Spurrier wasn’t happy about a messy victory over a bad team, and the owner got a souvenir to remind him of his first losing season.

In the Dallas locker room, Dave Campo talked about the game as if it were any other, even as owner Jerry Jones said a decision was coming “immediately” about the coach’s future.

In a nine-turnover game with many sideshows, the Redskins (7-9) ended a losing streak at 10 to their fiercest rival. LaVar Arrington scored one touchdown and set up another with two fumble recoveries in a 20-14 victory over the Cowboys.

“Obviously their coach is probably going to be canned tomorrow,” Spurrier said. “He knows it, and so it’s hard to get his team really riled up to play. We had a chance to beat them pretty good, but we allowed them to stay in the game.

“It’s hard for me to get excited. I know they’ve beaten us a lot, so don’t get me wrong. They’re still a 5-11 team three years in a row. Sometimes we maybe give Dallas too much credit, you know what I mean?”

It was Washington’s first victory over Dallas since Oct. 13, 1997, and it came amid a farewell party for retiring cornerback Darrell Green and tenuous futures in Dallas for Campo and running back Emmitt Smith. Snyder got his first victory over the Cowboys since buying the Redskins in 1999. Spurrier had promised to give Snyder the game ball whenever the Redskins broke the losing streak.

Smith, 33, could be on his way out of Dallas because of salary cap issues. If so, the league’s all-time leading rusher went out sputtering, gaining a season-low 13 yards in 18 carries. He finished with 975 yards for the season, failing to reach 1,000 for the first time since his rookie year.

Green, 42, said goodbye after 20 seasons with the Redskins. The cornerback cried during a pregame ceremony.