Testaverde Lifts Cowboys in End

For more than 58 minutes, Vinny Testaverde was the scorn of Dallas Cowboy fans. They wanted the old guy benched so they could see a young quarterback and they were more than happy to let him know it.

Testaverde tuned out the boos -- and the signs, and the chanting of his backup’s name -- to show why Coach Bill Parcells trusts him so much, throwing a 39-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left to beat the Washington Redskins, 13-10, Sunday.

Had Testaverde been better earlier, the Cowboys wouldn’t have needed his heroics. But he delivered in the clutch, driving 75 yards for the go-ahead score after taking over with 1 minute 25 seconds left and no timeouts. He added to the drama by starting the series with three straight incompletions, forcing him to keep it alive by converting on fourth and 10.

Testaverde celebrated the touchdown with his arms held wide above his shoulders, palms up. He insisted he was just soaking in the moment, not giving any sort of “How do you like me now?” gesture to the crowd. He admitted that he was well aware of how they felt about him.

“My ears work. But it’s what is in here,” he said, pointing to his heart, “that affects how you perform.”

The Cowboys beat the Redskins for the fourth straight time and 14th in 15, although it came down to the final play: A 57-yard field-goal try by Washington’s Jeff Chandler fell short.

Dallas (6-9) ended a two-game losing streak but was still eliminated from the playoffs. The Cowboys end the season Sunday at the New York Giants and Parcells probably will stick with the 41-year-old Testaverde, not second-year backup Tony Romo or rookie Drew Henson.

“I’m happy our guys were able to win,” Parcells said. “They’ve been hanging in the best they can.”

Testaverde finished with 23 completions in 39 attempts for 234 yards.

The Redskins (5-10) had won two of three and were hoping to finish strong in Coach Joe Gibbs’ first season back on the sideline. Instead, he’s already lost the most games in any season with one left -- at home against playoff-seeking Minnesota.