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Tuesday, November 11, 1997

Cowboys' future hinges on Redskins

By Josie Karp

Knight-Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - Cowboys defensive tackle Chad Hennings returned to the lineup for Sunday's pivotal 24-6 victory against the Arizona Cardinals. The four previous weeks, a severely pulled groin forced Hennings to be an observer as the Cowboys' slide reached four losses in five games.

Having played on this team - and watched it - perhaps Hennings can put into perspective the importance of Sunday's game at Texas Stadium against the NFC East co-leader Washington Redskins (6-4).

From Hennings' point of view, games do not get any more important.

"This is a 'must' win because we're playing a divisional opponent," Hennings said.

Indeed.

The Cowboys, 5-5 and already losers of four NFC East games, cannot afford to lose another one in the division and reasonably expect to make the playoffs. It's that simple.

A loss puts them two games behind the Redskins with five to play. If the teams would end up tied for first, the Redskins would hold the tiebreaker advantage, which is head-to-head play.

A victory enhances the Cowboys' hopes of making the playoffs. It would keep them on schedule to go undefeated at home. And, with the possibility that a young New York Giants team will fade down the stretch, the Cowboys could have a realistic shot of overtaking the Giants (6-4) and winning the division. Division winners and three wild-card teams from each conference advance to the postseason.

"I think when teams are pressed and don't have much slack or leeway, then I think some players like that," Cowboys coach Barry Switzer said. "Some people like that ... I think Washington will bring out the best in us."

That has not been the case in the recent past.

Since the start of the 1995 season, the Cowboys are 1-4 against the Redskins, with the only victory coming last Thanksgiving Day at Texas Stadium. That victory followed a stunning loss on the road to the Giants and was the first victory in a three-game winning streak that led to the Cowboys' fifth consecutive division title.

Quarterback Troy Aikman dismisses the idea that the lack of success against Washington has to do with Redskins coach Norv Turner, a former Cowboys offensive coordinator.

"Norv knows the personnel that we have and he knows" Cowboys offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese, Aikman said. "But we know Norv, too. We know what he likes to do and what his philosophies are offensively. ... I think sometimes that is a little overrated, the fact that Norv has been here. ... I think he's a pretty good football coach who tends to get his team ready to play against us."

Other than Washington's victory in the last game of the 1996 season - when the Cowboys rested most of their starters - the Redskins have eked out victories in close games. On Oct. 13, they won, 21-16, and in their season sweep in 1995 they outscored the Cowboys by a combined 11 points.

Sunday's 24-6 victory against Arizona gained a season-series split with the Cardinals. The Cowboys have also split the season series with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Is Washington next?

"Mathematically, I don't know how it all works out. This is a big game; there's no question about it," Switzer said. "From here on, every one of them carry a great importance."

They do, but only if the Cowboys win Sunday. Otherwise, the Cowboys could begin to play for draft positioning before Thanksgiving.

"I think at this point in time it would be logical to say that we need to beat Washington if we hope to win the East," Aikman said. "It could still happen that we could lose on Sunday and still win the East. But my guess at this point given the circumstances of the situation, I would think that we would need to win against Washington to win the East. Whether or not that means we could lose and get into the playoffs, I don't know that I'd go that far at this point."

(c) 1997, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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