Washington Redskins fullback Darrel Young (36) celebrates running back Alfred Morris’ touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Landover, Md. The Redskins won 28-18, securing a playoff berth.LANDOVER, Md. – Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris needed only four months to put the Washington Redskins in a place they haven’t been this millennium – on top of the NFC East.
Led by a pair of rookies serenaded loudly and lovingly as “R-G-3!” and “Al-fred Mor-ris!,” the Redskins claimed their first division title since 1999, beating the archrival Dallas Cowboys 28-18 Sunday night in a winner-take-all finale to end the NFL’s regular season.
First-round pick Griffin ran for 63 yards and a touchdown, and Morris – the out-of-nowhere sixth-rounder from Florida Atlantic – ran for 200 and three scores. He set the franchise single-season rushing record for the Redskins (10-6), who revived the season behind their quarterback’s talent and leadership to win seven straight after their bye week. They are the first NFL team to rally from 3-6 to make the playoffs since the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1996.
Washington will host the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday, the Redskins’ third consecutive playoff game against the Seahawks. They lost at Seattle in the 2005 and 2007.
The Cowboys (8-8), meanwhile, will miss the playoffs for the third straight season, having stumbled in a make-or-break end-of-regular-season game for the third time in five years.