1979 Washington Redskins season

The 1979 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 48th season in the National Football League. The team improved on their 8–8 record from 1978 and finishing 10–6. Although the Redskins were able to improve their record, they were eliminated from playoff contention on the final week of the season after facing the Dallas Cowboys with the NFC East title on the line. Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach led a last-minute comeback to defeat Washington 35–34 to win the division, which combined with the Chicago Bears defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 42–6, resulted in the Redskins losing a points tiebreaker for the final wild-card slot.

1979 Washington Redskins season
Owner	Jack Kent Cooke
General manager	Bobby Beathard
Head coach	Jack Pardee
Home field	RFK Stadium
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	3rd NFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify

The Redskins hosted the Packers in week 14. It was Washington's penultimate game at RFK in the 1979 season. As they left RFK 17 years later and moved to a new stadium in Landover, it was also the two teams' final meeting at Washington for 25 years.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1979 NFL draft

1979 Washington Redskins draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
4	103	Don Warren	Tight end	San Diego State
7	182	Rich Milot	Linebacker	Penn State
9	233	Kris Haines	Wide receiver	Notre Dame
11	289	Monte Coleman	Linebacker	Central Arkansas
11	300	Tony Hall	Wide receiver	Knoxville
Made roster

Personnel

Staff

1979 Washington Redskins staff

Front office President – Edward Bennett Williams Vice President – Jack Kent Cooke general manager – Bobby Beathard Executive Assistant to the President – Bobby Mitchell Assistant general manager – Joel Margolis Assistant general manager – Dick Meyers Director of Player Personnel – Mike Allman Director of Pro Scouting – Kirk Mee Director of College Scouting – Dick Daniels Personnel Scouts – Charley Casserly, Charley Taylor Head coaches Head Coach – Jack Pardee Special Assistant to Head Coach – Bob Bowser Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Joe Walton Running Backs – Fred O'Connor Tight Ends – John Hilton Offensive Line – Ray Callahan

Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line – Doc Urich Linebackers – George Dickson Defensive Secondary – Richie Petitbon Special teams coaches Special Teams – John Hilton

Roster

1979 Washington Redskins roster

	Quarterbacks 12 Fred Mortensen 11 Kim McQuilken  7 Joe Theismann Running backs 30 Ike Forte 34 Bobby Hammond 38 Clarence Harmon FB 25 Benny Malone 44 John Riggins FB Wide receivers 88 Danny Buggs 80 John McDaniel 83 Ricky Thompson Tight ends 86 Phil DuBois 84 Jean Fugett 89 Grady Richardson 85 Don Warren		Offensive linemen 63 Fred Dean G 67 Greg Dubinetz T 66 Ted Fritsch C 75 Terry Hermeling T 54 Bob Kuziel C 64 Ron Saul G 74 George Starke T 73 Jeff Williams G Defensive linemen 79 Coy Bacon DE 69 Perry Brooks DT 65 Dave Butz DT 77 Joe Jones DE 71 Karl Lorch DE 78 Paul Smith DT 72 Diron Talbert DT		Linebackers 51 Monte Coleman OLB 59 Brad Dusek OLB 82 Dallas Hickman OLB/DE 58 Don Hover MLB 57 Rich Milot OLB 52 Neal Olkewicz MLB 50 Pete Wysocki OLB Defensive backs 26 Don Harris FS 27 Ken Houston SS 20 Joe Lavender CB 29 Mark Murphy FS 24 Lemar Parrish CB 23 Tony Peters CB/SS 47 Ray Waddy CB Special teams  4 Mike Bragg P  3 Mark Moseley K		Reserve lists 60 Gary Anderson G (IRTooltip Injured reserve) -- Mike Gibbons T (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 22 Buddy Hardeman RB/KR/PR (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 62 Dan Nugent G (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 40 Don Testerman FB (IRTooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad Rookies in italics

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	Attendance
1	August 4	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 9–7	1–0	Tampa Stadium	64,493
2	August 11	at Denver Broncos	L 6–13	1–1	Mile High Stadium	58,799
3	August 18	at Atlanta Falcons	W 16–6	2–1	Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium	52,478
4	August 24	Cleveland Browns	L 9–21	2–2	RFK Stadium	40,039

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	Attendance	Recap
1	September 2	Houston Oilers	L 27–29	0–1	RFK Stadium	54,582	Recap
2	September 9	at Detroit Lions	W 27–24	1–1	Pontiac Silverdome	54,991	Recap
3	September 17	New York Giants	W 27–0	2–1	RFK Stadium	54,672	Recap
4	September 23	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 17–7	3–1	Busch Memorial Stadium	50,680	Recap
5	September 30	at Atlanta Falcons	W 16–7	4–1	Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium	56,819	Recap
6	October 7	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 17–28	4–2	Veterans Stadium	69,142	Recap
7	October 14	at Cleveland Browns	W 13–9	5–2	Cleveland Stadium	63,323	Recap
8	October 21	Philadelphia Eagles	W 17–7	6–2	RFK Stadium	54,442	Recap
9	October 28	New Orleans Saints	L 10–14	6–3	RFK Stadium	52,133	Recap
10	November 4	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 7–38	6–4	Three Rivers Stadium	49,462	Recap
11	November 11	St. Louis Cardinals	W 30–28	7–4	RFK Stadium	50,868	Recap
12	November 18	Dallas Cowboys	W 34–20	8–4	RFK Stadium	55,031	Recap
13	November 25	at New York Giants	L 6–14	8–5	Giants Stadium	72,641	Recap
14	December 2	Green Bay Packers	W 38–21	9–5	RFK Stadium	51,682	Recap
15	December 9	Cincinnati Bengals	W 28–14	10–5	RFK Stadium	52,882	Recap
16	December 16	at Dallas Cowboys	L 34–35	10–6	Texas Stadium	62,867	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Houston Oilers

See also: 1979 Houston Oilers season

Week 1: Houston Oilers at Washington Redskins

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	6	0	7	16	29
Redskins	0	17	7	3	27

at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

• Date: September 2, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 54,582
• Referee: Gordon McCarter
• TV: NBC
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Oilers Dan Pastorini 12/30, 176 Yds, TD, 3 INT Earl Campbell 32 Rush, 166 Yds, 2 TD Billy Johnson 4 Rec, 76 Yds, TD Redskins Joe Theismann 7/14, 123 Yds, 2 TD, INT Benny Malone 17 Rush, 58 Yds, TD Jean Fugett 3 Rec, 55 Yds, 2 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP HOU WSH 1 Oilers 41-yard field goal by Fritsch 3 0 1 Oilers 46-yard field goal by Fritsch 6 0 2 Redskins 27-yard field goal by Moseley 6 3 2 Redskins Fugett 8-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 6 10 2 Redskins Malone 1-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 6 17 3 Oilers Campbell 13-yard touchdown run, Fritsch kick good 13 17 3 Redskins Fugett 30-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 13 24 4 Redskins 39-yard field goal by Moseley 13 27 4 Oilers Johnson 14-yard touchdown reception from Pastorini, Fritsch kick no good 19 27 4 Oilers 26-yard field goal by Fritsch 22 27 4 Oilers Campbell 3-yard touchdown run, Fritsch kick good 29 27 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 29 27

Week 2: at Detroit Lions

See also: 1979 Detroit Lions season

Week 2: Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	17	7	3	27
Lions	3	0	0	21	24

at Pontiac Silverdome • Pontiac, Michigan

• Date: September 9, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Indoors (dome)
• Game attendance: 54,991
• Referee: Gene Barth
• TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Sonny Jurgensen
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Redskins Lions

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WSH DET 1 Lions 27-yard field goal by Ricardo 0 3 2 Redskins Thompson 8-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 7 3 2 Redskins 35-yard field goal by Moseley 10 3 2 Redskins Malone 5-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 17 3 3 Redskins Fugett 3-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 24 3 4 Lions Robinson 2-yard touchdown run, Ricardo kick good 24 10 4 Lions Kane 12-yard touchdown run, Ricardo kick good 24 17 4 Lions Scott 24-yard touchdown reception from Komlo, Ricardo kick good 24 24 4 Redskins 41-yard field goal by Moseley 27 24 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 27 24

Week 3: vs. New York Giants

See also: 1979 New York Giants season

Week 3: New York Giants at Washington Redskins

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	0	0	0	0	0
Redskins	3	14	7	3	27

at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

• Date: September 17, 1979
• Game time: 9:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 54,672
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Fran Tarkenton
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Giants Redskins

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NYG WSH 1 Redskins 46-yard field goal by Moseley 0 3 2 — — — Redskins Interception returned 31 yards for touchdown by Lorch, Moseley kick good 0 10 2 Redskins Harmon 4-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 0 17 3 Redskins Theismann 7-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 0 24 1 Redskins 40-yard field goal by Moseley 0 27 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 0 27

Week 4: at St. Louis Cardinals

See also: 1979 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season

Week 4: Washington Redskins at St. Louis Cardinals

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	14	0	0	3	17
Cardinals	0	0	7	0	7

at Busch Memorial Stadium • St. Louis, Missouri

• Date: September 23, 1979
• Game time: 2:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 50,680
• Referee: Red Cashion
• TV: CBS
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Redskins Cardinals

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WSH STL 1 — — — Redskins Fumble recovery returned 0 yards for touchdown by Hover, Moseley kick good 7 0 1 Redskins Hardeman 41-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 14 0 3 Eagles Brown 1-yard touchdown run, Little kick good 14 7 4 Redskins 47-yard field goal by Moseley 17 7 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 7

Week 5: at Atlanta Falcons

See also: 1979 Atlanta Falcons season

Week 5: Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	3	10	3	0	16
Falcons	7	0	0	0	7

at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: September 30, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 56,819
• TV: CBS
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Redskins Falcons

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WSH ATL 1 Redskins 45-yard field goal by Moseley 3 0 1 Falcons Andrews 2-yard touchdown run, Mazzetti kick good 3 7 2 Redskins 53-yard field goal by Moseley 6 7 2 Redskins Riggins 1-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 13 7 3 Redskins 37-yard field goal by Moseley 16 7 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 16 7

Week 6: at Philadelphia Eagles

See also: 1979 Philadelphia Eagles season

Week 6: Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	7	0	10	17
Eagles	7	7	14	0	28

at Veterans Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Date: October 7, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 69,142
• Referee: Bob Frederic
• TV: CBS
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Redskins Eagles

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WSH PHI 1 Eagles Montgomery 8-yard touchdown run, Franklin kick good 0 7 2 Eagles Montgomery 11-yard touchdown reception from Jaworski, Franklin kick good 0 14 2 Redskins Riggins 4-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 7 14 3 Eagles Montgomery 5-yard touchdown run, Franklin kick good 7 21 3 Eagles Montgomery 4-yard touchdown run, Franklin kick good 7 28 4 Redskins 37-yard field goal by Moseley 10 28 4 Redskins Riggins 1-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 17 28 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 28

Week 7: at Cleveland Browns

See also: 1979 Cleveland Browns season

Week 7: Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	3	3	7	13
Browns	0	6	3	0	9

at Cleveland Stadium • Cleveland, Ohio

• Date: October 14, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 63,323
• Referee: Jerry Seeman
• TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and George Allen
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Redskins Joe Theismann 14/24, 233 Yds, TD, INT John Riggins 13 Rush, 31 Yds Clarence Harmon 4 Rec, 60 Yds, TD Browns Brian Sipe 13/25, 160 Yds, INT Mike Pruitt 22 Rush, 85 Yds Dave Logan 5 Rec, 97 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WSH CLE 2 Redskins 35-yard field goal by Moseley 3 0 2 Browns Hill 1-yard touchdown run, Cockroft kick no good (blocked) 3 6 3 Redskins 17-yard field goal by Moseley 6 6 3 Browns 37-yard field goal by Cockroft 6 9 4 Redskins Harmon 15-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 13 9 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 13 9

Week 8: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	0	7	7
Redskins	0	7	7	3	17

at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

• Date: October 21, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 54,442
• TV: CBS
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Eagles Redskins

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PHI WSH 2 Redskins Malone 10-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 0 7 3 Redskins Theismann 1-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 0 14 4 Redskins 23-yard field goal by Moseley 0 17 4 Eagles Krepfle 40-yard touchdown reception from Jaworski, Franklin kick good 7 17 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 17

Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints

See also: 1979 New Orleans Saints season

Week 9: New Orleans Saints at Washington Redskins

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	7	7	0	0	14
Redskins	3	7	0	0	10

at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

• Date: October 28, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 55,031
• Referee: Fred Wyant
• TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and Sonny Jurgensen
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Saints Redskins

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NO WSH 1 Saints Chandler 45-yard touchdown reception from Manning, Yepremian kick good 7 0 1 Redskins 18-yard field goal by Moseley 7 3 2 Saints Galbreath 1-yard touchdown run, Yepremian kick good 14 3 2 Redskins Theismann 1-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 14 10 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 10

Week 10: at Pittsburgh Steelers

See also: 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Week 10: Washington Redskins at Pittsburgh Steelers

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	7	0	0	7
Steelers	7	17	7	7	38

at Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: November 4, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C), (Sunny) wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
• Game attendance: 49,462
• Referee: Gordon McCarter
• TV announcers (CBS): Curt Gowdy and Hank Stram
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Redskins Joe Theismann 14/31, 147 Yds, INT John Riggins 13 Rush, 56 Yds, TD Danny Buggs 3 Rec, 37 Yds Steelers Terry Bradshaw 15/27, 311 Yds, 4 TD, INT Franco Harris 15 Rush, 62 Yds John Stallworth 6 Rec, 126 Yds, 2 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WSH PIT 1 Steelers Stallworth 11-yard touchdown reception from Bradshaw, Bahr kick good 0 7 2 Redskins Riggins 4-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 7 7 2 Steelers 21-yard field goal by Bahr 7 10 2 Steelers Cunningham 16-yard touchdown reception from Bradshaw, Bahr kick good 7 17 2 Steelers Grossman 4-yard touchdown reception from Bradshaw, Bahr kick good 7 24 3 Steelers Stallworth 65-yard touchdown reception from Bradshaw, Bahr kick good 7 31 4 Steelers Moser 2-yard touchdown run, Bahr kick good 7 38 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 38

Week 11: vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Week 11: St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Redskins

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	7	0	0	21	28
Redskins	7	10	3	10	30

at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

• Date: November 11, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 50,868
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and Sonny Jurgensen
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Cardinals Redskins

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP STL WSH "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 28 30

Week 12: vs. Dallas Cowboys

See also: 1979 Dallas Cowboys season

Week 12: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	3	3	14	20
Redskins	7	7	10	10	34

at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

• Date: November 18, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 55,031
• Referee: Cal Lepore
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Cowboys Redskins

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP DAL WSH 1 Redskins McDaniel 4-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 0 7 2 Cowboys 34-yard field goal by Septién 3 7 2 Redskins Riggins 3-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 3 14 3 Cowboys 37-yard field goal by Septién 6 14 3 Redskins Harmon 10-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 6 24 3 Redskins 46-yard field goal by Moseley 6 24 4 Cowboys Pearson 19-yard touchdown reception from Staubach, Septién kick good 13 24 4 Redskins Thompson 11-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 13 31 4 Cowboys Pearson 9-yard touchdown reception from White, Septién kick good 20 31 4 Redskins 45-yard field goal by Moseley 20 34 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 20 34

Week 13: at New York Giants

Week 13: Washington Redskins at New York Giants

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	3	3	0	6
Giants	7	0	0	7	14

at Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: November 25, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 72,641
• TV: CBS
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Redskins Giants

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WSH NYG 1 Giants Kotar 1-yard touchdown run, Danelo kick good 0 7 2 Redskins 21-yard field goal by Moseley 3 7 3 Redskins 41-yard field goal by Moseley 6 7 4 Giants Taylor 1-yard touchdown run, Danelo kick good 6 14 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 6 14

Week 14: vs. Green Bay Packers

See also: 1979 Green Bay Packers season

Week 14: Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	0	21	0	0	21
Redskins	7	0	7	24	38

at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

• Date: December 2, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 39 °F or 3.9 °C, relative humidity 55%, wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn), wind chill 31 °F or −0.6 °C
• Game attendance: 51,682
• TV: CBS
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Packers Redskins

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP GB WSH 1 Redskins Thompson 20-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 0 7 2 Packers Tullis 52-yard touchdown reception from Dickey, Birney kick good 7 7 2 Packers Simpson 2-yard touchdown run, Birney kick good 14 7 2 Packers Thompson 43-yard touchdown reception from Dickey, Birney kick good 21 7 3 Redskins Buggs 8-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 21 14 4 Redskins McDaniel 39-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 21 21 4 Redskins Riggins 12-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 21 28 4 Redskins 33-yard field goal by Moseley 21 31 4 Redskins Forte 20-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 21 38 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 38

This would prove the last time the Green Bay Packers would ever play at RFK Stadium before its closure in 1997: in fact, the Packers would not play an away game against the Redskins again until 2004. This occurred because between 1978 and the admission of the Texans in 2002, non-division conference matchups had no rotation but were entirely based upon previous season’s standings.

Week 15: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

See also: 1979 Cincinnati Bengals season

Week 15: Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	14	0	0	0	14
Redskins	7	14	0	7	28

at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

• Date: December 9, 1979
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 52,882
• TV: NBC
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Bengals Redskins

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP CIN WSH 1 Bengals Griffin 52-yard touchdown reception from Anderson, Bahr kick good 7 0 1 Redskins Riggins 7-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 7 7 1 Bengals Johnson 1-yard touchdown run, Bahr kick good 14 7 2 Redskins Harmon 7-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 14 14 2 Redskins Harmon 23-yard touchdown reception from Theismann, Moseley kick good 14 21 4 Redskins Riggins 2-yard touchdown run, Moseley kick good 14 28 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 28

Week 16: at Dallas Cowboys

Week Sixteen: Washington Redskins (10–5) at Dallas Cowboys (10–5)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	10	7	0	17	34
Cowboys	0	14	7	14	35

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

• Date: December 16, 1979
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C)
• Game attendance: 62,867
• Referee: Bob Frederic
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
• Box Score

The loss knocked the Redskins out of the playoffs.

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Redskins	Passing	Joe Theismann	12/23, 200 Yds, TD
	Rushing	John Riggins	22 Rush, 151 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Benny Malone	1 Rec, 55 Yds, TD
Cowboys	Passing	Roger Staubach	24/42, 326 Yds, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Ron Springs	20 Rush, 79 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Tony Hill	8 Rec, 113 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WAS DAL 1 Redskins 24-yard field goal by Mark Moseley 3 0 1 Redskins Joe Theismann 1-yard touchdown run, Mark Moseley kick good 10 0 2 Redskins Benny Malone 55-yard touchdown reception from Joe Theismann, Mark Moseley kick good 17 0 2 Cowboys Ron Springs 1-yard touchdown run, Rafael Septien kick good 17 7 2 Cowboys Preston Pearson 26-yard touchdown reception from Roger Staubach, Rafael Septien kick good 17 14 3 Cowboys Robert Newhouse 2-yard touchdown run, Rafael Septien kick good 17 21 4 Redskins 24-yard field goal by Mark Moseley 20 21 4 Redskins John Riggins 1-yard touchdown run, Mark Moseley kick good 27 21 4 6:54 Redskins John Riggins 66-yard touchdown run, Mark Moseley kick good 34 21 4 Cowboys Ron Springs 26-yard touchdown reception from Roger Staubach, Rafael Septien kick good 34 28 4 0:39 Cowboys Tony Hill 8-yard touchdown reception from Roger Staubach, Rafael Septien kick good 34 35 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 34 35

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Dallas Cowboys(1)	11	5	0	.688	6–2	10–2	371	313	W3
Philadelphia Eagles(4)	11	5	0	.688	6–2	9–3	339	282	W1
Washington Redskins	10	6	0	.625	5–3	8–4	348	295	L1
New York Giants	6	10	0	.375	1–7	5–9	237	323	L3
St. Louis Cardinals	5	11	0	.313	2–6	4–8	307	358	L1

External links

• 1979 Washington Redskins at Pro-Football-Reference.com