For the second straight week, the Dallas Cowboys sputtered offensively. Only this time, they were fortunate enough to notch a victory because their opponents happened to be the Washington Redskins.

The Cowboys beat the Skins on Sunday in an ugly, 7-6 victory. Dallas rushed for 153 yards, but Tony Romo was ineffective outside of the eventual game-winning touchdown drive that came late in the fourth quarter. In fact, Romo didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver until the last play of the third quarter because Washington did such a good job of keeping everything in front of them. They didn’t allow Romo to test them vertically.

This is the wrong time of year for the Cowboys to be struggling offensively. They’ve scored only 14 total points the past two weeks and while their defense is playing well, Dallas needs Romo and the passing game to step up down the stretch.

Not to get ahead of myself, but if the Cowboys make the playoffs, then they won’t be able to compete with the Saints and the Vikings in the NFC if they can’t move the ball. Obvious statement I know, but it’s worth noting after their brutal effort today. If the Cowboys can only muster seven points against the Redskins, how are they going to do against other postseason teams?

It hasn’t taken Jim Zorn long to earn the respect of Washington’s faithful. Zorn’s Redskins beat the previously undefeated Cowboys 26-24 in Dallas on Sunday.

The score was close, but the game really wasn’t. Washington dominated in nearly all facets of the game, including on the ground where Clinton Portis rushed for 121 yards on 21 carries. The Skins dominated the time of possession battle 38:09 to 21:51 and didn’t turn the ball over once. Jason Campbell was also solid, throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns on 20 of 31 passing. He also made two great tosses to Santana Moss in the first half that allowed Washington to build a 17-10 halftime lead.

The Redskins really won this game in the trenches. They held the Cowboys to only 44 yards on the ground and also did a nice job on Terrell Owens. While he caught seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, Washington didn’t allow T.O. to beat them deep.

Speaking of Owens, he mentioned last week that as long as the Cowboys won, he wouldn’t be upset if he didn’t have great numbers. But clearly Dallas got him plenty of opportunities today and they lost. Did offensive coordinator Jason Garrett sacrifice his game plan so that T.O. could get his touches? Or was it just an aberration that Garrett only attempted 11 rushes the entire game despite the Cowboys running the ball very successfully in previous weeks? Hmm.

Either way, Zorn and the Redskins have been impressive so far this year. The Cowboys are arguably the best team in the NFC and Washington soundly beat them on their home turf. The NFC East is a beast of a division.