NFL game summary for 10/31/1976:
Roger Staubach ignored a broken bone in his right hand and guided the Cowboys to first and third quarter touchdowns, dropping the Redskins two games behind Dallas in the NFC East race. Doug Dennison scored on a three-yard run in the first quarter after Efren Herrera pinned Washington deep in its own territory on the previous series with a fake field goal punt. Staubach finished a 68-yard third period drive with a one-yard TD plunge and Herrera added field goals following two Redskins turnovers. Washington averted a shutout when Joe Theismann threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Roy Jefferson with 48 seconds left in the game, following a 59-yard punt return by Eddie Brown.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 176.6 (4) | 248.6 (1) | 425.1 (1) | 15 |
| DEFENSE | 116.1 (6) | 158.6 (11) | 274.7 (7) | 13 | |
 | OFFENSE | 139.0 (17) | 130.1 (21) | 269.1 (21) | 24 |
| DEFENSE | 147.4 (15) | 185.1 (22) | 332.6 (20) | 26 |
Line: Cowboys by 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (7-1-0) | 7 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 20 |
| Washington Redskins (5-3-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
( 7- 0) DAL Doug Dennison 3 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick) (14- 0) DAL Roger Staubach 1 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick) (17- 0) DAL Efren Herrera 37 yard field goal (20- 0) DAL Efren Herrera 21 yard field goal (20- 7) WAS Roy Jefferson 7 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick)
DAL WAS
First Downs: 18 10
Rushes-yards: 49-135 23-88
Yards/rush: 2.8 3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 13-25-152-0 12-24-110-2
Sacked-yards: 4-34 7-52
Net pass yards: 118 58
Net yards/pass: 4.1 1.9
Total net yards: 253 146
Total plays: 78 (62% run) 54 (42% run)
Yards/play: 3.2 2.7
Fumbles-lost: 2-0 3-1
Turnovers: 0 3
Penalties-yards: 5-35 2-15
Attendance: 55,004
Passing:
DAL: Roger Staubach, 13 of 23 for 152 yards; Danny White, 0 of 2 for 0 yards WAS: Billy Kilmer, 9 of 16 for 87 yards (1 int); Joe Theismann, 3 of 8 for 23 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Doug Dennison, 21 for 49 yards and 1 TD; Robert Newhouse, 13 for 31 yards; Preston Pearson, 10 for 25 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 16 yards and 1 TD; Scott Laidlaw, 1 for 17 yards; Danny White, 1 for -3 yards WAS: Mike Thomas, 12 for 41 yards; John Riggins, 5 for 21 yards; Calvin Hill, 4 for 11 yards; Joe Theismann, 1 for 8 yards; Larry Brown, 1 for 7 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Scott Laidlaw, 5 for 42 yards; Drew Pearson, 3 for 32 yards; Preston Pearson, 2 for 44 yards; Golden Richards, 2 for 18 yards; Robert Newhouse, 1 for 16 yards WAS: Mike Thomas, 3 for 14 yards; Calvin Hill, 2 for 34 yards; Frank Grant, 2 for 23 yards; Jean Fugett, 2 for 18 yards; John Riggins, 1 for 8 yards; Roy Jefferson, 1 for 7 yards and 1 TD; Larry Brown, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 1 for 16 yards WAS: Eddie Brown, 4 for 91 yards; Doug Winslow, 1 for 19 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 5 for 50 yards WAS: Eddie Brown, 2 for 62 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Mel Renfro, 1 for 23 yards; Charlie Waters, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DAL: Danny White, 7 for 243 yards; Efren Herrera, 1 for 22 yards WAS: Mike Bragg, 9 for 317 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Efren Herrera, 2/2
DAL: Roger Staubach, 13 of 23 for 152 yards; Danny White, 0 of 2 for 0 yards WAS: Billy Kilmer, 9 of 16 for 87 yards (1 int); Joe Theismann, 3 of 8 for 23 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Doug Dennison, 21 for 49 yards and 1 TD; Robert Newhouse, 13 for 31 yards; Preston Pearson, 10 for 25 yards; Roger Staubach, 3 for 16 yards and 1 TD; Scott Laidlaw, 1 for 17 yards; Danny White, 1 for -3 yards WAS: Mike Thomas, 12 for 41 yards; John Riggins, 5 for 21 yards; Calvin Hill, 4 for 11 yards; Joe Theismann, 1 for 8 yards; Larry Brown, 1 for 7 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Scott Laidlaw, 5 for 42 yards; Drew Pearson, 3 for 32 yards; Preston Pearson, 2 for 44 yards; Golden Richards, 2 for 18 yards; Robert Newhouse, 1 for 16 yards WAS: Mike Thomas, 3 for 14 yards; Calvin Hill, 2 for 34 yards; Frank Grant, 2 for 23 yards; Jean Fugett, 2 for 18 yards; John Riggins, 1 for 8 yards; Roy Jefferson, 1 for 7 yards and 1 TD; Larry Brown, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 1 for 16 yards WAS: Eddie Brown, 4 for 91 yards; Doug Winslow, 1 for 19 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 5 for 50 yards WAS: Eddie Brown, 2 for 62 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Mel Renfro, 1 for 23 yards; Charlie Waters, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DAL: Danny White, 7 for 243 yards; Efren Herrera, 1 for 22 yards WAS: Mike Bragg, 9 for 317 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Efren Herrera, 2/2