Cowboys look for first-ever 8-0 run through NFC East

By DENNE H. FREEMAN

AP Sports Writer

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Chan Gailey can do something Sunday night no coach in the NFC East has ever accomplished -- win all division games in a season.

The Dallas Cowboys have swept the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles. They beat Washington 31-10 in October, leaving them needing only a victory over the Redskins in the season finale for a perfect 8-0 in the division.

The game has no other bearing on either team's season. Washington is out of the playoff chase, while the Cowboys are locked in as the NFC's third seed. Dallas will host a wild-card team on either Jan. 2 or Jan. 3.

A victory would accomplish another statistical feat for the Cowboys: a 10-6 record that's an exact flip of their disastrous 6-10 finish under Barry Switzer last year.

Gailey, who was the offensive coordinator at Pittsburgh this time last year, said the motivation to hit the NFC East milestone was strong.

"We have a chance to sweep all the games in the division and that's something I would look forward to," Gailey said. "It's a chance to get some confidence and establish a confident mindset going into the playoffs."

If the Cowboys could beat Washington, it would give them a 10-win season for the 23rd time in franchise history, an NFL record. Dallas, which just wrapped up its 19th division title, has been in the playoffs an NFL-record 25 times.

The first time these teams met this season, Oct. 4 in Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, Emmitt Smith rushed for 120 yards and scored a touchdown, Chris Warren reeled off 104 yards and two touchdowns and Jason Garrett, subbing for an injured Troy Aikman, hit 14 of 17 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown.

The Cowboys are a different team since the rout in Washington.

Wide receiver Ernie Mills, who caught a 43-yard touchdown pass in the game, suffered an internal injury that will keep him out the rest of the season. Warren is down again with another groin injury. Deion Sanders has a hurt toe and tight end David LaFleur and defensive end Kavika Pittman are also nursing wounds.

Aikman is back operating the offense but not having much success. Dallas has sputtered to move the ball in recent weeks. The Cowboys had lost three straight before struggling to beat lowly Philadelphia 13-9 last Sunday.

The Redskins, meanwhile, have finally settled down under Norv Turner and won six out of their last eight games, including a 20-16 upset of Tampa Bay last Sunday. Washington started the year with seven consecutive losses.

"We finally started believing in ourselves," Turner said. "It's just a shame we couldn't get going like this earlier in the season. We have a lot of faith in each other now."

Turner is a former Dallas offensive coordinator who owns two Super Bowl rings from his days with the Cowboys. Turner is 4-5 against his old team.

Dallas hasn't swept a season series from Washington since 1994.

Smith is still looking for a rushing touchdown that would be the 124th of his career and an NFL record. He's tied with Marcus Allen for career rushing touchdowns.

"The record would be good, but right now the important thing is getting this team going," Smith said. "I feel this team can go as far as we want to go and as far as we have put our minds to go and achieve."