On Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2012, Robert Griffin III walked into Cowboys Stadium for his first pro game in Texas and left with a 38-31 win. Dallas kicked a field goal to open the scoring. Washington answered with 28 points in the second quarter — four touchdowns on four drives — and never trailed again. Griffin finished 19 of 27 for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Tony Romo threw for a career-high 441 yards and three second-half scores, including an 85-yard strike to Dez Bryant, and still could not erase the hole.
The same 2012 calendar still carries another classic nearby: December 2, 2012, Seahawks 23, Bears 17 in overtime. This one was a division rivalry on a national holiday, a rookie quarterback at home in Texas, and a second-half chase that never quite caught up.
Bailey opens, then Griffin takes the second quarter
Dallas took the lead with 9:27 left in the first when Dan Bailey hit a 30-yard field goal. Washington’s first two series stalled. Then the second quarter started, and the game flipped.
On the first play of the quarter, Griffin play-faked and threw deep left to Aldrick Robinson for a 68-yard touchdown. Kai Forbath’s kick made it 7-3. Dallas moved the ball again until Josh Wilson punched the ball free from Bryant; DeJon Gomes recovered and returned it to the Dallas 49. Six plays later Alfred Morris finished a short drive from 1 yard out. Washington led 14-3.
Griffin kept stacking explosives. From his own 41 he hit Pierre Garçon on a deep crosser for 59 yards and another score. After Romo threw an interception to DeAngelo Hall near midfield, Griffin drove again and found Santana Moss for a 6-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left in the half. Halftime: Washington 28, Dallas 3. It was Washington’s first 28-point quarter in 13 years, and Griffin had three of his four touchdown passes before the break.
Official NFL Throwback package of Griffin’s Thanksgiving performance against Dallas.
Romo and Bryant climb back; Paul answers
Dallas opened the third with a 33-yard Bailey field goal, then got the breakthrough it needed. Forced out of the pocket, Romo lofted a deep ball to Bryant on a crossing route. Bryant did the rest for an 85-yard touchdown — the longest scoring play of Romo’s career to that point. Suddenly it was 28-13.
Griffin answered immediately. On a flag route he found tight end Niles Paul uncovered for a 29-yard touchdown, his fourth of the day, and Washington restored a three-score cushion at 35-13 early in the fourth.
“We were in the zone. I think everybody was in the zone,” Griffin said afterward. “All the receivers were playing well and it was special.”
Dallas would not go quietly. Romo hit Felix Jones for a 10-yard score and ran in the two-point conversion to make it 35-21. After Charlie Peprah intercepted Griffin near midfield, Romo found Bryant again from 11 yards out. Bailey’s kick cut it to 35-28 with 8:18 left.
| Time | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1st quarter, 9:27 | Dan Bailey kicks a 30-yard field goal | Cowboys 3, Washington 0 |
| 2nd quarter, 13:57 | Robert Griffin III passes 68 yards to Aldrick Robinson for a touchdown | Washington 7, Cowboys 3 |
| 2nd quarter, 7:03 | Alfred Morris runs 1 yard for a touchdown | Washington 14, Cowboys 3 |
| 2nd quarter, 2:25 | Griffin passes 59 yards to Pierre Garçon for a touchdown | Washington 21, Cowboys 3 |
| 2nd quarter, 0:10 | Griffin passes 6 yards to Santana Moss for a touchdown | Washington 28, Cowboys 3 |
| 3rd quarter, 11:53 | Bailey kicks a 33-yard field goal | Washington 28, Cowboys 6 |
| 3rd quarter, 1:38 | Tony Romo passes 85 yards to Dez Bryant for a touchdown | Washington 28, Cowboys 13 |
| 4th quarter, 12:57 | Griffin passes 29 yards to Niles Paul for a touchdown | Washington 35, Cowboys 13 |
| 4th quarter, 10:01 | Romo passes 10 yards to Felix Jones for a touchdown (Romo two-point run) | Washington 35, Cowboys 21 |
| 4th quarter, 8:24 | Romo passes 11 yards to Bryant for a touchdown | Washington 35, Cowboys 28 |
| 4th quarter, 3:03 | Kai Forbath kicks a 48-yard field goal | Washington 38, Cowboys 28 |
| 4th quarter, 0:23 | Bailey kicks a 51-yard field goal | Washington 38, Cowboys 31 |
Forbath seals it; Bailey’s late kick is not enough
Washington needed one more answer. Griffin converted third downs to Moss and chewed clock into Dallas territory. Forbath drilled a 48-yard field goal with 3:03 left to make it 38-28. Romo drove again; Bailey hit from 51 with 23 seconds remaining. The onside kick failed. Final: Washington 38, Dallas 31.
“To go to Texas, where I was raised, and have them chant ‘R-G-3’ in Cowboys Stadium, to dominate the game the way we did, it was special,” Griffin said. “It was something that I’ll always remember, my first Thanksgiving game.”
Jason Witten, who caught nine passes, put the loss on the early deficit: “You can’t spot good teams. We’ve talked about it all along. That’s what’s disappointing is we continue to do it. You try to fight back, but you’re against the clock at that point.”
By the numbers
| Washington | Cowboys | |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Robert Griffin III, 19 of 27, 304 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception; 7 carries, 29 yards | Tony Romo, 37 of 62, 441 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions; 4 carries, 9 yards, 1 two-point run |
| Top receivers | Pierre Garçon, 4 catches, 86 yards, 1 touchdown; Aldrick Robinson, 1 catch, 68 yards, 1 touchdown; Josh Morgan, 5 catches, 48 yards; Santana Moss, 4 catches, 42 yards, 1 touchdown; Niles Paul, 1 catch, 29 yards, 1 touchdown | Dez Bryant, 8 catches, 145 yards, 2 touchdowns; Jason Witten, 9 catches, 74 yards; Dwayne Harris, 4 catches, 71 yards; Cole Beasley, 7 catches, 68 yards |
| Rushing leaders | Alfred Morris, 24 carries, 113 yards, 1 touchdown; Griffin, 7 carries, 29 yards | Felix Jones, 6 carries, 14 yards; Lance Dunbar, 1 carry, 8 yards |
| Turnovers | 1 (interception) | 3 (2 interceptions, 1 fumble lost) |
| Third downs | 6 of 12 | — |
Griffin became the first Washington quarterback in franchise history to throw four touchdown passes in consecutive games — he had done it against Philadelphia five days earlier. Morris’s 113 yards kept the clock moving when Dallas finally found the end zone. Our fourth-down guide covers the short-yardage finishes Morris and Griffin lived on near the goal line.
What came next
The win lifted both teams’ Thanksgiving records into a new chapter and moved Washington to 5-6, tied with Dallas. Washington then won its next five, finished 10-6, took the NFC East, and lost a wild-card game at home to Seattle 24-14. Dallas went 3-2 the rest of the way, finished 8-8, and missed the playoffs after losing the Week 17 rematch in Landover 28-18 — the same afternoon the photo above was taken.
The two teams in 2026
Fourteen years later the franchise now called the Commanders and the Cowboys are both chasing .500 early. Through six games Dallas sits at 2-4 and Washington at 1-4-1, well off the pace laid out in our Week 9 playoff picture. The Thanksgiving rematch tradition continues; the 2012 version still looks like the day a rookie from Copperas Cove and Baylor owned the building with the star on the roof.
The scoring plays, drive notes and player numbers above come from the official play-by-play and game data, with quotes from postgame interviews. 2026 records are through games of early November 2026.
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