Dan Bailey Ties Rookie Record, Gives Cowboys 18-16 Win

Tuesday, September 27th 2011, 12:03 am

By: News 9

Corey DeMoss, News9.com

ARLINGTON, Texas – One week after connecting on two clutch kicks, former Oklahoma State kicker Dan Bailey tied a rookie record with six field goals Monday to carry the Dallas Cowboys to an 18-16 win over the Washington Redskins.

The Cowboys' offense was stagnant all night, with mental mistakes, bad snaps, bad routes and dropped balls coming with regularity. Dallas stalled inside the 20-yard line three different times and seemed incapable of moving the ball consistently.

But through all of that, Bailey managed to remain the Cowboys' only consistent contributor. He accounted for all of the Cowboys' points, did not miss a kick, and delivered a 41-yard field goal with less than two minutes left to give Dallas its first lead of the second half.

That lead held thanks to a sack and forced fumble by Anthony Spencer on the ensuing possession, and the Cowboys ran the clock out after that.

Bailey now has delivered clutch kicks in two consecutive games. Last week against the San Francisco 49ers, Bailey redeemed himself for a bad miss with a long field goal to tie the game at the end of regulation and force overtime. He delivered another successful kick in the extra frame to win it.

Bailey's performance tied a rookie record, and he was two field goals shy of the overall NFL record set by Rob Bironas in 2007. Bailey already has nine field goals through three games, and the most any player has made in his rookie season is 35.