LANDOVER, Md. -- On the same day DeMarcus Lawrence took over the NFL's sack lead, he lost ground to the man lined up next to him. Right now a suspension is about the only thing keeping David Irving from matching Lawrence as a disruptive force on a Cowboys pass rush that's beating up on rival quarterbacks.

The Cowboys sacked Washington's Kirk Cousins four times, Tyrone Crawford blocked a field goal and forced a fumble and Irving tipped a pass that produced Byron Jones' game-clinching interception in a 33-19 Dallas victory at FedEx Field Sunday.

Byron Jones with the Kirk Cousins INT to seal the Cowboys win 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/DK7UQ8Wyw0 — Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 29, 2017

It's the first time this season that the Cowboys, who produced an 11-game win streak a year ago, have managed back-to-back victories. Their sack masters have been a big reason, dropping the 49ers' C.J. Beathard five times last week and Cousins four more Sunday.

"We're like a bunch of wild animals," Lawrence said. "You hit a quarterback enough times, they start looking at you like they're expecting it again."

Before the praise is applied too thick, the obvious must be stated. The Cowboys played a winless team in San Francisco last week before arriving in Washington to face the Redskins, who began the day missing three starting linemen and lost a fourth along the way.

These games were tailor made for the pass rush to generate some nasty results. The thing is, that's been true often enough in the recent past when nothing has happened. Now Lawrence, Irving and Crawford are taking matters into their own hands.

Lawrence's sack gave him 10.5 for the season, moving him half a sack past Jacksonville's Calais Campbell, whose team had a bye. Lawrence thanked referee Walt Anderson for blowing the whistle just before linebacker Jaylon Smith applied the finishing touches on the tackle of Cousins that could have given each half a sack instead.

But the man suddenly chasing Lawrence is Irving, who has five sacks in three games since finishing a four-game suspension. Irving was on a cellphone at his locker, doing a Washington postgame radio interview when Crawford called out, "You on the phone with your agent? Show me the money!"

A natural end at 6-7, Irving has taken off since being moved to left tackle where he lines up alongside Lawrence and presents opponents with a troubling choice.

"They know they have to respect us," Irving said. "We knew they had injuries today obviously, but that didn't change anything. We did our jobs, and we didn't underestimate them."

Actually, they did the same thing the Eagles have done twice already. In both Philadelphia victories, Cousins was sacked four times while throwing 40 passes. In the rain and mud Sunday afternoon, Cousins was dropped four times while attempting 39.

Crawford's contribution was the game's biggest. Despite a remarkable edge in healthy players, the Cowboys trailed Washington 13-7 as the second-quarter clock was ticking down. Highland Park's Nick Rose was set to try a 36-yard field goal that would extend the Redskins' lead to nine points.

BLOCKED! And with the return Orlando Scandrick becomes one of the most productive players of the 1st half. #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation pic.twitter.com/ipL4eho4cg — Joey Hayden (@_joeyhayden) October 29, 2017

But Crawford got a hand on the ball, and Orlando Scandrick made a nice move, starting right with the recovery, then cutting back to the left sideline and rambling 86 yards to the Washington 4-yard line. So a routine Zeke Elliott touchdown on his 150-yard rushing afternoon gave Dallas a 1-point halftime lead instead of a deficit.

Crawford also had a sack and forced fumble that Lawrence recovered. The threesome fed off each other all afternoon, and Washington's battered front line gave them plenty to eat.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence (90) and defensive end Tyrone Crawford (98) celebrate a sack during the third quarter of an NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins on Sunday, October 29, 2017 at FedEx Field in Hyattsville, Maryland. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News) (Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)

On top of losing a fourth offensive linemen, two Redskins tight ends -- backup Niles Paul and starter Jordan Reed -- left the game with injuries.

And a starting strong safety. And a starting defensive end.

It's only seven games but Lawrence's on pace to break the Cowboys' ambiguous record. DeMarcus Ware had 20 in 2008. Harvey Martin had 23 in 1977, but that was five years before sacks became an official statistic. Pick the one you like, but Lawrence will get 24 if he maintains this pace.

The tests grow harder. It's Kansas City's Alex Smith and Atlanta's Matt Ryan and then the first meeting of the season with Philadelphia's Carson Wentz. The Falcons have a winning record, the Chiefs lead their division, and the Eagles own the best record in the NFL.

Keep up this four-sack-a-week total, produce turnovers in these November games, and then we will know for sure that the Cowboys have turned a pass-rushing deficiency into something truly special.

Twitter: @TimCowlishaw