ARLINGTON -- It was ugly, but the Cowboys will take it.

The Cowboys survived the Redskins to maintain their status of first place in the NFC East with a 7-6 win at Cowboys Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Like we said, it was ugly.

Tony Romo completed 15 of 27 passes for 158 yards with one touchdown. His quarterback rating was 69.7. The game changed on a shotgun-loving, nine play 60-yard drive that ended when Romo, scrambling in the pocket found Patrick Crayton for a 10-yard touchdown with 2:41 remaining in the game.

But it wasn't over.

The Redskins were driving until Stephen Bowen tipped a Jason Campbell pass and Anthony Spencer, the outside linebacker, without a sack, but numerous pressures picked off the pass with 1:52 to play to seal the victory.

Like we said. Ugly.

But the Cowboys will take it, that's what you do, when you want to win games.

The offense had only two real drives of the game, the first one, where Marion Barber fumbled in Redskins territory and the last one when Crayton got his score.

Jerry Jones was front and center on the field at the start of the third quarter. Worried about his team. Dallas could not afford a two-game losing streak going into the Oakland game on Thursday afternoon.

Now the Cowboys can worry about the Raiders as they try and solve their offensie issues.