Call it a Monday Night Football magical turnaround.

For 58 minutes, Washington and the Dallas Cowboys battled back and forth at FedEx Field in arguably the worst game of the 2015 NFL season, but a slew of critical special teams plays, timely offensive strikes and a clutch kick made for an insane finish and led to a 19-16 Dallas victory.

The contest's first touchdown didn't come until there were less than 90 seconds remaining, when the Cowboys' Darren McFadden scored on a six-yard run to break a 9-9 tie. That was only possible because Washington's DeSean Jackson had inexplicably run backward on a punt return and fumbled the ball when he was brought down.

Washington answered with a quick-strike score, and Jackson earned some redemption with a 28-yard touchdown catch. Overtime was not in the cards, though. Lucky Whitehead put Dallas in scoring position with an impressive kick return, and the Cowboys' Dan Bailey pushed his team right back into playoff contention with a game-winning 54-yard field goal.

The NFL shared the clinching kick:

Dallas improved to 4-8 on the season and is a mere one game behind Washington, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants in the NFC East. Ryan Krasnoo of Sports Illustrated passed along an amusing quote from ESPN commentator and former quarterback Steve Young, who summed up the division:

The NFC East has been a nightmare this season with zero teams even at .500, and it was fitting this important intra-divisional game started off in disastrous fashion. The two teams ended the first quarter without a single point between them, and Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram said what many were thinking after 15 minutes:

The offenses weren't the only things failing to work, as ESPN shared:

According to @saltersl, the tablets and printers are not working on the Cowboys sideline. pic.twitter.com/BbWMUCLptL

— ESPN Monday Night (@ESPNMondayNight) December 8, 2015

As a result, Washington was not allowed to use its tablets as long as Dallas' were not working. Maybe that explained the poor quality of football, but the Cowboys finally cobbled together a scoring drive in the second quarter, and Bailey drilled a 38-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Tight end Jason Witten made some history during that 60-yard drive, as he hauled in his 1000th career catch:

Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News pointed out that Witten became the 12th player in league history to reach 1,000 catches and was the fifth to do so with only one team. Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com praised the tight end:

Washington notched a field goal of its own to tie the game going into halftime.

Things took a turn for the worse for the Cowboys at the start of the third quarter when McFadden lost his second fumble of the game. Washington parlayed that into Dustin Hopkins' 36-yard field goal and a 6-3 lead. Even as Washington took the lead, the offenses were sleepwalking through the third quarter. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network described the ineptitude:

Dallas drove into scoring territory on its next possession, although much of the yardage came on penalties. Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan acknowledged a troublesome pattern for the Washington defense:

The Cowboys tied the game with a field goal, and Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram had a poignant question for viewers: 

Hopkins connected on another field goal early in the fourth quarter to give Washington a 9-6 advantage in a game that resembled a high-scoring baseball affair rather than a football showdown with postseason implications. Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic provided a fitting recap of the action:

Dallas played the role of bumbling offense on the ensuing possession when Devin Street fumbled the ball back to Washington for the Cowboys' third turnover of the game. Williams pointed to another concern outside of Dallas' tendency to cough the ball up: 

Washington, however, failed to take advantage of the turnover when Hopkins missed a field goal, and Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News joked that it kept the Cowboys in the game because six points would have been insurmountable: 

The Dallas offense finally showed some life with less than seven minutes remaining when Matt Cassel found Dez Bryant for a 42-yard completion. It was an incredible catch, and the NFL passed along the highlight:

Williams wondered where that had been all game:

Naturally, given the tone of the game, the Cowboys stalled inside the 5-yard line and settled for a game-tying field goal. George commented on the development:

The teams traded punts, and Jackson made the biggest mistake of the game when he was back as a returner with less than two minutes left. He caught the ball on the right side of the field and looped backward nearly to the goal line before fumbling the ball. He was attempting to do too much with the game on the line, and he gave Dallas the golden opportunity it needed.

Mike Jones of the Washington Post offered his opinion on the play:

McFadden scored from six yards out two plays later, but Krasnoo offered a glimpse of hope for the home team: 

Rashad Ross gave Washington even more hope with a huge return that was boosted by a facemask penalty. Suddenly, the offense was in Dallas territory with a perfect chance to tie the game. It took full advantage in a redemptive sort of way.

Kirk Cousins found Jackson in the end zone to tie the contest at 16 with 44 seconds left. Krasnoo offered one explanation for Jackson's eventful final two minutes:

ESPN provided its take on the developments:

First 58:46 of this game: 0 touchdowns Then 2 touchdowns in 30 seconds. MONDAYS ARE FUN!

— ESPN Monday Night (@ESPNMondayNight) December 8, 2015

Just when it looked like overtime was all but a certainty, Lucky Whitehead put Dallas in position to score with an impressive 46-yard kick return. Following two completions to Bryant, Bailey lined up for a 54-yarder and drilled it, hushing the Washington crowd. George pointed out Witten was thrilled with his kicker:

Washington attempted a couple of laterals on the ensuing kickoff, but it was to no avail. The Cowboys emerged on top after a tumultuous final two minutes.

What's Next?

Washington is now 5-7 and part of a three-way tie with the Eagles and Giants atop the NFC East. Despite an inconsistent campaign and Monday's crushing loss, it still has a straightforward path to win the division with beatable opponents down the stretch.

Washington plays the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, Eagles and Cowboys to finish the season. Buffalo is the only team without a losing record in that bunch, and it is an uninspiring 6-6. Washington fans may not feel great about their team's postseason chances after Monday, but the division title is still well within reach.

As for the 4-8 Cowboys, they—incredibly—are still alive in their abysmal division thanks to Monday's win. But their path is much more difficult than Washington's because they play the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets in their next two games before finishing with the Bills and Washington. The Packers are 8-4, while the Jets are 7-5.

Dallas will likely see its postseason chances go down the drain in the next two weeks unless it plays the inspired football fans saw in the closing minutes of Monday's win.

Postgame Reaction

Given the magnitude of the victory, it was no surprise talk from the Dallas side looked at things from a big-picture standpoint. Bryant was asked if his team was playing with nothing to lose and said, "Nah, we do have something to lose. We still in this thing," per David Helman of DallasCowboys.com.

Owner Jerry Jones also reflected on the win, per Helman: "We won one on will out there tonight, not on tactical mastery."

With that will on Dallas' side, Jones wasn't exactly sure why his team is 4-8, per Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram: "I'm stunned we haven't been able to win more games without Tony [Romo]."

Cassel was not particularly impressive in place of Romo. He finished 16-of-29 with no touchdowns, and he commented on the outcome, per NFL Network: "It's probably one of the crazier games I've been a part of."

One reason it was such a crazy game was Jackson's fumble, which started the back-and-forth finish. The receiver discussed the play, per NFL Network: "Personally, I'm very frustrated. I know I need to protect the ball and it got away from me. That's on me."

Washington coach Jay Gruden explained his rationale for using Jackson on the crucial punt return, per the NFL Network: "DeSean has a history of making big plays in key situations, and I don't regret that decision one bit."

Cousins did not waste much time dwelling on the loss and instead looked ahead to the future. The quarterback said the division title is "all there in front of us," and he already has his eyes on Washington's next game against Chicago, per the team.

Somebody has to win the NFC East. It may as well be Cousins and Washington.