LANDOVER, Md. — The telling moment came not when he finally shook off the awkwardness of pinkie-wrapped throws, two interceptions, a cautious game plan and just let it fly.

Nor was it the perfectly placed 25-yard touchdown pass, a ball Martellus Bennett plucked off a defensive back's shoulder.

No, the sign came after the pass that saved the Cowboys' season, when their quarterback bounced and leaped and grinned all the way into the end zone as if he were having the time of his life.

Tony Romo was back.

Where you been, kid?

"I was excited," he said, an observation he couldn't make often this season. "I think it was fun to get back out there and play, and it gave me a chance to miss the game quite a bit.

"It's so much fun."

Winning usually is, even when it's as ugly as the Cowboys' 14-10 victory over Washington before 90,830 flummoxed fans at FedEx Field.

On a bone-chilling night when the Dallas defense lived up to its potential, when Terence Newman's dynamic return upstaged his own, Romo looked like a quarterback we used to know.

Maybe he was just glad to see a team he recognized.

"I told the guys I'm happy," Romo said. "I just feel good about their effort and time and commitment they've put in recently to get a win, and it's awesome when it comes to fruition."

Especially when Romo wasn't the best player on the field. He wasn't even the best in his own locker room.

The honors go to the Cowboys' defense, which held Washington to 228 yards total offense. DeMarcus Ware played to his usual form. Jay

Ratliff continued to be a revelation.

And the offense? The line not only didn't allow a sack, it hardly allowed Romo to get mussed.

Marion Barber? He banged for 66 of his 114 yards in the fourth quarter and was a hammer on the Cowboys' last possession, when they burned 6 minutes, 40 seconds.

Romo's numbers weren't especially pretty in comparison: 19-of-27 for 198 yards, the two interceptions and a touchdown.

For that matter, the game was no work of art, either. But the Cowboys made a point, nonetheless.

"We played with a lot of intensity," Ratliff said, "and a lot of emotion."

The Cowboys aren't much good if they don't play that way, especially the quarterback.

Romo leads by example, and his example Sunday was exactly what the Cowboys needed.

Given time by the defense to get his act together, Romo made the most of it.

He needed some time to get adjusted. Even after warm-ups, he continued to throw on the sideline. On the return throws, if he had to reach for the ball, he held his damaged right hand dead to his side and caught it with his left instead.

When he passed early, the ball looked awkward coming out of his hand, almost as if he were shot-putting it.

Offensive mistakes overall didn't help in the first half. A holding penalty wiped out a 21-yard run, and interceptions killed drives at Washington's 27 and 25.

The first interception at Washington's 27 — on a slant to T.O. — was so far behind him that it was behind DeAngelo Hall, too.

But the second interception — which popped out of T.O.'s hands after a hit — wasn't Romo's fault.

The Cowboys should have been up at least 13-7 at that point. Instead, they went to the half down 10-7.

But the longer the defense stuffed the Redskins, the more you could sense Romo's confidence return.

The Cowboys aren't all the way back. Much needs to be done to clean up mistakes.

But the quarterback who jumped on shoulders and pumped his fist and seemed to be having a grand old time sure looks familiar. Welcome back, kid. Your team missed you.