The 1979 season of the Washington Redskins in American professional football began with the team trying to improve on their 8–8 record from 1978. While the Redskins were able to improve their record; finishing 10–6, the Redskins were eliminated from playoff contention on the final week of the season when, facing the Dallas Cowboys with the NFC East title on the line, Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach led a last-minute comeback to defeat Washington 35–34 to win the division; which combined with the Chicago Bears defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 42–6, resulted in the Redskins losing a points tiebreaker for the final wild-card slot.