Washington head coach Ron Rivera borrowed a trick play from 'Little Giants' to bamboozle the Dallas

• The Washington Football Team dominated the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
• Before the game was a blowout, Washington tricked the Dallas defense with a "fumblerooski."
• The play was inspired by a similar one depicted in the children's film "Little Giants," as head coach Ron Rivera revealed after the game.
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The Washington Football Team dismantled the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, taking a 41-16 victory after running away with the game in the fourth quarter.

But before they jumped out to an insurmountable lead, Washington relied on a bit of trickery to get the best of the Cowboys, taking inspiration from beloved children's film "Little Giants" on one play call.

Facing second-and-five in the second quarter and marching into Dallas territory, Washington ran a variation on what is known as a "fumblerooski," slow-playing their own snap, then sending half of their backfield in one direction while the secretive ball-carrier bolts the other way.

The play was good for a six-yard gain and a first down.

On further examination, some fans began to realize that the play was extremely similar to the game-winning touchdown in "Little Giants," a play known as "The Annexation of Puerto Rico."

Here is that play, for reference.

Some fans celebrated Washington's hilarious play call on Twitter, while others were disappointed the Cowboys couldn't snuff out the play.

After the game, Washington head coach Ron Rivera admitted that "Little Giants" was his inspiration.

"It actually goes back to a movie called 'Little Giants,' and it's called, I hope I don't get in trouble, 'The Annexation of Puerto Rico,'" Rivera said. "We nicknamed it the 'Bumerooski,' but most of these guys don't understand it, so we had to explain to them who Bum Phillips is, and we did it as a tribute to him."

It's also not the first time Rivera had called the play in an NFL game. During his first year as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Rivera dialed up the same play, with Cam Newton serving as the decoy and fullback Richie Brockel running in the first and only touchdown of his NFL career.

Thanks to their win on Sunday, Washington now sits atop the NFC East standings with a real shot at hosting a playoff game. If Ron Rivera keeps opening up the playbook like this, his opponents will have to be ready for anything.

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