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Redskins spoil Ring party, 14-13

11:38 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 20, 2005

By JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING – Bill Parcells had never lost a game in his 18-year NFL coaching career when his team led by 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Now, he has.

Quarterback Mark Brunell threw touchdown passes of 39 and 70 yards to Santana Moss in the final four minutes as the Washington Redskins shocked the Cowboys, 14-13, in front of the largest Texas Stadium crowd in two decades.

The 65,207 had come, in part, to honor Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith, who were inducted into the team's exclusive Ring of Honor on Monday night. They left trying to figure out how a defensive unit that had been superb much of the night collapsed in the final four minutes.

Especially because Dallas had beaten Washington in 14 of its last 15 games and used seven different starting quarterbacks in the process.

"We gotta learn how to close the show," said Parcells, whose teams are 77-1 with a 13-point fourth-quarter lead.

"On fourth-and-15, if we make one play, the game is over. You let a team hang around, and that can happen."

Actually, this is the continuation of an ugly trend that began last season. Dallas blew three fourth-quarter leads last year in losses to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the New York Giants, which doesn't include a 14-point loss to New Orleans in a game that was tied after three quarters.

Instead of going 2-0 for the first time since 1999, spending the week in first place in the NFC East and looking forward to a two-game road trip against San Francisco and Oakland, Parcells and his staff will probably spend much of this week trying to energize their team.

A heartbreaking loss like this against a division rival can rob a team of its energy just like a 2-0 start would've created good vibes and momentum.

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En español: Redskins le arruinan la fiesta a Cowboys, 14-13 (Central America's Team)

"These losses early in the season can carry over," Parcells said. "You have to finish it, and we didn't finish it."

It just looked that way.

A 43-yard completion from Drew Bledsoe to Terry Glenn set up a field goal that gave Dallas a 13-0 lead with 6:01 left. Given the way the Cowboys were playing defense – they had five sacks, two turnovers and forced eight punts – there was no logical reason to think Dallas wouldn't extend its mastery of the Redskins.

But the defense wilted.

Washington, which used three field goals to beat Chicago last week, drove 76 yards in 10 plays to pull within 13-7. Twice, the Redskins converted on fourth down.

A 25-yard scramble by Brunell on third-and-27 set up a manageable fourth-and-2 that Washington converted with a 20-yard pass to James Thrash, moving the ball to the Dallas 34. On fourth-and-15 from the Dallas 39, Brunell found Moss in the back of the end zone with 3:46 left for Washington's first touchdown of the year.

Still, the Cowboys controlled their fate. A couple of first downs, and the game would be over.

And for a moment, it appeared Dallas had clinched the win, when Keyshawn Johnson caught a 17-yard pass from Bledsoe on third-and-8.

But Flozell Adams was penalized for holding. Dallas couldn't convert on third down, giving Washington a chance to earn its most significant victory since coach Joe Gibbs returned from NASCAR to the Redskins last season.

It didn't take long.

On first-and-10 from the Dallas 30, Washington called the exact same play it used to score its first touchdown. Moss split Aaron Glenn and Roy Williams and caught a pass that hit him in stride just over Glenn's outstretched hand for the go-ahead touchdown.

"I probably shouldn't have gone for the interception," Glenn said. "I think my hand touched the ball. I usually make that kind if play. I'm very disappointed for not making that play."

Williams said it was his fault.

"I take total blame," he said. "I probably should have read it faster. I take all of the blame."

Still, Dallas had a chance to win after Tyson Thompson's 49-yard kickoff return gave it the ball at Washington 48, but after a 6-yard run by Julius Jones on first down, Bledsoe threw two incompletions and a 3-yard pass to Terry Glenn on fourth down.

When the game ended, many of Washington's players sprinted off the field pumping their fists, their helmets held aloft. A few even danced on the star at midfield.

"I don't know if anyone believed but us," Washington linebacker Marcus Washington said. "But that was enough."

When the game ended, many of Washington's players sprinted off the field pumping their fists, their helmets held aloft. A few even danced on the star at midfield.

JSPB22 wrote:

When the game ended, many of Washington's players sprinted off the field pumping their fists, their helmets held aloft. A few even danced on the star at midfield.

Instead of going 2-0 for the first time since 1999, spending the week in first place in the NFC East and looking forward to a two-game road trip against San Francisco and Oakland, Parcells and his staff will probably spend much of this week trying to energize their team.

A heartbreaking loss like this against a division rival can rob a team of its energy just like a 2-0 start would've created good vibes and momentum.


"These losses early in the season can carry over," Parcells said. "You have to finish it, and we didn't finish it."

JansenFan wrote:fixed it for ya.

Play-it-safe Holmgren crafts another loss

By Steve Kelley

Seattle Times staff columnist


LANDOVER. Md. — When they needed a play the most the Seahawks reacted timidly — again.

After Kelly Herndon's interception gave them a chance to break the chain of losing, the play-calling was as cautious as a quarterback keeper.

Tied up in the last minute of a swelteringly tight game, with the ball on Washington's 33-yard line, the Hawks ran Shaun Alexander twice up the middle. They ran two plays that were mistake-free. But two plays that didn't help them win the game.

They left kicker Josh Brown with a 47-yard field-goal attempt. He already had been wide left with another chance at the same distance in the third quarter.

Been here. Seen this.

Once again, three time zones from home, the Seahawks lost a game they should have won.

These are the games the Seahawks always lose. Tough games against winning teams in front of gnarly crowds. These are the games that separate the good teams from the Super Bowl contenders.

In the final minute of the kind of game they haven't won in a decade, the play-calling made it just that much more difficult to win.

Alexander once. Alexander twice. Field goal missed. Overtime.

Brown's kick, which was boomed and had the length to be good from 57 yards, hooked just enough to graze the left upright.

What might have happened, if coach Mike Holmgren had tried just one safe shot downfield.

A pass to Darrell Jackson curling in front of a corner. Or a play-fake to Alexander and a pass to Jerramy Stevens running up the seam. Or even a sweep with Alexander, instead of two timid dive plays.

Why not show some confidence in the quarterback you pay millions of dollars to make plays? Just moments before Herndon's interception, Hasselbeck had expertly marched the offense 91 yards in 14 plays to tie the score.

There were 49 seconds left. Why not give Matt Hasselbeck one last chance to get the ball closer to chip-shot range? He was on a roll. Play the hot hand.

"It's not my job [to call plays]," Hasselbeck said with a shrug, after the 20-17 overtime loss. "I just do what I'm told."

It was coach Mike Holmgren's call. And, once again, he was too conservative, too unwilling to take a chance.

"I tried to get more yards," Holmgren said unconvincingly. "I'd like to have gotten closer."

Holmgren had excuses. Herndon got too fancy with his return. And the offensive line didn't block well on Alexander's last run. Ultimately, the blame falls on the coach.

"When Herndon intercepted the ball, he could have gotten some yards on the return," Holmgren said. "Instead he reversed his field trying to make a play. It was an aggressive play and it cost us some yards.

"On the second [run] we did not block very well. I tried to get more [yards]. But I tried to get it with the run."

He never considered throwing the ball.

"We battled so hard to come back and be put in that position," Holmgren said. "I didn't want to do anything. Had we done something there that didn't give us a chance, that might have been too difficult to handle."

They lost anyway. And it was difficult to handle.

Brown hit what he said was the best ball of his life. He knew it was good from the moment it left his foot. He even began a mini-celebration before the long yellow upright ruined the party.

These are the games the Seahawks lose. Winnable games that could turn the season on its head. Close games on hostile fields that could tell them that, yes, they are good enough to play with the best teams in their division.

These are springboard games, and, somehow, the Seahawks always come unsprung.

"I remember," said Washington cornerback Shawn Springs, who was a Seahawk from 1997 through 2003. "It's tough. I feel for those guys. That would have been a big win for them.

"I'm glad we were able to win because, you know, that's an NFC team that's probably going to go to the playoffs. They're a good team in the NFC West. The thing is, I'm glad we got the win because we might have to see them again in the playoffs."

Of course, there is the matter of the afternoon's 65 other minutes.

The Seahawks' secondary was painfully slow to close after Washington's receivers made their cuts. The defense allowed 13 third-down conversions in 18 attempts, including two third-and-10s on Washington's winning drive and one third-and-nine. It allowed nine third-down conversions of 9 yards or more.

And, as they always seem to do in the afternoon, in the East, the Hawks started sluggishly, allowing Washington to control the ball for almost 22 minutes in the first half.

But they battled back from a 14-3 deficit and gave themselves a chance to win.

This game could have been the switch that sent Seattle to another level. This could have been a momentum game. It could have gotten people dreaming of a cold February day in Detroit.

You would think after all the difficult losses, all the almosts and not-quites of the past seven seasons, Holmgren might have tried something bold this time.

Instead he got cautious again.

And the Seahawks lost on the road.

Again.

Steve Kelley: 206-464-2176 or skelley@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists

JPFair wrote:I can't believe Holmgren blamed the guy that got the INT for not getting more yards. I would have expected more from him.

Landover, Md. -- The 49ers' 52-17 blowout loss to Washington demonstrated what has happened to the team in the last year and a half. What's more, it possibly brought the team to the shuddering realization that it might be worse than last season's 2-14 squad.

The 49ers were dismantled Sunday by the Redskins, who handed the 49ers their fifth straight loss, four of which have been one-sided.

Even ever-optimistic coach Mike Nolan seemed dispirited after his team's latest debacle. "The only positive we have to think about is that the (Houston) Astros were 15-30 in May and made it to where they are today," Nolan said.

But playing in a championship is a distant dream for this team.

In fact, opposing teams get well playing the 49ers. The Redskins had been having trouble on their opening drives, turning the ball over on three of their five previous initial opportunities. Against the 49ers, they marched down the field in six plays, with wide receiver Santana Moss catching a 43-yard pass from Mark Brunell to set up a 2-yard Brunell-to-Mike-Sellers touchdown connection.

Washington also hadn't forced a turnover in four games. In the second quarter, linebacker Marcus Washington beat right tackle Kwame Harris on a blitz and blind-sided quarterback Alex Smith, knocking the ball out of Smith's hand. Defensive tackle Phillip Daniels recovered on the 49ers' 19. One play later, fullback Sellers caught a 19-yard pass for the Redskins' fifth touchdown of the first half.

The Redskins forced their second turnover in the third quarter when Smith was pressured on a blitz and threw behind wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. The pass was intercepted by safety Sean Taylor, who returned it to the 49ers' 3, leading to another touchdown.

Redskins running back Clinton Portis had been having his problems, but in this one he piled up 101 yards rushing and his first three touchdowns of the season in three quarters. The 49ers' run defense was the one area in which the 49ers had been halfway effective.

The 49ers even managed to spring linebacker LaVar Arrington out of coach Joe Gibbs' doghouse. Benched for much of the season, Arrington played often against the 49ers and finished with a game-high nine tackles.

For those straining for positives, the 49ers broke their touchdown drought of nine quarters in their third drive of the game, thanks in large measure to Lloyd. He came back for an underthrown pass from Alex Smith to make a diving catch for a 43-yard completion.

It led to a 13-yard touchdown scamper by running back Kevan Barlow, breaking a string of 29 drives without scoring a touchdown. Barlow got a fine block from pulling guard Justin Smiley and another from tight end Trent Smith, who's not known for his blocking.

Rookie running back Frank Gore finished with 89 yards on nine carries, and went 72 yards for a touchdown in the final moments.

And there seemed to be some incremental improvement by Smith. He threw some decent passes, including a long one to Lloyd in the third quarter that dribbled down the front of his jersey for an incompletion.

"It was pretty evident that their plan was to put pressure on us, on me," Smith said. Smith said he expects to be blitzed all the more in the coming weeks, which will give him opportunities for the long pass.

"With those hit-and-miss plays, it's tough," Smith said.

His passer rating rose from 8.5 in his first start two weeks ago against the Colts to 41.7 in this game. Smith went 8-for-16 for 92 yards and an interception.

"I think we all understand where we are," Smith said. "We are still trying to get a grasp of what we are running. There are glimpses."

However, Smith continued to be careless with the ball, fumbling three times (recovering twice).

What was most baffling about this game was the coverage on the Redskins' most dynamic threat, Moss. Not only was he singled-covered at times, but the 49ers sometimes forgot to cover him all together. In the second quarter, Moss sped unimpeded into the end zone for a 32-yard scoring pass. Cornerback Shawntae Spencer stopped running because he thought he had deep help from safety Mike Adams.

"It was a little bit of a rough game," 49ers linebacker Derek Smith. "It was not a step in the right direction."
Pointed insult
The most points allowed in a game in 49ers history:

The most points allowed in a game in 49ers history

Without Further Ado
by Rich Hofmann, Philadelphia Daily News
" Well, it is over now. It has to be over, doesn't it? Donovan McNabb, for the first time in public, has now said that the Eagles are better off without Terrell Owens."

The Eagles tried to drive for the tying score, but quarterback Donovan McNabb threw an interception to Redskins safety Ryan Clark at the Redskins 3-yard line with 1:30 to play.

What goes around comes around, right? If I remember correctly, our last meeting ended the same way, with our then starting QB (what was his name again?? )throwing a pick on our last offensive play of the game. It felt great to be on the winning side this time.

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:

The Eagles tried to drive for the tying score, but quarterback Donovan McNabb threw an interception to Redskins safety Ryan Clark at the Redskins 3-yard line with 1:30 to play.

What goes around comes around, right? If I remember correctly, our last meeting ended the same way, with our then starting QB (what was his name again?? )throwing a pick on our last offensive play of the game. It felt great to be on the winning side this time.