Redskins’ David Amerson (on ground) saves game with tacke of Danny Woodhead near goalline. Photo by www.utsandiego.com.
The Washington Redskins’ season of so much hope looked to be over. And then it wasn’t.
San Diego’s Danny Woodhead hurtled his body toward the goal-line with just 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Redskins’ cornerback David Amerson did not give up on the play, instead thrusting his body into Woodhead and knocking him out of bounds a half-yard from the end zone.
Referees initially called it a touchdown, which would have given the Chargers the lead and likely win with so little time remaining. But the play was reviewed and overturned: San Diego’s ball was 18 inches from the goal-line. However, the Washington defense surprised but stopping Woodhead on first down and not allowing catches on the two following plays. The Chargers settled for a field goal that tied it and forced overtime tied at 24.
From there, after winning the toss, quarterback Robert Griffin III seized the moment, leading the Redskins on an 78-yard drive, capped by Darryl Young’s 4-yard scoring run, to a pulsating 30-24 victory that the team insists puts them on a new course.
They are 3-5 now and just 1 1/2 games behind NFC East leader Dallas. A defeat would have put the Redskins at the bottom of the division and their season in ruins. But with the defense coming through, finally, Washington has a different feeling.
“The way we won the game, I think it can be a turning point for us,” Griffin said. “It’s definitely a bonding experience. At the end of the game, when we couldn’t quite execute that four-minute offense all the way to win the game, [the defense] stepped up big for us. . . Anytime you had first and goal from the 1, a lot of people would say the game is over. I think once our defense got that stop and it was overtime and we received it, we knew we were going to win that game.”
They won it the way they will have to play the remainder of the season to be successful: running back Alfred Morris grinding out yards and Griffin making smart, accurate throws. The offensive unit insists it was certain to drive the ball down the field for the winning touchdown.
“We were like, ‘We’re going to score. We’re putting this game away right now.’ That was our confidence,” said Morris, who rushed for 121 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown. “We knew it was going to happen. We were all on the same page, and it took all 11 of us. We know what kind of offense we are. We haven’t shown it.”
They did in overtime Sunday, and a continuation of that formula could reap nice benefits.
