Redskins hold on to division lead!
The New York Giants won earlier in the day, so the Washington Redskins had to win at Arizona in order to stay in 1st place in the NFC East. With a huge day from backup running back Stephen Davis, the Redskins held on to win 20-14 to secure the lead at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
Usually, Terry Allen is the workhorse back for the Redskins, but he was sidelined with an ankle injury. Today, it was Davis who carried the ball 30 times for 171 yards and a touchdown. In fact, the Redskins rushed for 227 yards against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league.
After Scott Blanton drilled a 22-yd kick with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter, the Redskins led 20-14. That left enough time for Cardinal QB Jake “The Snake” Plummer, who led the Cardinals down into Redskin territory with just a few seconds left. On the last play, Plummer threw a bomb up to Rob Moore, who caught it, but was stopped short at the six-yard line! The Redskins held on to win.
The Redskins’ QB Gus Frerotte was out of this game as well and for the rest of the season as he broke his hip. The old veteran Jeff Hostetler filled in and he struggled most of the day. He finished 16 of 36 for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The Redskins (9-5) and the Giants will have a huge clash on Saturday as they face each other in Giants Stadium with the NFC East hanging in the balance. If the Redskins win, they win the division. If the Giants win, the two teams will be tied and it will come down to tie breakers, which the Giants would have as they would have a better division record.
As for the Cardinals, they are now 2-12 on the season and will travel to Superdome to try and spoil the Saints’ chances at making the playoffs.
(APBA rules cost the Cardinals’ bomb to Moore at the end. On the final play, I actually rolled a “66” which was a “2” on Plummer’s card and that would have been a touchdown on a Hail Mary! HOWEVER, the Redskins were D alignment and were keying on Moore, so the automatic TD went down 2 to a 4, which turned out to be a 36-yard gain and short of the goal line! The double coverage saved the Redskins and a possible Division Title!)