Redskins Beat Giants, 21-14, for First Win of '98
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| Quarterback Trent Green picked up his first NFL victory as a starter. (AP) |
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 2, 1998; Page D1
Without two of their star players, the Washington Redskins put together the inspired team effort Coach Norv Turner has been looking for all season and defeated the New York Giants, 21-14, yesterday for their first victory of the year.
As a result, the paper bags were all but nonexistent at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, replaced by cheers as nearly all of the 67,976 in attendance stayed until time expired to celebrate the Redskins' first victory since Dec. 21, 1997 44 weeks ago.
Turner had responded to the Redskins' 0-7 start, their worst since 1961, by giving players five days off during last week's bye week to reflect and rededicate themselves. Turner's move proved to be right, even though his team returned to play without wide receiver Michael Westbrook, who was deactivated by the coach for missing a team meeting and practice Saturday, and injured defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield.
"It really helped us regroup as a team," said Turner, who kept his postgame remarks and enthusiasm muted. "And it helped us put together the kind of plan that we wanted for New York."
Quarterback Trent Green, starting ahead of the benched Gus Frerotte for a second time this season, rushed for one touchdown and threw for another. Rookie running back Skip Hicks, taking over for the injured Terry Allen in the second half, added the Redskins' third score with a four-yard touchdown run.
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| Redskins running back Skip Hicks, with ball, scored his first NFL touchdown. (AP) |
"That is about how the first two months have gone," Turner said of the kickoff return, "and it would have been easy to back off. But our guys didn't. It was a great defensive performance and a great team performance."
The Redskins (1-7) won yesterday because they managed to reverse many of the self-destructive tendencies that doomed their previous games. Against the Giants (3-5), the Redskins committed no turnovers, limited their penalties (particularly during the first half) and provided Green with the protection he needed to complete 21 of 31 passes for 225 yards.
But the defense was Washington's greatest asset, holding the Giants to 229 total yards of offense, including 86 yards rushing. A pair of stops on third-and-one situations in the fourth quarter brought pumped-up fans to their feet.
The Redskins' dominance, as they built a 21-7 lead in the third quarter, was especially surprising because they had entered the game concerned about their run defense, with Stubblefield sidelined the next two to four weeks by a knee injury.
The Redskins were similarly short-handed on offense without Westbrook. But on both fronts along the defensive line and on the receiving corps backups filled the breach with distinction.
Turner declined to discuss Westbrook's absence, saying he preferred to focus instead on players who had a role in the victory.
"It's a great feeling for guys in the locker room," Turner said. "I know a lot of this ends up being focused on me, but they are the guys pounding each other all week in practice making the physical sacrifice and the mental sacrifice. I'm happy for them."
The passing game got off to a shaky start, with Green throwing successive incompletions to Leslie Shepherd and James Thrash. Thrash, who shared Westbrook's duties with Albert Connell, said Turner told him just relax and remember that he was a good player.
Green did the same, and on the Redskins' third possession he made throws of 11, 16, 24 and 4 yards to advance to the Giants 1. He faked a handoff to Allen, then scampered into the right end zone to cap off the 58-yard scoring drive for a 7-0 lead.
Redskins fans were still celebrating when David Patten fielded the short kickoff and shot past the outstretched arms of Jamel Williams and a desperate full-body lunge by place kicker Cary Blanchard. He leaped into the end zone with a flourish, and the extra point tied the game.
The Redskins countered by marching 69 yards in 11 plays and one Giants penalty to take a 14-7 lead on Green's 12-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Davis. From the Giants 12, Green hit Davis with a pass at about the 10-yard line, and Davis ran into the end zone as he was hammered by Tito Wooten.
The Redskins' subsequent drives weren't as successful. But time and again, punter Matt Turk pinned the Giants well back in their own territory with deep, high kicks. A 65-yarder landed on the Giants 25; another 65-yarder sailed to the 6. And with the Giants in position to tie with less than five minutes remaining, Turk let rip with 49-yard punt that left the Giants starting their drive on their 1-yard line. He then added a 51-yarder for a touchback.
"You've got to give credit to their special teams with pinning us back in our own end a couple of times," said Giants quarterback Danny Kanell. "We became limited as to what we could do."
The Redskins' real test came at the start of the third quarter. They had entered halftime with their first lead of the season, but had a well-established history of giving up big plays to open the second half.
The Redskins turned the tables, unveiling Hicks as their new offensive weapon. Hicks was thrust into the lineup after Allen left the game with a sprained ankle, and he quickly showed the explosiveness that made him the Redskins' third-round draft pick after a fine career at UCLA. In a 79-yard scoring drive, Hicks carried five times for 50 yards, first rumbling to the right side then darting left on his final carry for his first touchdown.
"Skip came in and he had a spark, and he hit those couple of plays and we just kept rolling," Green said.
Kanell had a shaky afternoon, completing 17 of 32 passes for 151 yards. He found Chris Calloway seven times, connected with Ike Hilliard for his only touchdown, an 11-yard completion that pulled the Giants to 21-14 as the third quarter wound down.
From there the Redskins seemed content to run the clock. Hicks saw plenty of action, carrying 15 times for 65 yards an average 4.3 yards per carry.
On defense, linebackers Ken Harvey and Marvcus Patton snuffed out the Giants' comeback efforts with key tackles in the fourth quarter.
Green grew tentative late in the game. Mindful of the Giants' eight sacks in their 31-24 season-opening loss, Redskins coaches had stressed plays that featured a quicker release. The offensive line offered better pass protection, helped in part by the absence of New York's Michael Strahan, who left the game early with a strained back. And Green's scrambling ability staved off several more sacks. But fearful of committing a turnover, Green took two sacks in the fourth quarter that ending drives that could have padded the margin.
In the locker room afterward, cornerback Darrell Green walked a careful line of sobriety happy in victory, yet aware the Redskins could have had more victories by now with as much talent as they showed yesterday.
"I feel like we had great intensity, and I felt like we had it all along," Green said. "The win was one that reflected a team effort that we have not had."
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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