Brunell Sets Record in Redskins Rout
Sunday, September 24, 2006; 6:08 PM
HOUSTON -- Mark Brunell spent all week trying to ignore the criticism. Then he spent all of Sunday quieting it. One connection after another, Brunell kept finding holes in the Houston Texans' shaky defense, breaking an NFL record for consecutive completed passes en route to Washington's first win. Brunell completed his first 22 throws and Clinton Portis scored two touchdowns in his first start of the season as the Redskins beat Houston 31-15.
Washington had scored just one touchdown in its 0-2 start. Against the hapless Houston defense _ which entered the game ranked last in the league _ the Redskins got things turned around.
  Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell throws a pass against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter of a football game Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006, in Houston. Brunell set a new NFL record for consecutive completed passes in the Redskins 31-15 win over the Texans. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (David J. Phillip - AP)   The Indianapolis Colts overcome the rain and a sloppy start to beat the Chicago Bears, 29-17. The Colts' victory ignites a wild celebration among the white-and-blue attired fans in the sea of colorful vinyl rainwear that populated the soggy stands. Peyton Manning fills the final hole in his legend as the greatest quarterback never to win the biggest game. Leonard Shapiro: Tony Dungy and Manning seal their place in history by winning the Super Bowl. Manning adds a Super Bowl MVP award to his long list of achievements. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes plow forward for the Colts go-ahead touchdown and never look back. There was a collective failure by the Bears' offense, but Rex Grossman provides the most vivid images. Notebook: Two assistant coaches who participated in the Super Bowl likely will interview for Dallas' head coaching job. On Our Site Wilbon and Kornheiser share their thoughts live during Sunday's big game. Photos: Relive all of the action from the NFL playoffs. Audio: Manning on the Win. Audio: Grossman on the Loss. Audio: Dungy Praises Smith. Quarterly Report (PDF) A Slew of Errors (PDF) Graphic: Play of the Game. MARK MASKE'S NFL INSIDER • Jaguars Tackle in Critical Condition • Lions Bolster Backfield With R. Johnson Save & Share |
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"It was a tough week _ a lot of things being said," Brunell said. "So you do your best to block those things out and go forward, keep playing hard, keep working hard."
The 36-year-old Brunell set the new record when he found Santana Moss on 6-yard pass late in the third quarter. The old record was held by Oakland's Rich Gannon, who completed 21 straight against Denver on Nov. 11 2002.
Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said they were not aware of the record until Brunell reached 21 completions.
"I said 'Hey, tell him,'" Gibbs said. "I'd hate to have him do something like trying to lob one downfield and (assistant coach) Al (Saunders) did a good job getting a safe call there."
Brunell's first incompletion came two plays later, when Houston's Travis Johnson batted down a pass intended for Brandon Lloyd.
"It's a nice honor, but the credit should go to the 11 guys who were on the field," he said. "That's an offensive team record, really. The receivers were in the right spots, the offensive line did great. We ran the ball like we wanted to."
The Redskins finished with 495 yards to Houston's 261.
Brunell entered the game with a completion rate of 57 percent, sparking calls for his benching. He finished 24-of-27 for 261 yards and a touchdown and completed passes to eight different players.
"You can't do much better than he did today," Gibbs said. "He threw everything pinpoint and made some very good plays. You could kind of see in Mark that he's a great competitor."
It was another frustrating loss for the winless Texans and their new coach Gary Kubiak.
