| Page 2 of 2 < |
Homecoming, Tough Going
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
The score, however, was tied at 17 in the fourth quarter. The NFL's fourth-ranked defense finished strong, helping the offense after Betts's fumble, and getting the victory was all that mattered after losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, players said.
"Dropping two games in a row is obviously a tough scenario," center Casey Rabach said. "We took those two losses very hard. We've got a group of guys without egos, and they just want to win football games. No matter how we win 'em, we just want to win 'em."
The Redskins won Sunday by relying on running back Clinton Portis and their defense. Portis played through the pain of a knee injury against Dallas and again had a lot of his shoulders, gaining 143 yards on 29 rushes. Portis's production was especially impressive considering he also suffered a strained hip muscle in the first half and had to be replaced by Betts at times because of the pain.
Washington took a 7-3 lead with 4 minutes 32 seconds left in the second quarter on Betts's one-yard touchdown run and Suisham's successful point-after attempt. The Redskins retained the ball for 5:42 on an 11-play, 62-yard drive. To that point in the half, the Redskins had a 13:78 lead in time of possession.
Then Hasselbeck, who completed 12 of 24 passes for 103 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, got into a groove. He completed his five attempts for 32 yards -- including a four-yard touchdown pass to Morris -- as the Seahawks closed the half's scoring with 29 seconds showing on the game clock.
On that drive, Seattle had the ball for 4:03. They had it for only 5:55 on their other four possessions in the half. The Seahawks had a 10-7 halftime lead.
After trailing by three points at halftime, Washington tried to take control in the third quarter, but the Seahawks pulled even again early in the final quarter. With 13:30 to play, Hasselbeck threw a short pass to the right side to rookie tight end John Carlson for a 10-yard touchdown. Mare's kick tied the score at 17.
Suisham, who missed a 40-plus yard field goal early in the game, also connected from 26 yards to tie the score at 10 in the third. Then the defense came up with a turnover, and the offense capitalized on the opportunity. Beginning play Sunday, the Redskins had only eight interceptions -- tied for 20th in the league.
With the Seahawks needing 12 yards on third down late in the third quarter, Demetric Evans, from his defensive tackle spot, applied pressure on Hasselbeck, prompting Hasselbeck to throw the ball. The pass went to the middle of the field, where there were no Seahawks receivers, and safety LaRon Landry dived for the interception.
Landry returned the ball 13 yards the Seattle 35. The interception was the first of Landry's career in the regular season. The second-year player had two interceptions in the Redskins' playoff loss to Seattle here last season.
Three plays after Landry's interception on Sunday, the Redskins reclaimed the lead on Campbell's eight-yard touchdown pass to Antwaan Randle El on a crossing pattern. The Redskins, who used a five-receiver pattern on the play, took a 17-10 lead on the Campbell-Randle El connection and Suisham's kick.
"With the losses that we had the last couple of weeks, we had to come back and regroup," Landry said. "We talked about definitely getting our swagger back and our confidence. We're not looking back at those losses. We're just trying to progress."
