By Richard Justice
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 14, 1997; Page D1

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Dec. 13—With both their season and their self-respect on the line, the Washington Redskins came apart at the seams on this chilly afternoon. Seemingly unnerved by both the pressure and the surroundings, the Redskins self-destructed in the opening minutes and were never in a game the New York Giants eventually won, 30-10, in front of 77,571.

The victory clinched the NFC East title for the Giants (9-5-1) and left the stumbling Redskins (7-7-1) scrambling for the NFC's sixth and final playoff spot. They can still get into the playoffs if they defeat Philadelphia next week and Carolina and Detroit each lose one of their final two games. If they get in, they'll probably get a return trip to Giants Stadium.

"We needed to be at our best, and we were far from it," Redskins Coach Norv Turner said. "We're going to get ready to play the next game. I want to see if we can beat Philadelphia."

Playoff possibilities seemed irrelevant on an afternoon when the Redskins expected so much and produced so little. Three plays into the game, quarterback Jeff Hostetler and running back Stephen Davis failed to connect on a handoff, thus beginning an avalanche of mistakes -- six turnovers and a fumbled snap by punter Matt Turk -- that led to 20 New York points.

Those mistakes dug the Redskins a 10-0 hole five minutes into the game. It was 17-0 before the Redskins had their second first down. And every time it looked as if the Redskins might get back in the game, they made another mistake.

"That team didn't beat us today," Redskins guard Joe Patton said. "We beat ourselves. We gave them the biggest boost that anybody could ever give a team of that caliber. That team shouldn't have beaten us."

And to think the Redskins walked into Giants Stadium this afternoon firmly believing they were better than the Giants. Now, they leave having handed Turner his most embarrassing defeat in nearly four seasons as head coach.

The Redskins got mistakes from almost every area of their team, leading to the inevitable questions that get directed at a head coach in such circumstances. "We were ready to play," Turner said tersely. "When two guys drop the ball, that doesn't mean 44 guys aren't ready to play."

Turner is correct in saying that two guys caused most of the early problems. Had Davis held onto the handoff and Turk not fumbled a snap, the outcome might have been different. The Giants drove a total of 22 yards for their first two scores.

But before the afternoon was over, no one stepped up for the Redskins as they did last weekend at Arizona. Against an opponent with an eye on the playoffs and in front of a packed, roaring stadium, the Redskins crumbled. "Everything good that happened to the Giants came from mistakes by our offense or special teams," Patton said.

Hostetler was charged with four interceptions, but the numbers were deceiving. One came on a desperation end zone lob at the end of the first half. Another bounced off Brian Mitchell's face mask. Another came after wide receiver Michael Westbrook slipped to the turf -- cornerback Jason Sehorn returned it 35 yards for the game-clinching final points early in the fourth quarter.

The Giants weren't perfect, either. During one two-minute stretch of the third quarter, the two teams combined for four turnovers and two penalties.

But the Giants also took care of business. Quarterback Danny Kanell threw two touchdown passes, and three New York running backs rushed for a total of 124 yards. Even though the Redskins had more total yards and first downs, the Giants rushed for 130 yards and controlled the ball for 35 minutes. In the decisive first and third quarters, the Giants had the ball for 22 of 30 minutes.

This afternoon's victory caps off a remarkable turnaround season for the Giants. A year after finishing a dismal 6-10 under Dan Reeves, his successor, Jim Fassel, easily has turned in the NFL's most impressive coaching job. He has done it by stressing fundamentals and discipline and all the things that once characterized the Redskins.

"I don't know if I've ever felt this good about anything involved with football," Fassel said. "I love these players and they've responded to everything. A lot of people were waiting for us to fold, and we did not."

He watched another team fold this afternoon. The Redskins entered the game believing they could run the ball and complete short throws against one of the NFL's best defenses.

But they never found out. Davis failed to hang on to Hostetler's handoff three plays into the game. Linebacker Jessie Armstead recovered at the Washington 28-yard line, and four plays later, Brad Daluiso kicked a 41-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Davis left the locker room without commenting, but replays appeared to show Hostetler placing the ball squarely in his gut. Hostetler was officially charged with the fumble.

"Stephen said he never got the ball," Mitchell said.

Four plays later, it was Turk's turn. Lined up in punt formation, he couldn't handle the snap from his brother Dan. Redskins safety Jesse Campbell picked up the loose ball, but was tackled at the Washington 16.

Rookie Tiki Barber gained a yard on first down, then fullback Charles Way rumbled up the middle, stepped through safety Stanley Richard's arms and scored to make it 10-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Once more, the Redskins couldn't move, and then the Giants got something out of their offense. They drove 76 yards in 13 plays, with Kanell completing three straight third-down passes. Chris Calloway beat Darrell Green and Richard to catch a seven-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Redskins place kicker Scott Blanton's 33-yard field goal with 10 minutes 11 seconds left in the second quarter broke up the shutout, but it was 20-3 at halftime.

The Redskins got back in it briefly early in the second half when Hostetler threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Albert Connell to make it 20-10.

More opportunities followed. Richard intercepted a Kanell pass at the New York 46, but Hostetler promptly threw it right back to the Giants.

The Redskins were still within 10 points as the fourth quarter began, but Daluiso's field goal made it 23-10 with 14:24 remaining. If the Redskins still had slim hopes, they soon ended when Westbrook fell down as Hostetler fired a pass in his direction. Sehorn stepped into the line of fire, caught the ball and dashed down the sideline to make it 30-10 just 57 seconds into the final quarter.

"We've had so many opportunities this season," Redskins linebacker Marvcus Patton said. "This is just another example."