Redskins quarterback Trent Green, bottom, stretches for a fourth-quarter touchdown. (John McDonnell - The Post)

By Mark Maske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 23, 1998; Page C6

When the Washington Redskins reverted to their early season form and trailed the Arizona Cardinals by 25 points at halftime, Coach Norv Turner didn't berate his players, as he had in the locker room a month before when the team was en route to its seventh straight loss.

"He just said, 'Let's not embarrass ourselves any further,' " linebacker Marvcus Patton said of Turner's halftime message yesterday at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium.

The Redskins responded and nearly pulled off the biggest regular season comeback in NFL history. They got within three points in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals held on for a 45-42 triumph in what matched the third-highest-scoring game in Redskins history.

"That comeback was like our season," Patton said. "We got behind. We didn't give up. But we didn't pull it out."

No NFL team has come from more than 28 points behind to win a regular season game, although the Buffalo Bills overcame a 32-point deficit to beat the Houston Oilers in an AFC playoff game in 1992. The Redskins trailed 31-0 late in the second quarter yesterday. Wide receiver Michael Westbrook provided the first of three touchdown catches in the final minute of the first half, and the Redskins took off from there.

"At halftime, the only thing I said to our team was, 'You've got to compete. You've got to go play. Whatever it takes, we've got to fight our butts off to get back in the game,' " Turner said. "They did that. I'm proud of the way they competed and stayed in it and fought. [But] you can't do the things we did in the first half. . . . You can't do the things we did and expect to have a chance. We had a chance, but we just dug ourselves too big a hole."

Said guard Rod Milstead: "All that was said was, 'Look inside yourself. If you have pride, show it.' "

The Redskins scored touchdowns on six straight possessions – their final drive of the first half and their first five drives of the second half. Their patchwork offensive line bought some time for quarterback Trent Green, and Green found wide receivers Westbrook and Leslie Shepherd.

Their 36 second-half points were two shy of a franchise record. They outscored the Cardinals 21-7 in the third quarter – the quarter in which they had previously been outscored by their opponents 80-27 this season.

"We came out and fought," guard Joe Patton said.

They couldn't turn their rally into a win, however, and they were left with another set of could-haves to ponder. Contributing to the loss was a protection breakdown that led to place kicker Cary Blanchard having a 33-yard field goal attempt blocked. Blanchard also left a 52-yard field goal try short and pulled an extra-point attempt wide left following a high snap by Dan Turk.

Shepherd was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for spiking the ball to celebrate the successful two-point conversion that got the Redskins within three points with just over nine minutes to play. The officials refused to rule touchdown or fumble when Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer tried to reach the ball into the end zone from the Redskins 1-yard line with about four minutes left – instead giving Arizona another play, on which Plummer got into the end zone on fourth down for a 45-35 cushion. Green threw his first interception in 149 throws after the Redskins got the ball at their 32 with 1 minute 16 seconds left and a chance to win.

For the most part, the Redskins lost because they couldn't stop the Arizona offense, which rolled up 436 total yards.

"We should have never let the game come down to one play," said Redskins linebacker Derek Smith, who recovered Plummer's would-be fumble. "The offense comes back and scores 42 points. That's enough to win the game. We didn't do our part."

Said Marvcus Patton: "We couldn't do anything. We couldn't stop them. The offense was carrying us. I put everything on the defense as far as losing the game."

The refrain was familiar to the Redskins. They have a record of 3-16-1 during Turner's five seasons in games decided by three points or fewer. Under Turner, they've lost seven games to the Cardinals by a total of 18 points. They watched Plummer make the key plays again yesterday after the second-year pro orchestrated a game-winning field goal drive to beat the Redskins, 29-27, 15 days ago in Tempe, Ariz.