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BOX SCORE
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Michael Husted made sure he was welcome on
the trip back to Washington.
| | Michael Husted gets some congratulations from Marco Coleman after hitting the game-winning field goal. |
Husted, whose job is in jeopardy, kicked a 24-yard field goal
with four seconds left, lifting the Redskins to a 17-14 victory
over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
"I'm still confident," said Husted, who earlier missed field
goals of 33 and 42 yards. "I wouldn't be in the league eight years
if I wasn't. That's the life of a kicker though."
Husted has struggled since replacing injured kicker Brett Conway
last month. He missed four of his first seven attempts, but also
beat Tampa Bay with a 20-yarder in overtime last week.
"Obviously, I have a major concern there," Washington coach
Norv Turner said. "We have to search for answers. It was windy and
tough, but the first field goal is one you have to make."
Washington (4-2) remained in a first-place tie with the New York
Giants in the NFC East. The Giants (4-2) beat Atlanta 13-6.
Washington's Irving Fryar left on a stretcher after colliding with Eagles
safety Tim Hauck in the third quarter. Turner said Fryar injured
his neck and shoulder, and remained overnight in a Philadelphia
hospital. Fryar was still listed in stable condition on Monday.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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It appears that kicker Michael
Husted's job is safe for another week.
Husted has really struggled with his field-goal accuracy since coming to the
Redskins, but hitting the game-winner after missing two earlier in the game
could give him some confidence.
This was an evenly matched game. The Eagles showed their youth by making
some critical mistakes (two fumbles, two interceptions).
Donovan McNabb's pass late in
the game that was picked off by Darrell Green was not a good
decision, and put the Resdkins in position to win.
Earlier this week, the Eagles lost RB Duce Staley -- maybe for the
season -- and definitely felt the consequence of that in this game.
The Eagles didn't run the ball effectively; McNabb was their leading rusher.
With Staley out, they'll have to get some rushing yardage from some people
other than their quarterback.
Washington had the edge in this game statistically but had difficulty
converting it into scores. The Redskins have historically struggled in
Philadelphia (having lost eight of their last nine there).
With the Redskins' talent, you might expect them to not have to go down to
the wire for the win. But then again, you take a win any way you can get it
in this league -- especially against your divisional opponents.
With the Giants' win today, they and the Redskins are tied for first in the
NFC East.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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Darrell Green set up the winning field goal by intercepting
Donovan McNabb and returning it 33 yards to Philadelphia's 19 with
23 seconds left.
Stephen Davis ran 13 yards on the next play, and appeared to
fumble, but the play was ruled dead after the officials blew the
whistle.
"You never concede and say, 'Let's get to overtime,"' said
Green, who was beaten on two touchdown passes. "Games like this
allow you to find out what kind of character you have."
Philadelphia (3-3) had beaten Washington in nine of its last 10
at Veterans Stadium.
Brad Johnson was 25-of-36 for 289 yards, and Davis had 84 yards,
including a touchdown. McNabb was 17-of-34 for 186 yards, including
two touchdowns and two interceptions.
"I felt the pressure coming from the back side, I thought they
were playing deep and I tried to get the ball out of bounds,"
McNabb said about the last interception.
Philadelphia appeared to get the ball at Washington's 24 after
Deion Sanders fumbled a punt return with 2:43 left. But the call
was overturned when replays showed Sanders' left knee was down
before he lost the ball.
"I knew I was fine when they didn't show the replay on the
screen," Sanders said.
McNabb's 8-yard TD pass to Na Brown gave the Eagles a 14-7 lead
on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia began the drive at its 32 after Husted missed a
42-yarder. McNabb kept it alive with a 22-yard run on 3rd-and-10,
and two plays later connected with Brown, who caught his first
career TD pass in two seasons.
The Eagles appeared to take control when Damon Moore intercepted
Johnson at the Eagles 6. But Moore fumbled the return, and James
Thrash recovered to give Washington the ball at the 15.
Skip Hicks ran in from the 3 two plays later to tie it 14-all
with 10:15 left.
Philadelphia played its first game without Duce Staley. The star
running back injured his right ankle in the fourth quarter of last
week's 38-10 victory over Atlanta, and might be lost for the
season.
Eagles running backs had 36 yards on 13 carries, and McNabb led
with 43 yards.
"We had too many turnovers and mistakes at crucial times,"
Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "We've got to find a way to run it
better. We will do that, whether it be with the guys that we have
or with other people."
Washington took a 7-0 lead on its opening possession on a
12-yard TD run by Davis.
Philadelphia tied it at 7 on a 30-yard TD pass from McNabb to
Johnson with 1:29 left in the first half.
The play capped a six-play, 92-yard drive that included two
Washington penalties and passes of 26 and 18 yards to Torrance
Small.
Husted hooked a 33-yard FG attempt in the second quarter that
would have made it 10-0.
Game notes
Redskins WR Albert Connell got into a shouting match with
assistant coach Terry Robiskie at the end of the first half after
catching just one pass to that point. He had five receptions in the
second half. "I have a tendency to get a little frustrated, but
I'm a player and he's a coach," Connell said. "We got the win so
we need to put it behind us." ... Mitchell, playing his first game
against the Redskins after 10 years in Washington, had three
carries for 8 yards. He threw a 21-yard pass to Chad Lewis for the
Eagles' first down. ... Mitchell passed Marcus Allen for 5th place
on the NFL's all-time combined yardage list. ... Marco Coleman
registered his ninth sack of the season in the first quarter.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Clayton: 'Skins eat more humble pie
McNabb admits making costly mistake
Fryar collapses on sideline after hard hit
AUDIO/VIDEO
Norv Turner is happy with the Redskins' defensive effort against the Eagles.
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