PRO FOOTBALL : 0-4 : Super Bowl Champs Are Taking Giant Steps Backwards

The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants are the National Football League’s only 0-4 team after losing to Washington, 38-12, Sunday.

Lionel Vital rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown in 27 carries to lead the Redskins before 9,123, the smallest crowd to ever watch an NFL game at Giants Stadium.

In their home game against San Francisco last Monday, the Giants had a string of 87 straight sellouts dating back to 1976 broken when a crowd of only 16,471 showed up. The day before, the Jets, who played Dallas, drew 12,370 to 77,100-seat Giants Stadium.

There were about 500 pickets at Giants Stadium last Monday night, but only about 100 were there Sunday, including 4 Jets, 1 Redskin and 17 Giants.

Cold weather and rain, which let up around kickoff, might have cut attendance both on the picket line and inside the stadium.

The Redskins won their second replacement game to improve to 3-1.

“I guess you could say we’re holding down the fort until they (regular players) come back,” said Redskin running back Wayne Wilson, who walked the picket line with Washington players before signing with the replacement team Wednesday. “All the wins feel the same to me.”

The Giants were outrushed, 200 yards to 47, outgained, 376-171, outsacked, 6-0, and New York quarterback Mike Busch completed only 14 of 41 passes.

Giant Coach Bill Parcells said: “Angry? No, frustrated would be a better word. If you’re a coach, you don’t like to get out there and get your butt kicked all over the field every week. That’s tough to take--particularly in light of what we have done here lately.

“We just couldn’t stop them. The only thing we did well was run kickoffs back, and we certainly had ample opportunity to do that. Our defense just can’t make any plays at all. We can’t stop the run and we can’t pressure the quarterback and we don’t cover too well. That’s a pretty helpless feeling.”

Vital, of Nicholls State, gained 109 yards in 17 carries in the first half as Washington built a 21-3 lead. He became the first back to gain more than 100 yards against the Giants since Eric Dickerson of the Rams ran for 101 in the 10th game of the 1985 season.

Vital, who spent 1985 on injured reserve with the Redskins, was cut by Washington and the Giants in 1986. He was cut by the Giants when Joe Morris returned to camp after a holdout.

Wilson, who spent seven seasons with New Orleans and played for Minnesota last year, scored two touchdowns for the Redskins.