Colts Keep Playoff Hopes Alive, 35-28 : Pro football: Indianapolis beats Washington and looks for help in a bid for postseason play.

The Indianapolis Colts’ playoff chances are out of their hands.

Even a 35-28 victory over the Washington Redskins on a 25-yard interception return by rookie Alan Grant in the final minute Saturday settled nothing.

“Who knows?” said quarterback Jeff George, whose three touchdown passes included one that tied the game with a little more than a minute to go.

“I know we’re (good enough to be) a playoff team; we’ve proven that. We’ll just have to see,” George said.

The Redskins (9-6) already had clinched their first NFC playoff berth in three years, and the victory kept alive Indianapolis’ slim hopes for an AFC wild-card berth.

But the Colts (7-8) still need to beat Miami next week, and that won’t be enough if either Cincinnati, Pittsburgh or Seattle also win.

“I just dropped back in a short zone and was in between two receivers,” said Grant, whose interception off Mark Rypien was the first of his career and gave him his first NFL touchdown.

“I saw he was getting pressure and was going to get rid of the ball really quick,” the rookie defensive back said. “Just as he released it I stepped in front of the receiver. It happened so quick. . . . The ball was just there. I can’t describe it, it happened so fast. It was all on instinct.”

The Redskins appeared to have the game under control after two touchdown passes by Rypien and four field goals by Chip Lohmiller, including a career-best 56-yarder.

Lohmiller’s fourth field goal, a 27-yarder with 4:15 to play, put the Redskins ahead, 28-21. The Colts had to punt on the next possession but got the ball back with two minutes to go after Clarence Verdin returned a short punt by Washington to the Redskins’ 37.

George completed a 12-yard pass to Bill Brooks for the tying touchdown with 1:21 to play.

Rypien, who completed 18 of 37 passes for 249 yards, started the next drive at the Redskins’ 21. Twenty-five seconds later, Grant intercepted the pass and ran untouched into the end zone.

George hit 18 of 33 passes for 252 yards, including two touchdowns to Stanley Morgan.

Washington cornerback Sidney Johnson was hospitalized with a concussion after being knocked unconscious while covering a kickoff late in the first quarter.

He left the field on a stretcher and regained consciousness in the ambulance on the way to Methodist Hospital. There were no abnormal findings, but he underwent a CAT scan as a precaution and was to remain hospitalized overnight.