Redskins Play Better Than Score Indicates : NFC: They waste chances to put game away and end up with a 13-10 victory over the Lions.

The Washington Redskins controlled the ball so well Sunday it hardly mattered that they had trouble scoring.

Still, the Redskins were frustrated and confused after beating the Detroit Lions, 13-10. Washington was not celebrating. This one could have been a blowout, but it turned into a thriller.

“I think we did what we wanted to as far as controlling the ball, but we certainly didn’t do what we wanted to as for scoring points,” said center Jeff Bostic. “That’s the type of game you can build on. . . . I’ve been in a lot of games here where we looked pretty and lost. I’ll take an ugly win any day.”

Aside from failing to put the ball in the end zone, the Redskins played well, controlling the ball so thoroughly that Detroit’s run-and-shoot offense was on the field for only 15:53 through three quarters.

Detroit was able to stay close only because Washington wasted several chances to put the game away early. Two Mark Rypien passes were intercepted in Detroit territory in the first half, and Chip Lohmiller missed a 34-yard field goal early in the third quarter.

The Redskins’ first scoring march--a 13-play, 80-yard drive on their first possession--set the tone for the day. By the time Earnest Byner ran six yards into the end zone, Washington had used nearly eight minutes.

“We did a good job with that,” Coach Joe Gibbs said. “After that, we started having our troubles. Our passing game wasn’t smooth, so we tried to run, but there comes a time when you have to pass.”

That’s when the Redskins ran into trouble, because Rypien had a miserable day, throwing three interceptions and completing 14 of 24 passes for only 136 yards.

Enter Washington’s defense, which throttled Barry Sanders and improved to 7-0 over the past two seasons against run-and-shoot teams.

The Redskin defense was so effective that Detroit had only three first downs entering the fourth quarter, and Sanders--the NFL’s second-leading rusher in 1991--had only 23 yards. He finished with 34 in 14 carries.

However, when Detroit--winless in 16 games in Washington--got the ball in the fourth quarter, the Lions still trailed only 10-3. Then Washington’s Martin Mayhew intercepted a Rodney Peete pass and returned it to the Lion 11, setting up a 27-yard field goal by Lohmiller that gave the Redskins a 13-3 advantage with 11:32 remaining.

The Lions finally showed why Washington had so feared their offense. Peete connected with Willie Green for a touchdown on a 67-yard stop-and-go pattern that made it 13-10 with 9:45 to play. On the play, Green beat A.J. Johnson, filling in for an injured Darrell Green. It was the first time Johnson had been beaten all day.