Eagles Hand Redskins a 17-13 Setback : NFC: Cornerback Allen deflects potential game-winning pass on final play. Philadelphia clinches playoff spot.

The word for the Philadelphia Eagles’ playoff-clinching victory over the Washington Redskins Sunday was “hands.”

It was cornerback Eric Allen’s hand that deflected a potential game-winning touchdown pass on the last play of the game.

And that took the Redskins’ chances of making the playoffs and repeating as Super Bowl champions out of their hands.

With Allen saving the game, the Eagles defeated the Redskins, 17-13, to clinch an NFC wild-card berth and leave defending champion Washington’s playoff hopes in limbo heading into next Saturday’s game at RFK Stadium against the Raiders.

It was a close call for Philadelphia (10-5), which survived a 16-play, 85-yard drive by Washington in the final 3:35.

That drive ended when Allen knocked away a pass for Gary Clark from the Eagle five-yard line.

Washington (9-6) will be in the playoffs, no matter how it does against the Raiders, if Green Bay loses to Minnesota next Sunday.

If Green Bay (9-6) wins, the Redskins would need a victory over the Raiders, plus a victory by Philadelphia over the New York Giants on Sunday. If Washington finished in a three-way tie with Philadelphia and Green Bay, the Packers would get the remaining spot.

Mark Rypien completed 22 of 38 passes for 272 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown pass play to Ricky Sanders. But he threw interceptions to Seth Joyner and William Thomas with Washington in field-goal range.

Trailing, 13-7, at halftime, Philadelphia took the second-half kickoff and drove 80 yards in seven plays, with Cunningham passing 28 yards to Calvin Williams in the end zone to give the Eagles the lead for good. Cunningham, who was 13 of 24 for 149 yards, set up the score with a 24-yard run on a designed rollout.

The Redskins’ final drive came after Vai Sikahema’s 47-yard punt return set up Roger Ruzek’s 23-yard field goal with 3:35 left to give the Eagles a 17-13 lead.

Then Rypien, intercepted by Thomas on the Redskins’ only second-half penetration into Eagle territory, began the late drive.

He sneaked for one first down on fourth and one at midfield, scrambled for nine more yards and then passed to Ricky Ervins over the middle on a fourth-down pass from the 20. Ervins scrambled to the five, but was in bounds as the clock ran down to seven seconds.

The clock was stopped as the officials retrieved the ball, giving Rypien enough time to line up the Redskins and spike the ball with two seconds left.

Rypien got one more chance and threw for Clark over the middle, about two yards deep in the end zone, but Allen tipped away the pass, then raced toward midfield in celebration.

“I could see No. 84,” Allen said of Clark. “I knew wherever he was, the ball was gonna be there. I stuck my hand out and the ball hit it. We got good position on him. We’ve played the Redskins enough, you know what they’re going to do.”