Brister Leads Eagles Over Redskins

It took until the last minute for the Philadelphia Eagles to finally break their longest losing streak in a decade. They did it at the expense of another former NFL power that has also fallen on hard times.

Bubby Brister led a 75-yard drive in the closing minutes and completed a two-yard touchdown pass to James Joseph with 46 seconds to play, lifting the Eagles to a 17-14 victory Sunday over the Washington Redskins.

“It was a long time coming . . . and it got a little scary,” said Eagle Coach Rich Kotite after Philadelphia ended a six-game losing streak that began after quarterback Randall Cunningham suffered a broken leg eight weeks ago. “But a win is a win, and you can’t buy something like that.”

For a while in the fourth quarter, it looked as if the Eagles were going to lose their seventh in a row after a 4-0 start. They watched their 10-0 halftime lead disappear.

“We just went to work,” said Brister, who has been alternating with Ken O’Brien in Cunningham’s absence and on Sunday completed 19 of 31 passes for 170 yards.

Rich Gannon, in only his second start as the Redskins’ quarterback, tried to rally the Redskins a second time. But his desperation pass from the Redskins’ 34 in the final 10 seconds was intercepted by Philadelphia’s Wes Hopkins on the Eagles’ 22 with six seconds to play.

The Redskins, their roster equally depleted by injuries, particularly to the offensive line, fell to 2-9 under first-year Coach Richie Petitbon, their worst start since 1963.

“It’s a very unique situation. I’ve never been around anything like it,” said Gannon, who completed 20 of 31 passes for 279 yards. “After a while, it just takes its toll, when you have guys running all over the place because of injuries. . . . We get inside the 35-yard line and we self-destruct.”

Gannon found Tim McGee on a 17-yard touchdown pass play early in the fourth quarter, ending Washington’s string of 11 consecutive quarters without a touchdown.

Five minutes later, he found Art Monk for another score.