Redskins Beat Patriots With Passing Game

The Washington Redskins didn’t need a big game from Terry Allen, not with Gus Frerotte and Henry Ellard picking apart the Patriots’ poor pass defense.

Frerotte threw touchdown passes on his first two possessions of the second half Sunday, erasing a 16-10 deficit and leading Washington to a 27-22 victory over New England.

Ellard had eight catches for 152 yards, including three for 65 on the key drive that led to a field goal after the Patriots had closed within two points with 5:33 left in the game.

“He’s the best route-runner I’ve ever seen and he had a big day,” Washington Coach Norv Turner said about Ellard. “Gus obviously had a big day too.”

With Allen rushing 26 times for a season-low 71 yards, Frerotte had his best game of the season by completing 18 of 33 passes for 280 yards.

Washington (5-1) held onto first place in the NFC East with its fifth consecutive victory. New England (3-3) had its winning streak stopped at three.

The loss overshadowed the best performance of the season by Curtis Martin, who rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns. His two-yard run made the score, 24-22, with 5:33 left in the game, but he was stopped on the two-point conversion attempt.

“We had to make the defensive stop after we scored,” New England Coach Bill Parcells said.

“We have good field position there if they go three and out, and we didn’t make it, and that’s the game.”

On the Redskins’ possession after Martin scored, Frerotte and Ellard completed a 40-yard pass-play on third and nine. Then Ellard caught a 10-yarder on second and 19 and a 15-yarder to the New England five on which he barely dragged his feet inbounds as he made the catch.

By the time the Patriots got the ball back after Scott Blanton’s 24-yard field goal, only 56 seconds remained.

Allen began the day as the NFC leader with 103.8 rushing yards per game, but, for the first time in 11 games, didn’t run for a touchdown.

“The way our running game has been going, their main concern was to stop the run,” Ellard said. “I would hope to think that they couldn’t cover me, but we were catching them in the right defenses.”

Frerotte, who had three touchdown passes before Sunday, threw a 13-yard score to Jamie Asher and a 14-yard score to Ellard over a four-minute span in the second half.

He passed to Asher for the first score on the opening series of the second half. Then he connected with Ellard, who caught the ball just inside the goal line in front of backup cornerback Mike McGruder, who played because starter Ricky Reynolds was sidelined because of an ankle injury.

In their previous two games, the Patriots allowed Jacksonville’s Mark Brunell and Baltimore’s Vinny Testaverde to throw three touchdown passes each.

And for the third consecutive game, the Patriots squandered leads. They needed overtime to beat Jacksonville after leading, 22-0, and edged Baltimore, 46-38, after leading, 46-22, with four minutes left.

“We’re not playing consistent [defensive] football,” Patriot linebacker Chris Slade said. “The last two games we’ve gotten away with it, because the offense scored so many points.”