For Frerotte, It’s Not a Head-Banger’s Ball

After eight years without a tie in the NFL, the Washington Redskins and New York Giants played the second one in two weeks.

After an ugly overtime Sunday night in which the Redskins had three turnovers and a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Michael Westbrook, the game ended in a 7-7 tie.

There were 22 punts, 10 sacks and Washington quarterback Gus Frerotte put himself in the hospital by ramming his head into a wall while celebrating a touchdown.

Philadelphia tied Baltimore, 10-10, a week earlier for the first deadlock in the league since 1989. Sunday night’s tie was the first for Washington since overtime began in 1974. It was the Giants’ first tie since 1983.

The tie keeps the Giants (7-4-1) in first place in the NFC East, ahead of the Redskins (6-5-1), Dallas Cowboys (6-6) and Eagles (5-6-1) with four games to play.

The Redskins blew a chance to win in the extra period when Westbrook yanked his helmet off to argue after his catch was ruled out of bounds near the Giant 30. The resulting 15-yard penalty took Washington out of field-goal range, and Scott Blanton’s 54-yarder was short with two seconds to play.

New York’s defense did everything except knock Frerotte out of the game. He did that himself. After scoring a touchdown on a one-yard scramble in the second quarter, Frerotte--in his exuberance--head-butted the padded, concrete wall that surrounds the playing field at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium. Frerotte was taken to a hospital at halftime and diagnosed with a sprained neck.

The injury gave backup Jeff Hostetler his first significant action of the season, but the veteran who led the Giants to a Super Bowl victory seven seasons ago struggled with three interceptions and a fumble. Three of the turnovers came in overtime, but the Giants failed to capitalize.

After stopping Terry Allen on a fourth-and-1 at the New York 40 midway through overtime, the Giants drove to the Redskin 36, but Brad Daluiso’s 54-yard field goal was wide left.