Redskins Limit Their Mistakes

This week, everyone keeps his job.

The Washington Redskins--a team that goes through kickers like coolers of Gatorade and has a coach whose job is perpetually on the line--let the other team make the mistakes this time.

This time, the other team was the defending Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams, but the Redskins took a 33-20 victory Monday night in a game that could have sent them reeling to a third consecutive loss.

A crowd of 66,087 at the Trans World Dome roared at the outset as St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk returned to the lineup only two weeks after having arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage from his right knee.

Faulk did his part, rushing for only 33 yards but picking up 88 on nine receptions, but three crucial Ram turnovers and an awful second-half sequence undid them.

The Redskins, burned so often by their own mistakes, finally got it together.

“Our guys played their butts off tonight,” said Redskin Coach Norv Turner, who has survived seven seasons in Washington and reportedly has only the faint assurance that he won’t be fired before the end of the season.

“You know, when we go play and we don’t make mistakes, don’t turn the football over, we can be as good as anybody.”

By winning, they are tied for second in the NFC East at 7-4 with the New York Giants, a half-game behind the Philadelphia Eagles. Those teams are their next two opponents.

The Rams fell to 8-3, awaiting the return of Kurt Warner, possibly as soon as Sunday.

The Redskins, after losing to the Arizona Cardinals in their last game because of two missed field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, had a new kicker this week.

Eddie Murray, a 44-year-old veteran who is Washington’s fourth field goal kicker of the season, was four for four on field goals, although he missed an extra point when his kick hit an upright.

Kicker Scott Bentley, signed exclusively to kick off, recovered his own surprise onside kick after the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter, setting up another Murray field goal. (Washington had taken a 25-20 lead on Jeff George’s 34-yard pass play to Irving Fryar.)

After Murray’s field goal, the Rams’ Tony Horne fumbled the next kickoff, Washington’s Sam Shade recovered, and the Redskins drove for yet another field goal.

The Rams responded by turning the ball over again when Trent Green, a former Redskin who is filling in for Warner while Warner’s broken pinky heals, had a pass intercepted in the end zone with 5:38 to play.

Champ Bailey picked off Green’s pass and returned it to the Washington 39.

The Redskins were forced to punt on that possession, but Green was sacked in the end zone by Bruce Smith on the first play for a safety, completing Washington’s 14-point blitz with 3:49 left.

The Rams drove to the Washington eight on their final possession, but gave up the ball on downs with 57 seconds to play.

“You just can’t make turnovers,” Ram Coach Mike Martz said.

“I think the kickoff return was a real unfortunate situation. We had a chance to get back in. I think that Torry Holt fumble [in the first half] was real unfortunate, because we were looking to score there. And I think those things will end up coming back and getting you beat. And we can’t have those things. Nobody can.”

Don’t the Redskins know it.

Special teams coach LeCharls McDaniel, who could have been fired after some of the earlier special teams debacles, leaped for joy on the sideline when Bentley pulled off his onside kick.

There was all sorts of redemption for the Redskins.

Jeff George--the expensive backup quarterback who lost his first start in place of Brad Johnson, who is sidelined because of a sprained knee ligament--completed 24 of 34 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception.

Green passed for 366 yards, completing 23 of 38 for two touchdowns, with one interception.

“You have to give their defense credit. That is a tough unit,” he said. “They were the No. 2-ranked defense in the league, and we knew they were going to present some problems.”

The Rams got the better of the Redskins early, taking a 13-3 lead in the second quarter.

The Rams almost had the Redskins stopped on third and eight from the Washington 44. But with a chance to sack George, Leonard Little swiped and missed and then D’Marco Farr missed a tackle, and George ran 14 yards for a first down at the Ram 42 to keep the drive alive.

George capped it off with a 19-yard pass play to James Thrash for a touchdown, and the Redskins cut the lead to three points with 1:50 left in the half.

That was when the Rams’ costly errors started. Holt sprinted downfield for a 64-yard reception, beating Deion Sanders, only to fumble at the end. Washington’s Matt Stevens recovered, giving the Redskins the ball at their 24 with 1:31 left in the half, and they drove to the St. Louis 29 for Murray to kick a 47-yard field goal as the half ran out, tying the score at 13-13.

“It was a great victory for us,” Redskin offensive lineman Keith Sims said. “We’re treating every game like a playoff game.”

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