Sports
Redskins finish at .500
By: Associated Press
Associated Press
December 29, 2008
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| Jason Campbell led a 55-yard game-tying drive with under two minutes remaining, but the Redskins lost to the 49ers after Joe Nedney kicked a 39-yard field goal as time expired. (Getty Images) |
SAN FRANCISCO — The Redskins summed up their season in one more frustrating afternoon, taking a strong dose of What-ifs into the offseason.
A once-promising 6-2 start ended in a 2-6 collapse after Sunday’s 27-24 last-second loss to San Francisco. And, like the season, Washington started strong only to blow it in the second half.
“Early in the year we were 6-2 and had opportunities to have a home field playoff game,’’ Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell said.
Instead they’re sitting out the postseason thanks to their 8-8 finish.
Report cardMeanwhile, San Francisco won five of its last seven games and immediately named Mike Singletary its permanent head coach after he had been the interim coach in the final nine games.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
San Francisco QB Shaun Hill was horrible in the first half, missing badly on most of his throws. But he turned his game around in the second half and guided the Niners to 20 second-half points. He was accurate and composed on the final game-winning drive.
PRO BOWL PERFORMANCE
49ers DE Justin Smith dominated the left side of Washington’s line all game long. In the second half, Smith whipped through LT Stephon Heyer for a key third-down stop. On the next series he batted down a pass. He also had a sack.
OVERLOOKED
Redskins QB Jason Campbell averaged a paltry 5.2 yards per pass attempts. But he ran four times for 39 yards, each time picking up crucial yardage, including on the fourth-and-goal from the 2 to tie the game. He played smart.
OOPS!
Running back Clinton Portis turned the game around – in a bad way. With a 10-point lead and the opponent doing nothing offensively, Portis’ third-quarter fumble deep in his own territory led to a Niners touchdown. It changed the momentum.
FROM THE SIDELINES
» Redskins coach Jim Zorn played it conservative with only one deep ball thrown all game. But they still scored 24 points, which would be good enough to win or tie every other game they played. The red zone efficiency improved thanks to a spread formation.
» Give Niners coach Mike Singletary a lot of credit for how hard his team fights. They never flinched during adversity. And his defense controlled the game in the second half, until Washington’s final drive.
The Redskins lost the finale when they couldn’t stop San Francisco’s offense in the second half. Nor could they generate much offense until their final drive. That’s when Campbell led a 55-yard drive. He capped it with a game-tying two-yard run on fourth and goal with one minute, nine seconds remaining after feeling pressure in the pocket.
“He had a great effort on his runs,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “Some smart, competitive runs.”
Campbell passed for 156 yards and Clinton Portis rushed for 80 and a score for the Redskins, who finished in last place in the NFC East.
Receiver Antwaan Randle El caught a TD pass, but Washington’s defense yielded 20 points in the second half.
Zorn could have been the first Washington rookie coach since George Allen in 1971 to finish with a winning record, but not much went right for the Redskins in the second half of the season. Zorn’s job is safe, according to top executive Vinny Cerrato, but other changes could be in store for his veteran-laden club. They have 17 players who are in their ninth year or more.
Shaun Hill passed for 245 yards and drove the 49ers (7-9) 51 yards in the waning seconds, hitting Michael Robinson and Bryant Johnson with long passes before kicker Joe Nedney won it with his second field goal of the final minutes.
Hill, whose promotion by Singletary clearly sparked the 49ers’ second-half surge, went 21-for-30, rushed for an early score and threw a TD pass while remaining unbeaten in five games as a starter at Candlestick Park.
The back-and-forth game was more entertaining than many expected from two NFC clubs out of playoff contention. San Francisco went ahead 21-17 when Jason Hill scored on a 9-yard catch early in the fourth quarter, capping an 80-yard drive.
Nedney added a 33-yard field goal with 5:06 left, but Campbell quickly moved the Washington offense forward, picking up 23 yards on a scramble to the 10 right before the 2-minute warning. On fourth down from the 3, Campbell dropped back, but quickly slid through the middle to stretch the ball over the goal line for his first rushing touchdown of the season.
“To not give up and come back and keep the effort going, I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” Zorn said.
Examiner staff writer John Keim contributed to this story.
