The New Orleans Saints brought their own voodoo to a Mardi Gras.
Three bizarre plays cost the Washington Redskins a chance for a signature win for coach Jim Zorn and redemption in a 3-9 season. Instead, the 33-30 loss was perhaps the strangest home defeat since blowing a 37-34 overtime thriller to Arizona in 1996.
A shanked punt hitting the back of Redskins cornerback Kevin Barnes, an interception then fumbled and returned for a touchdown, and a missed short field goal occasionally happen, but not in the same afternoon. Bad teams rarely get breaks against those undefeated, but the 12-0 Saints will look back at the Redskins as their great escape.
“Definitely the strangest game I’ve been a part of,” quarterback Jason Campbell said.
The worst part was not rewarding the magic in the stands long absent from a team two years removed from the playoffs but almost a generation since its last Super Bowl championship. The lower bowl was a Bourbon Street knockoff as Saints and Redskins backers meshed into a wave of merriment.
The Burgundy Revolution seems defeated. The lynch mob from last month was replaced by die-hards chanting “Defense” and singing “Hail to the Redskins” even during a timeout. The upper deck was nearly deserted as the announced crowd of 84,520 was more like 52,840, but they stayed to the end of the most vibrant game Landover has seen in many years and perhaps ever for a non-NFC East opponent.
But it also was the third straight defeat for Washington that could have been a victory. The 7-6 loss at Dallas two weeks ago seemed the most agonizing … until now when Washington blew a 30-20 lead with 12:51 remaining.
“This one jumped that one,” Zorn said. “It’s hard to explain how we lose this game when so many things went well.”
Indeed, it was the most points in Zorn’s two-year tenure by an offense that has awakened over the past month despite missing many of its stars. Devin Thomas is emerging as the go-to receiver, Jason Campbell is finding receivers. Recently-signed running back Quinton Ganther may have earned a job next year.
But bad luck follows this team like a curse straight from the bayou backwaters. How does Kareem Moore’s interception get ripped away for a Saints touchdown in the waning moments of the first half? It was like the Pete Kendall fumble last season that cost the St. Louis game and arguably a winning season and wild card shot. Those things rarely happen … except to the Redskins.
“There’s no psycho stuff going on here,” Zorn said.
You sure, coach?
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or
e-mail [email protected].
