The Buffalo Bills sure appeared to know the rule. Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs did not.
Gibbs’ gaffe – calling consecutive timeouts to try to freeze the opposing kicker, which isn’t allowed – came at the close of an emotionally charged week, in the final seconds of his Washington Redskins’ first game since Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor was shot and killed.
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The Bills were playing to try to stay in the AFC playoff chase, and their 17-16 comeback victory Sunday accomplished just that. The Redskins were playing to honor Taylor, and they paid tribute to him in various ways, including lining up 10men instead of 11 for the defense’s first snap.
A few hours later, Washington’s players, along with the 85,000 fans twirling white towels with Taylor’s No. 21, seemed set to bask in a morale-boosting win, only to be left shaking their heads on a dreary, rainy day.
“If I was at home watching that football game,” Bills safety Donte Whitner said, “I probably would have been rooting for the Redskins.”
Washington wound up with a fourth straight defeat, and what a way to lose this was: After Gibbs drew a 15-yard penalty for his extra timeout, Buffalo’s Rian Lindell kicked a 36-yard field goal with 4 seconds left to erase the last remnants of what was once an 11-point Washington lead.
“You run on so many emotions,” quarterback Jason Campbell said. “You’re pumped and ready to play and you want to go out there and do it for Sean. I think it weighed on us late in the game.”
Though players tried to deflect criticism of Gibbs, he squarely took the blame, saying: “I made a decision there at the end that very likely cost us the game. That’s on me. … I should have known the rule.”
It all led to some odd scenes.
Bills players pumped their fists when they realized the Redskins asked for that second timeout as Lindell prepared to kick from 51 yards. Gibbs walked far out onto the field to discuss the penalty, and later said he asked an official if it was OK to call timeout No. 2 and thought the reply was “Yes.”
Then, after Lindell scored the go-ahead points, the visiting Bills celebrated with backslaps and high-fives, an awkward sight on a somber day that began with a moment of silence and a 4-minute pregame video for Taylor, who died Tuesday.
Like other teams around the NFL, the Bills joined the Redskins in wearing black stickers with the Pro Bowl safety’s No. 21 on their helmets. Washington’s players also wore patches on their uniforms.
“It’s unfortunate,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said, “that one of those teams had to lose on this day.”
His squad had lost two games in a row, and was depending on rookie quarterback Trent Edwards and third-string running back Fred Jackson on Sunday.
Both came through for Buffalo (6-6).
Jackson gained 82 yards on 16 carries, plus 69 yards on four catches. Edwards went 22-for-36 for 257 yards and zero turnovers.
“He had faith in me,” Jackson said, “and I had faith in him.”
Making his first NFL start, Jackson ran for 22 yards on Buffalo’s first play from scrimmage, while Washington opted to have the player who took Taylor’s spot in the lineup, Reed Doughty, stay on the sideline.
“It was important for the team to know that Sean was with us that one last time on the field,” Doughty said. “He’ll always be with us, but that was special.”
Some Redskins players mentioned shedding tears Sunday, and Gibbs talked about his team being emotionally drained. Now comes another difficult week: The Redskins (5-7) fly to Miami for Taylor’s funeral Monday, then play Chicago on Thursday.
In a quiet locker room Sunday, guard Pete Kendall stood across the way from where Taylor’s stall was sealed off with Plexiglas and spoke about the disappointment of losing. In the very next breath, Kendall added: “Tomorrow we have to go about the business of burying a friend and teammate, and that is obviously light years worse.”
Notes:@ Lindell went 5-for-5 on field goals to tie a franchise record with 17 consecutive makes. … Edwards is 4-1 as a starter.
