|
LANDOVER, Md. -- With nearly 11 minutes left in Sunday's game, the Washington Football Team regained possession but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had stolen the momentum. With a 2-6 team on one sideline and quarterback Tom Brady on the other, this is how it was supposed to go: Tampa Bay, trailing 23-19, would force a punt or a turnover; Brady would lead the Bucs to another score and Washington would suffer a fifth consecutive loss. It did not go that way. Instead, by the time Brady got the ball back, Washington was up 29-19 and only 29 seconds remained. It might not be dubbed The Drive -- that moniker belongs to John Elway and the Denver Broncos. But Washington's 19-play, 80-yard march could be called the best drive of the NFL season, and it's one of the best close-out drives in franchise history. According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the longest drive in the NFL this season at 10 minutes, 26 seconds. And it was Washington's longest fourth-quarter drive that resulted in a touchdown since 2001. "A grown-man drive," Washington receiver DeAndre Carter said after the win. Said quarterback Taylor Heinicke: "It was huge." Washington (3-6) might have given its season new life because of that drive. It was a slow bludgeoning: Only one play gained more than 7 yards and only two went longer than 6. But Washington kept putting itself in position by getting to third-and-short. The drive symbolized how and why it was able to beat the reigning champs. On the previous series, rookie receiver Dax Milne had fumbled. That led to a 40-yard touchdown pass by Brady (220 yards, two TD passes, two interceptions) to receiver Mike Evans, cutting the Washington lead to four points. All game long, however, Washington had responded to negative situations. "To see them resilient during a time like this, that was good," Washington coach Ron Rivera said of his team. "They earned it. They deserve it." Washington never trailed, but even when the Buccaneers cut what had been a 13-point deficit to three midway through the third quarter, Washington returned serve by marching 71 yards for a touchdown. And that is what happened on the final drive. Washington used a mix of runs (11), scrambles (two) and passes (six). It ran the ball up the middle with running back Antonio Gibson; it ran it with third-down back J.D. McKissic and even sent Carter on an end around. It converted four of five third downs and one fourth down. Receiver Adam Humphries made a diving catch for 5 yards on third-and-4. On the next third down, needing 5 yards, receiver Terry McLaurin ran a slant and was drilled by safety Jordan Whitehead, but he hung on for a 6-yard gain. He lingered on the ground for a second, then bounced up and started banging his chest. "It was bang, bang," McLaurin said, "but it was far enough away from me that I could pluck the ball with my hand and try to make a play." Said Heinicke: "He got blasted. I thought he was a little woozy, but for dramatic effect he got up and started banging his chest and the crowd loved that."  Heinicke completed all six of his passes for 45 yards on the final drive, including slants to Gibson and McLaurin under duress -- he was backpedaling on both perfect throws. Heinicke, who was out of football at this time a year ago, outdueled Brady, completing 26 of 32 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown.
"These are the games you dream of as a kid," Heinicke said after the game, his voice cracking. "It's a moment I've dreamt of last year when I wasn't playing. I told myself that if I get another chance to play, I'm going to get out there and do something great." Then came the capper: A fourth-and-1 Gibson run for a touchdown. The thinking was sound: If Washington did not score, Tampa Bay would have 30 seconds, no timeouts and be starting near its own end zone needing a touchdown to win. Rivera also said he liked how confident offensive coordinator Scott Turner was in the playcall, a run by Gibson. Still, as he watched the offense on the field, Washington safety Bobby McCain said he had one thought: "Better get it." They did. Gibson had to cut back to his left, but the line had walled off Tampa Bay's defense. A 1-yard run that sealed Washington's most impressive win in Rivera's two seasons. Washington still has a lot of ground to make up if it hopes to get back in the playoff hunt, but this drive helped build confidence and perhaps reveal an identity that had been lacking. Heinicke said that after a costly turnover, the offense can get down on itself. It had an opportunity to repeat a doomed history Sunday. But, he said, when the players got in the huddle this time they kept telling one another: "This is our game to lose. We're still up four. Let's go end it right now." Mission accomplished.
|
