No need for Mark Brunell to gloat about beating his old team. His favourite receiver, Santana Moss, and the rest of the Washington Redskins offence did plenty to leave the Jacksonville Jaguars sufficiently embarrassed.
Moss leaped between two defenders to catch a 68-yard touchdown pass 1:49 into overtime Sunday, the third time he left would-be tacklers behind on the way to the end zone, giving the Redskins a 36-30 victory over the Jaguars.
After blowing two fourth-quarter leads, the Redskins won the toss at the start of overtime and needed only three plays to score. Brunell found Moss near the sideline _ the play had to be reviewed to make sure the receiver didn't step out of bounds _ and Moss left Brian Williams and Deon Grant flat-footed as he snagged the ball on the run.
Brunell set an NFL single-game record with 22 consecutive completions last week against Houston, and he and the Redskins (2-2) were able to back up that performance with 481 yards of total offence against a much better defence. Brunell, who played nine seasons for the Jaguars before he was replaced by current Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich at the end of the 2003 season, went 18-for-30 for 329 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Jacksonville's Josh Scobee tied the game with a 41-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in regulation, matching John Hall's 37-yarder with 1:55 to play. There were 23 points scored in a fourth quarter in which the Jaguars overcame two deficits, including a 10-point hole with 12:24 remaining.
Leftwich, who starred locally at H.D. Woodson High School, completed 21 of 35 passes for 289 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for the Jaguars (2-2), who have lost two straight.
There were times when Leftwich must have felt he was back on 58th Street in Southeast Washington, playing with his older brother and friends among the potholes and parked cars. Sunday's game featured big gainers, quick drives, suspect tackling, trick plays and a dazzling comeback that ultimately wasn't enough.
Two teams that pride themselves on defence were burned for touchdown plays of 55, 33, 51 and 68 yards _ all featuring receivers weaving through the secondary for big gains on short passes. The five scoring drives in the first half lasted four, four, seven, six, four and four plays, leaving the Jaguars with a 17-13 lead.
No one was more impressive than Moss, whose spin move left Grant sprawled on the grass at the 11-yard line on a 55-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, his first score of the season. In the fourth quarter, Moss made Williams whiff near the goal line on an eight-yard TD.
Moss finished with four catches for 138 yards. Clinton Portis ran 27 times for 112 yards and scored Washington's other touchdown.
The first school-yard play came when the Redskins tried a flea flicker on their first possession. Brunell had Chris Cooley wide open but instead threw right to cornerback Rashean Mathis. It was Mathis' franchise-record 16th interception and fourth of the season, and Jaguars converted it into a field goal for a 3-0 lead.
The Redskins answered with the 55-yard TD to Moss. Reggie Williams then made the Redskins defenders look silly, shaking off linebacker Lemar Marshall while making the catch and then breaking would-be tackles by Carlos Rogers and Mike Rumph on the way to a 33-yard TD.
Then it was Maurice Drew's turn. Catching the Redskins in a zone blitz, Drew got a mismatch on lineman Andre Carter and made an easy catch before outrunning safety Sean Taylor, who took the wrong angle, for a 51-yard score.
The Redskins marched 86 yards on 10 plays in the third quarter and took a lead 20-17 on Portis' one-yard run. Phillip Daniels' first career interception _ off a pass tipped by Kenny Wright _ deep in Jaguars territory set up the eight-yard touchdown pass to Moss that gave the Redskins a 27-17 lead early in the fourth.
But the Jaguars responded with a four-play, no-huddle drive, scoring on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Williams to close within three. Scobee's 43-yard field goal tied the game with 6:40 remaining.
