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Slipped away Bad snap on FG attempt costs Redskins in 14-13 loss
Posted: Thursday February 03, 2000 04:32 PM
TAMPA, Fla. (CNNSI.com) -- It wasn't pretty. Just another victory for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who proved you can win in the playoffs with a rookie at quarterback. And they couldn't care less how it looked. "It looked pretty to me, baby," NFL Defensive Player of the Year Warren Sapp said after Saturday's 14-13 win over the Washington Redskins moved the Bucs within one victory of a trip to the Super Bowl. "I've said it before. It doesn't matter if I drew it or Picasso drew it. A win is a win. I'll take it. Right now, we're one step away from the greatest show on earth. It's an envious position to be in." The Bucs have insisted all along that Shaun King is not a typical rookie, and with one of the NFL's best defenses behind him, there's no reason he can't lead them through the playoffs. Next week, the 22-year-old native of neighboring St. Petersburg will try to become the first rookie at his position to get his team into the Super Bowl. "I don't know about destiny. But I know this is a team of desire and heart," Sapp said. "With those two things working for us, you can't go wrong too many times." The Bucs wiped out a 13-point second-half deficit with a pair of touchdowns set up by Washington turnovers, then held on to win when the Redskins botched a 52-yard field goal attempt with 1:08 remaining. Mike Alstott scored on a 1-yard run late in the third quarter and King threw a 1-yard TD pass to third-stringer John Davis that put Tampa Bay (12-5) ahead with 7:29 to go. "It means a lot just because it's another opportunity for our team to go farther," King said. "Our goal at the beginning was to win the Super Bowl. I wouldn't say I played great today, but I didn't lose the game." Brad Johnson moved the Redskins into field goal range for Brett Conway on their last possession. But the snap was bounced back to holder Johnson, and the quarterback scrambled to throw an incompletion that ended Washington's hopes.
"The ball looked like it rolled. Brad never had a chance -- the timing was gone," Redskins coach Norv Turner said. "Brad did the right thing. One guy didn't get the job done, not the whole special teams unit." The victory sent the Bucs, who have won nine of their last 10, into the NFC championship game for the first time since 1979. They will either travel to St. Louis or be home for Minnesota, depending on the outcome of Sunday's game. "I don't care if I have to go to Russia to win this thing," Sapp said. "I've got my bags packed. I'll go anywhere to play this game." Washington (11-7) built a 13-0 lead on Brian Mitchell's playoff-record, 100-yard kickoff return and two field goals by Conway. The Redskins were 20-0 when leading playoff games after three quarters, but then began making mistakes. "The way the game began, it was tough to lose," Redskins receiver Michael Westbrook said. "We didn't finish them off when we had a chance." Johnson was 20-for-30 for 149 yards and one interception. He was sacked four times -- twice by Steve White, who also forced a fumble that Sapp recovered at the Washington 32 to set up the winning score. King completed 15 of 32 passes for 157 yards and one interception. He was sacked twice, and avoided a third when he hurried a throw as Washington's Ndukwe Kalu leveled him on the go-ahead TD pass to Davis. "I saw an NFL quarterback," Redskins cornerback Darrell Green said of the first rookie quarterback to win since Pat Haden in 1976. "I didn't see a rookie." Washington scored on its first four possessions en route to their 27-13 wild-card victory over Detroit. But it was a lot tougher to get the ball into the end zone on a Tampa Bay defense that held opponents to 17 points or less 12 times during the season. The 13 points were a season low for the Redskins, who were held to 26 yards in the second half. The Bucs limited Stephen Davis, who had been doubtful after spraining his right knee against the Lions, to 37 yards on 17 rushes. Johnson did move the ball well enough, though, to give Washington the field position it needed to set up Conway's 28-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 5:37 remaining in the second quarter.
King became the first rookie quarterback to start a playoff game since Todd Marinovich fumbled twice and threw four interceptions in the Los Angeles Raiders' 10-6 AFC wild-card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1991. The Bucs were confident King, nicknamed 'Smoothie' because of his calm demeanor, would not be affected by the pressure of being just the sixth rookie quarterback since 1970 to take the first snap in the postseason. "We talked about it before the season. It's still not an ideal situation," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said. "Going into the season, I hoped he'd learn. ... He's sped up the learning curve a little bit." But he looked tentative in the pocket and had trouble picking up open receivers after performing with remarkable poise in leading Tampa Bay to a 4-1 record after Trent Dilfer was lost for the season on Nov. 28. The Bucs were able to help King during the drive to the team's first NFC Central title in 18 years with a strong running game. However, the Redskins never let Alstott or Warrick Dunn get on track. "This certainly wasn't artistic, and it wasn't pretty, but it was one of the best wins I've involved with," said Dungy, who's in his fourth year with Tampa Bay after serving 15 seasons as a NFL assistant. "I think the biggest thing you can say about our guys is they play with a lot of heart and they don't give up ... I think it was after the first game we won this year we talked about winning ugly, and we said we wouldn't mind ugly-winning them all the way to the Super Bowl." Considering Washington held Alstott and Dunn to just 22 yards in the first half, the Bucs were fortunate to only trail 3-0 before Mitchell's kickoff return gave the Redskins a double-digit lead. It grew to 13 when Darrell Green's interception set up Conway's second field goal, from 48 yards midway through the third quarter. The Bucs got back into the game by forcing two turnovers they converted into touchdowns. Lynch's interception led to Alstott's TD run late in the third quarter, and White's forced fumble set up the winning score. But the Bucs needed to have Dunn recover King's fumble and run for a first down during the decisive drive. "That's when I figured we were going to win. When I fumbled, he picked it up and ran for a first down," King said. "Those are the type of things that have been happening each week." Notes: Give Tampa Bay the edge in Saturday's matchup between Washington's second-ranked offense and the Buccaneers' third-ranked defense. The Bucs held the Redskins to 157 yards, including just 26 in the second half. In addition, Washington managed only 46 on the ground ... Brian Mitchell's 100-yard kickoff return to start the second half was a playoff record. Green Bay's Desmond Howard held the previous mark, scoring on a 99-yard return in the Super Bowl three years ago ... Tampa Bay's Mark Royals punted 10 times, a club playoff record ... The Redskins' defense allowed 45 yards rushing in Washington's wild-card victory over Detroit and was even better against the run this week, holding Tampa Bay to 44 yards. Mike Alstott finished with 24 yards on 15 attempts, while Warrick Dunn had 18 yards on 11 carries ... Dunn (sprained right ankle), Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp (sprained right knee) and cornerback Donnie Abraham (sprained right ankle) all returned to the game after leaving because of injuries ... The Bucs improved their postseason record to 3-4. All of the victories have come at home, where they're 3-1 in playoffs game. The lone loss was 9-0 to the Los Angeles Rams in the 1979 NFC title game. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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