It looked like it was going to be same stuff, different week
for the Redskins in the early going.
The Redskins had gone three and out on their first offense
possession, failing to convert a third and one as the line got no push and
Clinton Portis was stuffed for no gain. Houston got the ball and scored an easy
touchdown, moving 66 yards in just four plays with a 53-yard pass from David Carr to Andre Johnson covering most of the real estate.
After the Texans accepted one of two holding penalties that
the Redskins committed on the ensuing kickoff, Washington was backed up at its
own nine. Two plays later they had advanced to just out to the 13 where it was third
and six.
The fans at Reliant Stadium, where the roof was closed, were
starting to get into the 12th man thing. In the first five minutes
of play the Redskins gave no reason to believe that things would be any
different than they were in the first 120 minutes of the season. Another three
and out seemed inevitable and a fired-up, talented Houston offense would get
the ball back in good field position. Here we go again.
The Redskins lined up in a shotgun formation with Portis
stationed about a yard behind and a little to the left of Mark Brunell. At the
snap of the ball, the Houston defensive ends charged hard and the Redskins’
tackled, Jon Jansen and Chris Samuels, let them go. Jansen joined Randy Thomas
in a double team on one defensive tackle while Samuels and center Casey Rabach doubled
the other tackle. A huge hole opened in the center of the line
Portis moved in front of Brunell and accepted a shovel pass
that traveled just a couple of yards. He blasted through the hole. Jansen
stayed engaged with the tackle while Thomas scraped off and went after middle
linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who was about five yards downfield. Portis cut in
between Tomas and Jansen and he was off to the races. The backside pursuit got
caught up in the backwash and by the time Portis crossed the 25 yard line there
was nobody else in the picture.
Brandon Lloyd had run a fly route to take cornerback Daunte
Robinson out of the play and those two players were the last ones between
Portis and the goal line. Robinson did a good job of fighting off Lloyd. It
looked like Portis could have cut inside and scored but he cut to the outside
just as Lloyd was knocking Robinson back in that direction. Robinson was able
to push Portis out of bounds at the 13 after a gain of 74 yards. Two plays
later Ladell Betts scored on a nine-yard run and the game was tied.
Houston managed a first down the next time it had the ball,
but it was a five-play drive for 13 yards and the Washington offense was back
on the field. Brunell completed four passes in the 11-play drive that
culminated in his 23-yard touchdown pass to Antwaan Randle El. The offense had
found its elusive groove.
