“All we had to do was get a couple drives offensively going, keep Denver off the field, and we could have dictated the outcome of the game,” Mike Shanahan lamented after his Redskins were overwhelmed 38-0 during the remaining 26:25.
After the Broncos marched 75 yards for a touchdown following Hall’s big play – which made him the first player during the Redskins’ 83 years to score three times on defense in a season – Kyle called Morris’ number three times on the next series. The battering ram gained just six yards and, after one first down, Washington punted the ball back to Denver, which drove 83 yards to tie the game on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Having seen Manning & Co. begin inflicting that expected damage on the Redskins’ tiring defense, one would think that Kyle would’ve tried to give Haslett’s guys a break by killing some clock. That would mean relying on the three-headed running attack of Morris, Griffin and Roy Helu that killed Chicago for 220 yards on 41 carries the previous Sunday.
Think again. Griffin went deep on three straight plays. Denver took the lead on its subsequent snap. Morris ran for six yards on the second of the three plays before Rocca’s next punt. A field goal made it 31-21 Broncos, but there was still 11:14 remaining. And yet, Kyle called three straight passes again. Morris lost four yards when Washington got the ball back next, a play before Denver intercepted Griffin to set up the touchdown that sealed the Redskins’ defeat. Morris never carried again, finishing with 93 yards on 17 attempts.