It’s hard to say that one game made a season but this Redskins win over the defending NFC champs certainly was a major factor in getting the team on a roll that didn’t end until they had claimed the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XVII.
From the pages of The Redskins Chronicle:
Veterans Stadium—It appeared that the expected Eagle rout was underway. Philadelphia’s Tony Franklin had just kicked a 44-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 10-0 lead and Mike Nelms fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Philly recovered at the Washington 18 and visions of the 0-5 start the previous year began to creep into the minds of some Redskins.
“I had visions of early last year happening again,” Joe Theismann said. “All too many mistakes too soon. I didn’t want us to fall apart.”
The Redskins did not fall apart. Wilbert Montgomery lost the handle on an end sweep and Washington pounced on the ball at the 15. It was the Redskins’ turn to grab momentum.
Joe Theismann fired two touchdown passes—one to Art Monk, the other to Charlie Brown—to give the Redskins the lead. Monk’s catch was a beauty, a leaping grab in the end zone.
Brown’s touchdown came with 35 seconds left in the half. After that score, Joe Gibbs made a strategic error that swung the game the Eagles’ way. Although the Eagles appeared content to run the clock out, go back into the locker room and regroup, Gibbs called a time out, hoping the Eagles would punt.
Fine, said Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, who promptly went to receiver Harold Carmichael for 46 yards to set up a 44-yard Franklin field goal at the gun to pull the Eagles within one.
Buoyed by the events before halftime, the Eagles dominated the third quarter, with Montgomery making up for his earlier miscue to score two touchdowns. It was 27-14 entering the fourth quarter, and time for the game to take yet another turn.
From the Washington 22, Brown zipped past cornerback Roynell Young down the left sideline. Theismann found him and, suddenly, it was 27-21. Nelms took his turn at redemption, returning an Eagle punt 28 yards to the Philadelphia 48. It took just four plays for the Redskins to take the lead on a four-yard John Riggins run and Mark Moseley’s extra point.
It was then Eagles coach Dick Vermiel’s turn to have strategy backfire on him. Philadelphia was in punt formation at its own 23 on fourth and one. Despite the fact that Redskins were yelling “Fake, fake, watch the fake!” to each other, they snapped the ball to short man Frank LeMaster anyway. He was smothered for a one-yard loss.
Moseley kicked a 30-yard field goal and the Redskins were up 31-27 with 2:48 left. After the kickoff, the Eagles had possession at their own 10. It was the Eagles’ turn.
In what Gibbs called “a masterful drive,” Jaworski took the Eagles down the field 90 yards for the go-ahead score. Using the sidelines, the Eagles got off 14 plays in just 1:44. Although they took the lead 34-31 on Carmichael’s circus catch in the end zone—he batted the ball in the air, fell and made the catch flat on his back—there were still 58 seconds left on the clock. Time for one last momentum change.
Nelms returned Franklin’s short kickoff to the Washington 37. A 10-yard completion to Monk got the Skins into Eagles territory. With six seconds left, Theismann scrambled down to the 31. Moseley’s kick as time expired would have been good from 60 yards.
In overtime, Monk caught one pass for 27 yards to set the Redskins up at the Philly 42. Three plays later, it was Theismann to Monk again, and Herman Edwards failed in a desperate attempt to knock it down. Monk spun around and rolled down to the nine. Gibbs immediately called for Moseley and his 26-yarder ended it with 4:47 gone in the extra period.
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