EMQB NFL Blogcast

Redskins Honor Sean Taylor but Lose to Buffalo Bills 17-16 on Last-Second Field Goal

by David Kindervater on December 2nd, 2007

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

I didn’t know what to expect from the Washington Redskins today. After a tumultuous week in which they lost one of their own (safety Sean Taylor was tragically killed earlier this week), it was anyone’s guess what the team’s performance would be like today against the Buffalo Bills.

The Redskins honored Sean before the game (as did every NFL stadium this weekend) and even left his starting safety spot vacant on the first defensive play. But at the end of a hard fought contest, the Skins would lose 17-16 after a double-time out by head coach Joe Gibbs allowed Buffalo kicker Rian Lindell to hit a 36-yard field goal with four seconds left on the clock for the win. I couldn’t believe Coach Gibbs was responsible. I knew he called the first time out, but I thought a player on the field accidentally called the second one. Coach Gibbs confirmed his mistake after the game, however:

“There’s nobody to blame but myself. I should have known the rule.”

It was really a game of two halves. The first half belonged to Washington as they controlled time of possession but managed only three field goals for a 9-2 lead at intermission. Their lack of production would come back to haunt them as they allowed Buffalo to hang around. Credit the Bills, though. This was not their first bend-but-don’t-break defensive effort.

Buffalo continues to have problems scoring, but they made plays when they needed them most and relied on Rian Lindell’s right leg to lead them to victory. Rian kicked five field goals. And he actually made the 51-yard kick that was negated by Coach Gibbs’ first timeout at the end of the game. (This is a new controversy in itself — calling time outs a split-second before the ball is snapped on game-deciding kicks.) But if you want to talk about big plays, it was rookie QB Trent Edwards’ precision 30-yard completion to Josh Reed that set up that game-winning kick. Trent finished 22 of 36 for 257 yards and probably most importantly, he didn’t commit any turnovers. He is now 4-1 as a starter for the Bills.

For the Redskins, their NFC playoff hopes are probably finished after this loss as they dropped to 5-7. But the Bills stay alive in the AFC race at 6-6 and continue to be a team that never gives up and never stops playing hard. It also seemed like justice was served to a team that had lost two games this season on the final play of the game. Washington will attend Sean’s funeral as a team tomorrow, but it’s doubtful they will be able to put this tragedy behind them and win their remaining games.

Share This

Related Stories

Was That Really Necessary?
Washington Redskins Safety Sean Taylor in Critical Condition After Shooting in Florida
Redskins All-Pro Safety Sean Taylor Dies
Miami-Dade Police Arrest Four Men in Connection With Death of Sean Taylor
Redskins Say Goodbye to Sean Taylor

POSTED IN: Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins