LANDOVER, Md. (Oct. 1, 2006) -- In the first quarter, Washington Redskins receiver Santana Moss made a spin move that left Jacksonville Jaguars safety Deon Grant sprawled on the grass at the 11-yard line.
In the fourth quarter, Moss caught a pass and darted inside just in time to make cornerback Brian Williams whiff near the goal line.
Then in overtime, Moss dusted Grant and Williams at the same time, leaving them flat-footed on a 68-yard game-winning catch down the left sideline.
Three dazzling touchdowns.
With a playmaker like that, Mark Brunell didn't have to gloat about beating his old team -- all he had to do was throw in No. 89's direction and watch his old colors look silly trying to make a tackle. Brunell-to-Moss resurrected the Redskins' season last year, and the combo came to life again in the 36-30 victory.
"He's the best after the catch I've played with," Brunell said. "He's exciting to watch. There's nothing he can't do."
Moss finished with four receptions for 138 yards, including TD catches of 55, 8 and 68 yards. Clinton Portis ran 27 times for 112 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first back in 13 games to get 100 against the Jaguars.
And Brunell, who played nine seasons for the Jaguars before he was replaced by current Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich at the end of the 2003 season, went 18 for 30 for 329 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Brunell, who missed two practices this week because of a bad cut on his throwing elbow, said it was "weird" playing his old team for the first time, but he saved his best smack for the detractors who doubted the Redskins offense. Brunell set an NFL single-game record with 22 consecutive completions last week, but that came almost exclusively on dinks and screens against a bad Houston offense.
"We heard all week about how we're not getting big plays, getting the ball downfield," Brunell said. "I think we answered that."
Leftwich led two fourth-quarter rallies, digging his team out of a 10-point hole with 12:24 remaining. Josh Scobee 's 43-yard field goal tied the game with 6:40 remaining, and he tied it again with a 41-yarder with six seconds left in regulation.
"We didn't play good at all the whole game," Grant said. "They put up how many points? Thirty-something? They had 100 yards rushing, and I don't know how many yards they had passing, but we just didn't have a good game."
The Redskins won the toss at the start of overtime and needed only three plays to score. Brunell found Moss near the sideline -- the play had to be reviewed to make sure the receiver didn't step out of bounds. Grant was closing quickly as the ball arrived, enough to make Moss nervous.
"The main thing that went through my head was to attack the ball because I feel like if I attack the ball, I have less of a chance getting my behind killed," Moss said. "I attacked the ball and I saw him try to attack me, and he missed. The rest was a blur. All I could do was see myself running."
There were times when Leftwich must have felt he was back on 58th Street in Southeast Washington, playing with his older brother and friends among the potholes and parked cars. Week 4's game featured big gainers, quick drives, suspect tackling, trick plays and a dazzling comeback that ultimately wasn't enough.
Two teams that pride themselves on defense were burned for touchdown plays of 55, 33, 51 and 68 yards -- all featuring receivers weaving through the secondary for big gains on short passes. The five scoring drives in the first half lasted four, four, seven, six, four and four plays, leaving the Jaguars with a 17-13 lead.
Reggie Williams broke three tackles in a 33-yard touchdown reception and the first quarter and had a 21-yard TD catch in the fourth. Leftwich found Maurice Jones-Drew for a 51-yard catch-and-run TD in the second.
"It was historic for me because I was such a Redskins fan growing up," Leftwich said. "To be playing at home, that's a special feeling. I wanted this game more than any of them."
Notes:
Jacksonville's Rashean Mathis picked off a flea flicker in the first quarter, his franchise-record 16th interception and fourth of the season. ... Washington DE Phillip Daniels got his first career interception, catching a pass tipped by CB Kenny Wright. ... Washington's John Hall kicked his 200th career field goal.
