Detroit det.gif - 1700 Bytes3
Washington washington_helmet.gif - 9448 Bytes34

SCORING

Detroit 3Washington 34
 Final1234T
 Lions00303
 Redskins01421834
  
October 07, 2007FedEx Field-Attendance: NaN (NaN) Time: NaN:NaN
Scoring Summary
 SECOND QUARTERDETWAS
 WAS TD 8:17 Jason Campbell pass completion to the left to Chris Cooley for 7 yards for a touchdown.06
 WAS PAT 8:17 Shaun Suisham extra point attempt is good.07
 WAS TD 1:56 Mike Sellers rush to the left for 1 yard for a touchdown.013
 WAS PAT 1:56 Shaun Suisham extra point attempt is good.014
 THIRD QUARTERDETWAS
 DET FG 2:27 Jason Hanson 39 yard field goal attempt is good.314
 WAS SY 0:28 Jon Kitna sacked by Andre Carter for a 7 yard loss. Tackled in end zone for a Safety.316
 FOURTH QUARTERDETWAS
 WAS TD 10:47 Jason Campbell pass completion to the right to Mike Sellers for 8 yards for a touchdown.322
 WAS 2PT 10:47 Jason Campbell pass completion to Chris Cooley. 2-pt conversion successful.324
 WAS FG 3:10 Shaun Suisham 28 yard field goal attempt is good.327
 WAS TD 0:57 Jon Kitna pass to the middle intercepted by Carlos Rogers and returned 61 yards for a touchdown.333
 WAS PAT 0:45 Shaun Suisham extra point attempt is good.334

Statistics
 Detroit Passing
 C/ATTYDSAVGTDINT
 J. Kitna16/291063.702
 Team16/291063.702
 Washington Passing
 C/ATTYDSAVGTDINT
 J. Campbell23/292488.620
 Team23/292488.620
 Detroit Rushing
 CARYDSAVGTDLG
 K. Jones11484.4010
 T. Bell4153.809
 J. Kitna430.803
 J. Bradley122.002
 Team20683.4010
 Washington Rushing
 CARYDSAVGTDLG
 C. Portis18724.0015
 L. Betts8222.808
 M. Sellers5244.8115
 J. Campbell200.000
 R. Cartwright200.001
 Team351183.4115
 Detroit Receiving
 RECYDSAVGTDLG
 S. McDonald4194.808
 R. Williams33612.0016
 K. Jones2178.509
 A. Cason252.504
 C. FitzSimmons144.004
 M. Furrey11414.0014
 T. Walters155.005
 C. Johnson133.003
 S. McHugh133.003
 Team16/291063.702
 Washington Receiving
 RECYDSAVGTDLG
 A. Randle El710014.3037
 C. Cooley4266.519
 M. Sellers33612.0124
 J. Thrash2115.507
 L. Betts284.006
 K. McCardell23919.5020
 C. Portis2199.5011
 B. Lloyd199.009
 Team23/292488.620
 Detroit Tackles
 TKLSOLASTSK-YD
 Washington Tackles
 TKLSOLASTSK-YD
 Detroit Interceptions
 INTYDSAVGLGTD
 Team000
 Washington Interceptions
 INTYDSAVGLGTD
 C. Rogers16161.0611
 S. Taylor13535.0350
 Team29648.0611
 Detroit Punting
 TOTYDSAVG-20
 Team 6048.80
 Washington Punting
 TOTYDSAVG-20
 Team 4038.50
 Detroit Punt Returns
 TOTYDSAVGLGTD
 Team000
 Washington Punt Returns
 TOTYDSAVGLGTD
 Team47318.3
 Detroit Kickoff Returns
 TOTYDSAVGLGTD
 Team48922.3
 Washington Kickoff Returns
 TOTYDSAVGLGTD
 Team36622
 Detroit Fumbles
 FUMLOSTRECYDS
 J. Kitna3010
 A. Cason1000
 Team4020
 Washington Fumbles
 FUMLOSTRECYDS
 C. Portis2110
 J. Thrash1000
 A. Randle El1010
 J. Campbell1010
 Team5140
 Detroit Missed Field Goals
 YDS/MFG
 NONE        -
 Washington Missed Field Goals
 YDS/MFG
 S. Suisham48

Team Stat Comparison
 DETWAS
 1st Downs11 23 
   3rd down efficiency1-9 5-12 
   4th down efficiency1-1 1-1 
 Total Yards144 366 
 Passing76 248 
   Comp-Att16-29 23-29 
   Yards per pass2.2 8.6 
 Rushing68 118 
   Rushing Attempts20 35 
   Yards per rush3.4 3.4 
 Penalties4-20 4-50 
 Sacks against5-30 0-0 
   Turnovers
     Fumbles-lost4-0 5-1 
     Interceptions thrown
 Possession15:29 29:31 

RECAP:

Mike Sellers hasn't been asking for the ball. He's been begging for it.

With the Washington Redskins running out of options because of injuries, coach Joe Gibbs granted the burly fullback his wish. Sellers scored two touchdowns and rocked the stadium by bulldozing over a defensive back in the open field, a take-that kind of a statement in Sunday's creative and dominating 34-3 victory over the Detroit Lions.

''It's kind of embarrassing - because I've really, really been begging,'' said Sellers, who ran 1 yard for a score in the first half and caught an 8-yard touchdown pass in the second. ''Every time a coach passes by, 'Can I run this play?' 'Can I run that play?' 'Can I do this?' After a while, Coach Gibbs, he tried to avoid me.

''It worked. I got a chance to do something.''

The Redskins (3-1) dominated time of possession in the first half to wear down Detroit's defense on a hot day, keeping the NFL's No. 1 passing offense off the field. The Lions (3-2) had been averaging 28.5 points and 387.3 yards per game, but they could muster only a field goal and 144 total yards against a Washington defense that had five sacks by four players.

''Our last two road games have been debacles,'' said quarterback Jon Kitna, who also suffered through a 56-21 loss at Philadelphia two weeks ago. ''But it's a long season. It was bad for whatever reason.''

The victory kept alive Detroit's seven-decade jinx in the nation's capital. The Redskins are 21-0 at home against the Lions since moving to Washington in 1937.

This time, the Lions couldn't complain about a lack of breaks. The Redskins played without top receiver Santana Moss, who missed the game with a groin injury. Antwaan Randle El, expected to carry the load in Moss' absence, had seven catches for 100 yards before leaving with a hamstring injury just before halftime. Detroit fumbled four times but didn't lose a single one.

Running short on manpower, the Redskins were forced to diversify. Jason Campbell relied heavily on screens, dinks and dunks to go 23-for-29 for 248 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. James Thrash, Keenan McCardell and Brandon Lloyd each caught a pass for the first time this season.

But Sellers was the undisputed - and unlikely - star. The 284-pound fullback had touched the ball only nine times all season and never more than five times in a game in his eight-year NFL career. On Sunday, he ran five times for 24 yards and caught three passes for 36 yards.

''Mike lobbies,'' assistant coach Al Saunders said. ''We're all lobbying for Mike. Believe me, he's a guy who needs to be involved.''

Sellers' biggest highlight was a rare downfield reception that went for 24 yards. After catching the ball, he knocked aside Kenoy Kennedy like a rag doll and went down only because Kennedy managed to hold on to Sellers' ankles.

''We needed the touchdowns, and the touchdowns were big,'' running back Clinton Portis said. ''But when he ran over Kenoy, that really changed their defensive mentality, like, 'These dudes on this team are crazy.' So I really think he loosened up the defense.''

The Redskins had two first-half drives that lasted more than 7 1/2 minutes each, and another that went 83 yards. The Lions ran only 19 plays in the half, generating a meager 41 yards. Detroit finally crossed the 50 late in the third quarter - on a pass interference penalty.

Kitna, who entered the game with a 105.6 quarterback rating, completed 16 of 29 passes for 106 yards and two interceptions, one returned 61 yards for a touchdown by Carlos Rogers in the game's final minute.

Kitna was so ineffective that Detroit uncharacteristically tried a run-first attack after halftime. With Kevin Jones taking over for Tatum Bell, the Lions moved the ball well until killing their drives with self-inflicted mistakes, including a botched handoff, a dropped pass and a false start.

And they were stopped by a Redskins team that didn't blitz, much to the surprise of the Lions.

''They just pinned their ears back, came at us with their front four and played coverage,'' Kitna said, ''and made it really difficult to move the football.''

The Redskins, meanwhile, finally had a game with some breathing room after three straight nail-biters. They'd be 4-0 if not for a second-half meltdown in their last game against the New York Giants.

''It's a lot better than 0-4,'' linebacker Marcus Washington said with a laugh. ''Being able to finish strong was a big thing for us, especially after what happened against the Giants. ... Everybody had on their mind, 'We can't let up. We have to finish strong.

Scott's Game Commentary:

Nothing like killing three hours in San Diego watching the Lions lay another dud on the road. I am not going to waste another minute commenting here on their pathetic performance - its not worth my time.

Grades:

*Offense: --- F-. Three points the entire game?!?!? Jeff Backus completely missing his block which resulted in a saftey?!?!? Nothing more to say.

*Defense: --- D-. They played somewhat decent for the majority of the game, but fell apart in the 4th quarter.

*Special Teams: --- D. Hanson's field goal were the only points - pathetic!

*Coaching: --- F. How can the offense be so inept? No adjustments were made the entire game. How about running the ball?!?!?

*Overall: --- F-. What more can you say - it was eerie similar to the Philadelphia game a few weeks ago. The Lions could not play in the hot weather and got another through beatdown.

*Click HERE to go back to my LIONS page!!