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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Brad Johnson and Norv Turner can
stop looking over their shoulders, at least for another week.
|  | | Washington's Andre Reed scores a third-quarter touchdown during Sunday night's victory over the Giants. |
Johnson, under fire with owner Daniel Snyder's $100 million team
off to a slow start, passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns as the
Washington Redskins finally showed some Super Bowl form and might
have saved Turner's job in the process by beating the New York
Giants 16-6 Sunday night.
"I think Brad shut everyone up and I wish everyone would be man
and woman enough to say so," Redskins cornerback Deion Sanders
said after Johnson answered the call following a week of criticism
in the wake of losses to Detroit and Dallas.
Johnson wasn't nearly as colorful as "Prime Time" when asked
about his own situation. He said he had been dwelling more about
the team than himself.
"It was a game, in a way, our back was against the wall," said
Johnson, who completed 14 of 20 passes, including bombs of 53, 48
and 46 yards. "We felt like we had to come up here and find a way
to win, and we did."
Johnson's touchdown passes covered 23 yards to Irving Fryar in
the second quarter and 21 to Andre Reed early in the third. His
48-yard strike to Albert Connell, who had four catches for 122
yards, set up a 25-yard field goal by Michael Husted.
While it was only the fourth week of the season, this was a
must-win game for the Redskins (2-2) if they had any realistic hope
of catching the Giants (3-1) and winning the NFC East again.
"They put the schedule together and they give you 16 games, and
you're going to play 16," Turner said. "We let a couple slip
away. We got one tonight. You can regroup and get ready for the
next one. If you win enough when the thing is done, then you keep
playing. If you don't, then you go home."
With an antsy owner like Snyder, Turner may not have had the
chance to play 16 unless the Redskins started winning.
However, Washington played like a desperate team. Not only did
Johnson silence those critics calling for free agent Jeff George to
take over at quarterback, but the Redskins defense shut down Kerry
Collins and a Giants offense that looked potent in the first three
weeks of the season.
"They just flat out outplayed us," said Collins, who was
sacked four times for 42 yards in losses. "They were quicker, had
more tempo and executed better. I think we got lulled into thinking
it was pretty easy, and if there is a lesson here, it's that it
isn't easy.
"We simply didn't play like a championship team," Collins
added. "Washington is one of the best teams in the league and they
kicked our butts."
Collins, who was hitting 71.3 percent of his passes coming into
the game, finished 21-of-44 for 210 yards. He also saw Sanders kill a drive early in the fourth quarter with an
interception in the end zone.
New York didn't score until Ike Hilliard caught a 7-yard
touchdown pass in the closing minutes.
Not only did Washington limit Collins, but there wasn't much
thunder and lightning out of the Giants backfield, either.
Tiki Barber, leading the NFL in rushing with 326 yards, gained
65 yards on 16 carries, while Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne had
23 yards on five carries.
The key for the Redskins was winning the battle up front against
the Giants' revamped offensive line.
Johnson needed two series to warm up, but once he got going the
Redskins started eating up yards in chunks against a defense that
hadn't given up a play longer than 31 yards in its first three
games.
Faced with a third-and-2 on the Washington 31 early in the
second quarter, Johnson got Giants corner Dave Thomas to bite on a
pump fake, and James Thrash made a diving catch on a 46-yard pass.
On the next play, Johnson caught safety Sam Garnes guessing on
another pump fake and found a wide-open Fryar in the end zone for a
7-0 lead, capping a seven-play, 92-yard drive.
A 13-yard sack by Marco Coleman forced a New York punt on the
next series and Washington came right back with the long pass to
Connell, setting up Husted's field goal.
Washington pretty much wrapped up the game with a four-play,
81-yard drive in the third quarter.
Johnson hit Connell for 53 yards and followed that with the
touchdown pass to Reed.
"I talked to the coaches and I told the team this morning they
are going to go deep," Giants coach Jim Fassel said. "I read all
the comments all week about everything they said. They were going
deep."
New York finally got on the board with 2:25 to go on a 13-play,
86-yard drive that Collins capped with his pass to Hilliard. Dayne
was stopped short on the 2-point conversion.
"I felt like we were ready coming into it, but for whatever
reason we didn't make plays," Fassel said.
Game notes
It took four games, but Giants receiver Joe Jurevicius
finally caught a pass in the second quarter ... Giants TE Pete
Mitchell, who missed a couple of days of practice with an ulcer,
played and caught one pass for 18 yards ... Connell entered the
game with six catches for 81 yards. He left the game in the third
quarter with a bruised hip ... Redskins guard Keith Sims left the
game in the third quarter with an Achilles' injury that was not
considered serious ... Collins had been sacked only three times in
the Giants' first three games ... Barber now has 391 yards rushing
this season. Joe Montgomery led the team with 348 yards for the
entire season last year.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
NY Giants Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Brad Johnson is focused on playing consistant football.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Brad Johnson gives his recievers credit for picking up their game.
wav: 158 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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