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©Associated Press
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 21, 2000
ST. LOUIS -- Jeff George threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns Monday as the Redskins beat the Rams 33-27 to remain in the thick of the NFC playoff race.
George connected on TD passes to James Thrash, Larry Centers and Irving Fryar, helping the Reskins snap a two-game losing streak and keeping them within a half-game of NFC East-leading Philadelphia.
The loss was the third in five games for St. Louis after they opened the season 6-0.
After the Rams went ahead 20-19, Washington took control by scoring three times before St. Louis could run another offensive play.
First came Fryar's 34-yard TD catch from George. A two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Redskins ahead 25-20.
But on the ensuing kickoff, Scott Bentley tapped the ball forward 10 yards and receovered his own onsides kick, setting Washington up again on their 41-yard line. Thirteen plays later, Eddie Murray kicked a 41-yard field goal for a 28-20 Washington lead.
Tony Horne fielded Bentley's next kick three yards deep in his end zone, but fumbled to set up Murray's 39-yard field goal, and the Redskins were ahead 31-20.
On their next drive, the Rams drove toward a score that could have pulled them to within a touchdown of the lead, but Champ Bailey intercepted Trent Green in the end zone to maintain the Redskins' 11-point lead.
St. Louis forced the Reskins to punt, but Tommy Barnhardt pinned the Rams on their 1-yard line, and Bruce Smith sacked Green to make it 33-20.
On the Redskins' go-ahead score, Fryar, 38, beat second-year player Dre' Bly to the right corner of the end zone with 25 seconds to go in the third quarter. Dexter McCleon intercepted George on a two-point conversion attempt.
The Redskins had trailed by a point before the touchdown because of a missed extra point by Murray, the Redskins' latest kicker, on their previous touchdown. Murray, signed during the Redskins' bye week, hit the left upright after George's 3-yard touchdown pass to Centers had put the Redskins ahead 19-13 with 9:19 to go in the third quarter.
The Rams responded with an eight-play, 79-yard drive capped by a 15-yard scoring pass from Green to Ricky Proehl with 5:13 left. Jeff Hall's extra point made it 20-19 and gave the Rams an NFL-record 27 consecutive games with 20 or more points.