The clouds could not be any puffier this Sunday, 10/15/2006, as the Washington Redskins look to engage with the Titans from Tennessee. Will the Redskins get back into a streak of winning or will they continue to go back and forth in the win/lose column? Today a streak will either be made or doubt will continue to linger.
John Hall kicks off the game by kicking off into the back of the end zone.
Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans trot onto the field and hand the ball off on their 1st attempt. Travis Henry runs the ball off tackle and is met by Sean Taylor who proceeds to lift him in the air and slam Henry into the ground. Taylor hulking rises up over top of Henry, and with both arms extended in his face, Taylor flexes. Oddly, a penalty is not called on Taylor as the Titans continue on about their business and eventually punt after two incomplete passes.
0-0
The Redskins’ 1st possession has Clinton Portis in the forefront. CP’s initial run is for 3 yards and the subsequent run is for 6 more. Clinton’s second down success comes from a pulling R. Thomas who is athletic enough to round the corner without slowing down Portis. An easy 3rd and 1 is accomplished with motion in the backfield from M. Sellers. Once the ball is snapped, Sellers gets a quick jump on the play and bulldozes his initial block with Clinton Portis in his wake; Sellers attempts another block but whiffs as CP gains 20 yards on the play. Brunell attempts his 1st throw and has it intercepted by Haynesworth. The pass was intended for Moss over the middle.
0-0
Sean Taylor seems to be fully in control of the defense and the Titans’ offense. The defense seems adamant about getting off of the field until they are exposed relaxing on an all out blitz. On 3rd and short, the Titans run a screen to the right and rumble down to the red zone. After totaling 4 tackles early in the game, Taylor is a marked man by Travis Henry. Pay back is dished out when Taylor engages in a tackle with Henry, only to be shoved off onto his back, and can only watch Henry scuttle into the end zone. The Titans keep this drive alive by converting on numerous 3rd downs; the defense simply can not get off of the field.
7- 0 Titans
The Redskins’ second possession is engrossed in mediocrity as dose after dose of Clinton Portis is wasted. The Titans’ defense tightens up a bit, only allowing 3 yards here, 2 yards there; but before you know it, another INT is thrown. None of the Redskins wide receivers have yet to catch a Mark Brunell thrown pass. The intercepted pass was intended for Lloyd; Keith Bullock is taken down without acquiring any yardage.
Looking to add another 7 points to their score, the Titans march onto the field and down it. Travis Henry runs for 6 yards to the left side and only Kenny Wright stops him from getting a TD by making a last-minute diving attempt. On 2nd down, Young tosses a pass to #81 Jones but he doesn’t come down with it. Carlos Rogers who is intentionally run into another Titans player, is subsequently knocked into prime position to intercept the ball. He returns it for 20 yards after being caught from behind by Travis Henry.
The gift that the Redskins’ offense receives is squandered as the offense continues to sputter. TJ Duckett is introduced into the game for the 1st time this evening and fumbles the ball on his initial run; the ball is recovered by Randy Thomas. After being thrust into a 2nd and long, Brunell tosses two incomplete passes: one is a drop by Lloyd, and ARE can’t get both feet inbounds on 3rd down.
Derrick Frost kicks a nice punt down to the 11 yard line after the Redskins go three and out. Kenny Wright strips the ball from #87 Givens but it is recovered by Travis Henry, who seems to be all over the field today. Lemar Marshall has a shot at the ball but starts to run before he secures the ball. The Skins eventually force the Titans to kick a FG and allow them the lead. Andre Carter gets his 1st sack of the game on 3rd and long to force the punt.
10-0 Titans
Washington received the ball with 2 minutes left in the 1st half. Mark Brunell has yet to be a factor in this game, and he has not received much help from WR B Lloyd. Another factor leading to the lack of offensive success is the heavy pressure that Brunell is experiencing. Off his back foot, Mark throws a pass to convert on 3rd down and it is understandably under-thrown.
With 1 minute left, the Titans begin to pass the ball and move downfield. On 1st and 10 at the WAS 49 yard line, V. Young throws a missile into his linemen’s back. The ball bounces up and C Rogers is unable to come down with it as it surprises him. You begin to feel the defense buckle from being on the field too long, but M. Washington makes a play. Henry runs over Marcus, but as they’re falling, he strips the ball out and it is bouncing around everywhere. AA dives onto it like a live grenade. The refs rule Redskins football!
After getting stuffed on the left side of the line over and over, CP runs a counter trey derivative to the right side and gets a 63 yard TD untouched! Derrick Dockery is too slow to pull and block Pacman, but Clinton is able to shuffle his feet and get Jones’ momentum going in the wrong way. With only Vanden Bosch in his wake, it isn’t even close.
10-7 Titans
HALF-TIME
Washington looks to come back out in the 2nd half with some of the momentum that they built up at the end of the 1st half. Portis runs up the gut for a gain of 5 yards but is unable to get the final 5 on two more carries. A chorus of booing can be heard from the home crowd as the offense walks off the field.
Pacman returns a D. Frost punt to the Skins’ 40 yard line after getting it at the 30. Utilizing quick slants, the Titans get two 1st downs; the ball is handed off to a red hot Travis Henry. An exhausted Sean Taylor gets trucked by Henry and allows him to waltz into the end zone. Skins defensive players can be seen hunched over as the special teamers come out onto the field.
17-7 Titans
It is not known until this drive that CP has been experiencing pain in his shoulder. On two attempts, TJ Duckett gets exactly one yard, and another incomplete pass to Lloyd seals the offenses’ fate. They can get neither the run nor the pass working, and with the score increasing on the opposite end, the fans begin to weigh in.
Frost kicks away from Jones and the ball goes out of bounds at the Titans’ 32 yard line. Lemar Marshall does his best to bring the ball back to his offense but drops a sure INT on 1st down. Sensing that it’s time to put this game to bed, Henry runs for 8 yards on 2nd down; however, he gets stopped by Griffin on a draw play for the conversion.
The Skins’ defense has their backs to the wall and know that they need to give their offense another shot. Lemar Marshall drops a sure INT on 1st down. The ball hits him right in the hands but he allows it to slip through, smacking him in the face mask. Travis Henry attempts to convert on 2nd down but is only able to get 8 yards. He is stopped while running a draw on 3rd down by Cornelius Griffin.
The Titans’ left side of their defensive line is a point of interest for Clinton Portis. He continues to cut back to that side and gets 12 yards. TJ Duckett finally produces on the field by catching a swing pass for 10 yards, but not before he runs over a safety and a defensive back. Chris Cooley gets his 1st catch of the game for a 2 yard completion; it seems that the offensive players are all trying to get a piece of the pie. Halfway through the drive, Saunders goes to the shotgun to aide in protecting Brunell. The pressure still finds a way to Brunell as he is forced to scramble to his right. While on the run, Moss faces Brunell just to have Jones step in front of the pass as soon as it arrives. The Skins can only watch as he returns it for a TD.
24-7 Titans
With one minute left on the clock, Joe Gibbs inserts Jason Campbell. Coming out in a 5 WR set and a new QB courses new blood through the offense. Moss catches a pass for 15 yards and a 1st down. B. Lloyd drops the same exact pass on the next set of downs and is removed from the field promptly. Jason leads the offense down the field but is unable to score due to not having enough time. Is there a QB controversy brewing? I think not.
-Christopher Allen
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Christopher Allen