In a game defined by one big play, the Packers good fortunes turned into bad luck for the Redskins as Green Bay topped Washington 17-14 at Lambeau Field Sunday. The big play took place in the third quarter with the Skins up 14-10, as Washington wide out Santana Moss lost the handle on the ball and it was scooped up and returned 57 yards for a score by Charles Woodson for what turned out to be the game-winner. The game was marked by a soggy wet field in Green Bay that stopped both offenses in their tracks for most of the afternoon.
The Packers top-ranked pass offense was unable to do much with the weather and a stingy Skins defense stopping them cold for most of the day. Brett Favre did his best to try and create some offense, but went just 19-for-37 for 188 yards with no TD’s and two interceptions. The picks put Favre in a class by himself, as he is now the all-time interception king in NFL history. Nevertheless, Favre and the Packers still fell good about leaving this battle 5-1 instead of 4-2.
Washington also seemed to be halted by the poor conditions as well as a stout Packer defense. They dropped passes, and Clinton Portis was held to just 64 yards on 20 carries, a 3.2 yards per carry average. The running game put up just 33 yards in the second half. The Skins also lost more players on the O-line, with Casey Rabach leaving with a groin injury, Todd Wade leaving also with a groin injury, and Stephon Heyer suffering a hamstring injury.
Three turnovers and two big drops by Moss and Brandon Lloyd marked what ended up being a sloppy day of missed chances for the Redskins, who had a shot to move to 4-1 and within a half game of the NFC East lead with the Cowboys. There were also more than a few interceptions from Favre that the team dropped. “I guess we ain’t learning our lesson,” Portis said. “When we get a chance to put teams away, we have to finish them.”
As for the Packers, they were fortunate to walk off their home field with a win, but have grown to enjoy each and every win as they put more distance between themselves and others in the NFC North. “We feel good about being 5-1, but we’re a team that needs to clean our house,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.