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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- The New England Patriots misfired on every
front. Too bad they can't borrow a few players from the overloaded
Washington Redskins.
|  | | Skip Hicks dives at the end of a 17-yard touchdown run. |
The Redskins took a step closer to regular season form with a 30-20 victory over the Patriots on Friday night. An example of the difference between the two teams: Washington had solid games from four running backs and a fullback, while New England is still searching for a back worthy of the starting role.
"It wasn't a very good performance in any area," Patriots
coach Bill Belichick said. "Offense, defense, kicking game. I'm
sure there were isolated good plays, but overall we made too many
mistakes."
Washington's Stephen Davis made a solid return in his first game since knee surgery. Adrian Murrell scored a touchdown and broke at least four tackles. Larry Centers caught a 34-yard pass out of the backfield. Skip Hicks ran for 98 yards and a touchdown. Even Chad
Dukes, well down on the depth chart, joined in the productive
backs' night with his 5-yard run in the fourth quarter.
"I don't know where I have been in a situation like this,"
Washington coach Norv Turner said, "where you've got guys who are
capable and have different skills."
The one scare for the Redskins came late in the first half when defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson's left knee buckled after he hit quarterback Drew Bledsoe. The knee was sprained, and Wilkinson will
be re-evaluated Saturday.
New England, led by its defense, won its first two exhibition games under new coach Belichick. This was the first game in which the full first-team offense got significant playing time, and the starters managed only three first downs and two field goals from Adam Vinatieri in the first half.
"We made enough mistakes to lose four or five ball games in
this one," said Bledsoe, who was 14-for-23 for 201 yards with one
touchdown and two interceptions. "It's obvious we aren't ready to
go into the regular season right now."
Belichick then brought the first-stringers back for two more drives at the start of the second half, both times using a no-huddle offense against the Redskins' second-string defense.
Bledsoe went 5-for-5 and hit Tony Simmons with a 12-yard
touchdown pass on the first drive to tie it at 13, then was 4-for-4
on the second drive before his pass was tipped by Eric Whitfield
and intercepted by Matt Stevens at the 1.
Belichick stuck with the no-huddle concept even when his second
unit, led by John Friesz, entered the game. Friesz hit Matt Bumgardner for a 7-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter for a
touchdown.
The Patriots' wide-open battle for the starting running back
position remained murky. Kevin Faulk gained 16 yards on five carries and dropped a screen pass. Raymont Harris had another tough week: His first four rushes went for 1 yard, minus-1 yard, 0 yards
and minus-1 yard.
Third-round draft pick J.R.
Redmond, expected to make his Patriots debut, did not make the trip.
The Redskins starters, who had a mediocre outing last week at
Tampa, played the first half. While the running game looked good,
quarterback Brad Johnson threw two interceptions and finished
11-for-22 for 175 yards.
Davis nursed an ankle injury during the offseason after leading
the NFC in rushing, then reported to camp late because of a
holdout. He looked his old self on the first run from scrimmage,
taking the play wide for a 9-yard gain. He finished with 24 yards
on six carries.
"Stephen showed me he really, really likes to play football," Turner said. "He was excited. You would have thought we were in the playoffs again."
Murrell, signed as a free agent in the offseason, broke two
tackles to score on a 14-yard screen pass on Washington's opening
drive. He finished with 35 yards on 13 carries.
The highlight for Hicks, playing with the reserves in the second
half, was a 17-yard touchdown run that needed a replay review to
verify that he did indeed get the ball in the end zone with his final dive.
Peter Elezovic, baby-sitting the Redskins kicking job while Brett Conway recovers from a strained quad, made field goals of 33,
22 and 44 yards.
Bruce Smith, who sat out the Tampa game, had an impressive
Redskins debut, sacking Bledsoe on his first play and making the
tackle on an up-the-middle run on his second play.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
New England Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
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