The Washington Redskins had a 2-1 record, but had not yet
won at home, as they hosted the Carolina Panthers on October 3, 1999. Washington
had a new owner in Daniel M. Snyder but Norv Turner was back for a sixth season
as head coach. Only two of those years had yielded winning records, and they
were 6-10 in 1998. There was a new starting quarterback in Brad Johnson (pictured above),
obtained from the Vikings, and he was off to a good start with five TDs and no
interceptions among his first 89 passes. RB Stephen Davis was over a hundred
yards in two of the first three games and gained 93 the previous week, with a
total of eight touchdowns scored while playing behind an improved line. The
biggest concern was the defense, which had shown a tendency to give up
significant yardage.
Carolina was at 1-2 under first-year Head Coach George
Seifert, twice a NFL title winner with the 49ers, and had just won for the
first time a week before. Conservative offensively in their first four years,
the Panthers were now more willing to go to the air with QB Steve Beuerlein. RB
Tshimanga “Tim” Biakabutuka provided breakaway speed when healthy. But like the
Redskins, they had concerns regarding the defense.
There were 76,831 fans in attendance at Redskins Stadium.
The teams exchanged punts to start the game before the Panthers struck quickly
on the third play of their second series. Tim Biakabutuka (pictured below) ran around end for a
60-yard touchdown, John Kasay kicked the extra point, and the visitors were in
front by 7-0.
Carolina got the ball back in short order when RB Brian
Mitchell fumbled the kickoff return and CB Michael Swift recovered at the
Washington 28. Steve Beuerlein immediately threw to WR Muhsin Muhammad for a
27-yard gain to the one and, two plays later, Biakabutuka scored from that
distance for his second TD. With Kasay’s point after, the Panthers were up by
14-0 and the game was barely five minutes old.
The Redskins had to punt following their next series and
Carolina took just two plays to cover 60 yards. Beuerlein threw to Muhammad for
15 yards and then it was Biakabutuka running up the middle for a 45-yard TD,
his third of the game. Kasay again converted and Carolina was ahead by a
formidable 21-0, still in the opening period.
Washington responded with a long drive of 14 plays that
covered 78 yards and extended into the second quarter. Brad Johnson completed
five passes, three of them to FB Larry Centers, the longest of which covered 19
yards. Stephen Davis ran effectively, as did Brian Mitchell, who gained nine
yards on a third-and-three play, and it was Davis running for a one-yard
touchdown to get the home team on the scoreboard. Brett Conway added the PAT.
On the first play of Carolina’s next possession,
Beuerlein connected with WR Rae Carruth for 43 yards to the Washington 35. The
Panthers picked up another ten yards before the drive stalled and Kasay kicked
a 43-yard field goal to give the visitors a 24-7 advantage.
The Redskins responded with a big first down play of
their own as Johnson passed to WR Michael Westbrook (pictured below), who broke away from CB
Eric Davis on a 47-yard gain to the Carolina 33. Three plays later, Johnson
went to Westbrook again for a 17-yard TD and Conway added the extra point.
A short possession by the Panthers ended with a punt and
the Redskins picked up 37 yards on a pass interference penalty on CB Doug
Evans. Runs by Johnson and Davis advanced Washington to the Carolina eight, but
a loss on a running play and incomplete pass had the home team facing a
third-and-11 situation. Once again it was Johnson to Westbrook for a touchdown.
Conway’s extra point made it a three-point margin of 24-21 with 6:51 to go in
the first half.
The Panthers had to punt again and it didn’t take the
Redskins long to reach the end zone. On the next play Johnson threw to WR
Albert Connell for a 62-yard TD and, adding Conway’s point after, the Redskins
were in front by 28-24 at halftime. The 28 points in a single quarter set a club
record.
The teams traded punts to start the third quarter before
the Redskins added to their lead. It took just four plays to travel 60 yards as
Johnson completed passes to Connell for nine yards and Westbrook for 16, with a
three-yard run by Davis in between. Johnson’s third pass of the series was to
Connell for a 32-yard touchdown and, with Conway’s conversion, the home team
was now up by 35-24.
The Panthers drove into Washington territory on the next
possession as Beuerlein completed three passes and Biakabutuka had a 16-yard
run. But the drive stalled at the 34 as three straight throws fell incomplete
and Kasay missed on a 52-yard field goal attempt.
The Redskins reached the Carolina 35 on their next
series, but attempting to convert a fourth-and-five situation, Johnson was
sacked by LB Michael Barrow. Beuerlein immediately threw to Muhammad for a
31-yard gain but the Panthers were backed up by a holding penalty, and while
they got the ten yards back, they ended up with a Kasay field goal from 43
yards to narrow Washington’s lead to 35-27.
The Redskins punted on their next possession and the
Panthers started off the fourth quarter with the ball at midfield. Beuerlein
completed three passes and the visitors came away with another field goal by
Kasay, this time from 42 yards, to make it a 35-30 tally.
Washington went three-and-out and the Redskins punted
again from deep in their own territory. Taking over at the Washington 47, the
Panthers took six plays to score. Beuerlein converted a third-and-ten situation
with a pass to WR Patrick Jeffers that picked up 13 yards and a throw to
Muhammad gained 31 yards. TE Wesley Walls caught a six-yard TD pass, and while
the try for two points failed, Carolina was back on top by 36-35 with 10:28 to
play.
The teams exchanged punts once more and the clock was
down to 4:19 as the Redskins took over at their 19, and after Coach Turner
successfully challenged a ruling that Mitchell had fumbled the ball away on his
punt return. Johnson threw to Westbrook for nine yards and Davis ran for 12,
but four plays later Washington was facing fourth-and-one. Davis kept the drive
alive with a three-yard run and Johnson completed a pass to WR Irving Fryar for
16 yards to the Carolina 32. Two plays after that, Johnson threw to Westbrook
for 19 yards and, after two runs into the line, Conway came on to kick a
31-yard field goal with six seconds to play. Washington won by a final score of
38-36.
Carolina outgained the Redskins (483 yards to 418) and
had the edge in first downs (23 to 22) although Washington had the longer time
of possession (31:40 to 28:20). The teams were close in net passing yards with
the Panthers leading by 328 to 308, and the visitors gained 155 yards on the
ground, to 110 for the Redskins. Each team turned the ball over once.
Brad Johnson completed 20 of 33 passes for 337 yards and
four touchdowns while giving up no interceptions. Michael Westbrook had 8
catches for 140 yards and two TDs and Albert Connell (pictured at right) had five receptions for
134 yards and two scores as well. Stephen Davis topped Washington’s rushers
with 72 yards on 21 carries that included a TD.
For the Panthers, Steve Beuerlein was successful 23 of 47
throws for 334 yards and a TD while giving up an interception. Tim Biakabutuka
ran for 142 yards on 12 carries that included three touchdowns, with 123 of
those yards and all of the scores coming in the first quarter. Muhsin Muhammad
caught 8 passes for 151 yards.
The Redskins raised their record to 3-1 and, while they
slumped at midseason, they went on to top the NFC East at 10-6 and reach the
postseason for the first time since 1992. Washington defeated Detroit in the
Wild Card round before falling to Tampa Bay at the Divisional level. The
Panthers finished at 8-8, which was an improvement for them after consecutive
losing years in 1997 and ’98. That placed Carolina second in the NFC West.
Brad Johnson and Steve Beuerlein remained among the
leaders in most passing categories, with Beuerlein topping the NFL in pass
completions (343) and yards (4436) and ranking second to Kurt Warner of the
Rams in TD passes (36) and passer rating (94.6). However, the immobile
Beuerlein also ranked first in the NFC in being sacked (50). Johnson placed
fifth in pass attempts (519), completions (316), yards (4005), yards per
attempt (7.7), and passer rating (90.0), and was third in completion percentage
(60.9) and tied for fourth with Oakland’s Rich Gannon in touchdown passes (24).
Michael Westbrook and Albert Connell remained an
effective receiving tandem, with Westbrook catching 65 passes for 1191 yards
(18.3 avg.) and nine touchdowns and Connell accounting for 62 receptions for
1132 yards (18.3 avg. also) and seven TDs. The totals all represented career
highs for both receivers (although Connell averaged 19.5 yards on 39 catches in
2000).
Tim Biakabutuka characteristically missed five games and
rushed for a career-best 718 yards on 138 carries (5.2 avg.) and six
touchdowns. As the game against the Redskins showed, he could be outstanding on
occasion, but injuries were a chronic problem.
