With less than three minutes to go in regulation, the Redskins led the Saints 31-16, before Drew Brees (11 for 11 and two TDs in the fourth quarter) and Mark
Ingram (51 yards on two carries in OT) led New Orleans to the improbable
victory.
There were plenty of things to rue about the collapse. The defense that now has allowed more than 30 points in consecutive weeks, for example.
Or an offense that could not run out the clock in the fourth quarter, in part because running back Samaje Perine was dropped for a loss on third-and-1, then
went three-and-out thanks to a pair of dropped passes by Perine and Vernon Davis
in the extra period after winning the coin toss.
In between those failures came a possession at 31-all in the fourth quarter in which Washington initially reached the Saints 34 with 31 seconds remaining,
in range for an attempt at a go-ahead field goal. But on first down, Cousins
took the snap and immediately threw the ball out of bounds. He was called for
intentional grounding – a 10-yard penalty Authentic Mike Hughes Jersey , plus a 10-second runoff – and was sacked on the next play, sending the teams to overtime.
That call stuck in his craw and in his coach’s.
Gruden said he thought the officials were wrong.
”It doesn’t sit very well with me, at all. I can handle non-calls from time to time. But I can’t handle calls that aren’t calls. That’s a fact. We have two
receivers in the area and he threw it over their heads.
”It is perfectly legal for a quarterback to overthrow a receiver, a receiver not to be looking, and a ball to fly over his head. It happens all the time. He
wasn’t under duress,” Gruden said. ”Maybe I don’t understand the rule. We’ll get
clarity on it. And if I’m wrong, I’m wrong. Costly mistake. And if I’m right,
it’s too bad.”
On a conference call with reporters Monday Authentic Jerome Baker Jersey , NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart would not say whether the call was proper, saying that the rule declares it is up to the
referee to decide whether the QB is facing ”an imminent loss of yardage under
pressure from the defense.”
Said Lockhart: ”That is a judgment call, and the judgment of the referee here was that he was, and he threw the flag.”
NOTES: WR Terrelle Pryor is headed to IR after ankle surgery, ending his season after only 20 catches and one TD. … Also having surgery: RB Chris
Thompson, who broke his leg against New Orleans.
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