It was October 21, 2001. The Washington Redskins were 0-5 and well on their way to 0-6. They were playing the Carolina Panthers are FedEx Field. I'll let The Redskins Chronicle pick up the story from there:
An 83-yard drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters ended with Tim Biakabutuka's one-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0. Washington went three and out and a 27-yard Biakabutuka run had Carolina in Washington territory at the 31. Two plays later, it was third and seven at the 28. It wasn't a particularly risky play that Carolina called, a little toss in the flat to Chris Hetherington. LaVar Arrington was nearby and zeroed in on the fullback as the ball came into his hands. The ball bounced out, though, and in a flash, Arrington went from tackler to pass defender, snatching the ball out of the air and taking off for the goal line. He cruised the 68 yards unchallenged and the game—perhaps the season—took on a new complexion.On the Redskins' next possession Tony Banks launched a long bomb to Rod Gardner. The 50-50 chance came up on the good side and Gardner caught the pass and cruised in to complete the 80-yard touchdown play. Washington won the game 17-14 in overtime on Brett Conway's 23-yard field goal. The game—more specifically, Arrington's play—sparked a winning streak. All of a sudden the team that couldn't do anything right couldn't do anything wrong. In their first five games, all losses, the Redskins had been outscored 144-32. In their next five, all wins, Washington outscored the opposition 109-62. Everyone has their theories as to what's wrong with the 2009 Redskins. They are 3-8 in their last 11 games. They get close to the goal line and don't score. They stop other teams right up until the key moments arrive. The Redskins aren't the most talented team in the NFL as Clinton Portis would have you believe but they do have a decent talent base. But they appear to lack confidence. Just like success breeds success, failure breeds failure. The Redskins need something to turn around the failure. They need a play like the one that one against the Panthers. The Redskins need a LaVar Arrington moment. Will they get one against Tampa Bay? It's impossible to say. You never know when such a moment is coming. The Panthers had absolutely no reason to throw a pass on that play. If they gain nothing on a running play they have a 45-yard field goal attempt and that was well within John Kasay's range. But for some reason the football gods made them throw the pass and the rest is history. We don't know if the football gods will be present at FedEx Field on Sunday and, if they are, if they will be wearing burgundy and gold. If they are, the Redskins could well get their Arrington moment and roll over the Buccaneers. If they're not present or, even worse, if they're wearing red and pewter, the Redskins again will struggle. I think that they could well get there and be rooting for the home team just because it's been so long since the Skins have had a break go their way. But the chances are they will be late arrivals. A bounce goes the Skins way in the second half and they pull away from a game Bucs team. Redskins 20, Bucs 10
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