When Billy Cundiff last tried a clutch field goal at the end of a game, his Ravens wound up as losers of the AFC Championship Game.
Cundiff got another shot on Sunday as the Redskins drove in position for him to try a 41-yarder with seconds left in their game with the Bucaneers. The Redskins had blown a 15-point halftime lead and trailed the Bucs 22-21 when Cundiff, who had already missed three field goals in the game, was ushered into the game. His kick was through the uprights this time and the Redskins pulled out a 24-21 win in Tampa.
The final score was set up by Robert Griffin III. The rookie quarterback completed four passes for 46 yards and scrambled for 15 more yards to account for all of the positive yardage generated by the team on the final drive. It capped an impressive statistical day for Griffin -- 26-of-35 passing for 323 yards plus 43 rushing yards and no turnovers -- but the Redskins offense fizzled for much of the second half before catching fire late. They punted on four of their five second half possessions with the other ending on one of Cundiff’s misses.
Their defense also turned down the heat in the second half. After limiting Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman to 88 passing yards in the first half, the ‘Skins were shredded for 211 and a touchdown in the second half. Mike Williams had 115 receiving yards and Vincent Jackson had 100, but the Buccaneers dug themselves a hole that proved to be a little too deep for them to climb out of in the final 30 minutes. One play they’d surely like to have back is the two-point conversion following LeGarrette Blount’s touchdown that cut the score to 21-19. Guard Ted Larsen was flagged for a false start and Freeman fired incomplete from the seven.
That leaves the Bucs at 1-3 after three straight losses by a combined 15 points following their season-opening win over the Panthers. And it leaves the Redskins at 2-2 thanks to the quarterback they picked second overall starting and finishing the game like the player they hoped they were getting with that pick. Griffin’s got the ‘Skins at 2-2 and the future of the offense continues to look bright with him at the helm.