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Springs, Collins cap injury-marred game, down Bears

Dec 7, 2007 - 7:52 AM LANDOVER, Maryland (Ticker) -- Perhaps it was appropriate that three days after they laid a teammate to rest, it was a fellow defensive back who has dealt with his own personal tragedy that kept alive the Washington Redskins' playoff hopes.

Shawn Springs intercepted two passes in less than 30 seconds late in the first half and backup quarterback Todd Collins threw for two touchdowns to power the Washington Redskins to a 24-16 victory over the Chicago Bears on Thursday.

Washington Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor died on November 27, about 24 hours after he was shot in an armed burglary attempt in the bedroom of his Miami home. After an emotional 17-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the Redskins traveled to his hometown one day later to attend the funeral proceedings, giving the team just two days to prepare for this game.

"It's been really tough," said Springs, who tapped his fist on the plexiglass casing of Taylor's locker - with Sean's jersey and gear still hanging inside - before talking with reporters. "Monday was one of the toughest times ever in my life. Sean was a very close friend and teammate. We loved him. It was just tough letting him go."

Springs has dealt with his own personal issues this season in addition to the loss of Taylor. His father, Ron, slipped into a coma last month after going into cardiac arrest due to his battle with Type 2 Diabetes and remains in that state, being given little chance to survive by his doctors.

Thursday's contest was marred by a number of devastating injuries to two teams fighting for the playoffs. Chicago quarterback Rex Grossman left with a left knee injury less than five minutes into the game, while counterpart Jason Campbell suffered a dislocated patella in the second quarter.

Bears defensive tackle Antonio Garay also left in the second quarter with a right ankle injury suffered on a low block by Redskins offensive tackle Chris Samuels.

"Rex Grossman went down and he has a knee injury, that's about all we know right now," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "Antonio Garay has an ankle injury. We'll evaluate them later on."

Campbell injured his right elbow midway through the second quarter and yielded to Collins. Campbell returned on the Redskins' next possession but injured his knee three plays later, when defensive end Mark Anderson chased him down and tackled him, with most of his weight forcing the quarterback's knee into the ground.

"I think the good news is that it's not ligaments," Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said. "They think it's a kneecap."

The Bears (5-8) appeared to mount their first serious scoring threat after Alex Brown stripped Collins of the ball and fellow defensive end Adewale Ogunleye recovered at the Chicago 47 with 1:07 remaining in the first half.

Brian Griese completed consecutive passes of seven yards to Muhsin Muhammad and 15 yards to Bernard Berrian. However, the Bears' signal-caller was intercepted by Springs on the next play when he attempted to hit Devin Hester on a deep pass.

Springs returned the interception 53 yards before being tackled by Hester at the Chicago 21.

"The ball came my way," said Springs, who nearly missed the game with a sore back. "They was throwing the quick (routes) all game, and I just wanted to make a quick jump on the ball."

One play later, the Redskins (6-7) converted the turnover into points when Collins hit reserve tight end Todd Yoder for a 21-yard TD. The scoring pass was the 36-year-old's first since December 2, 2002, when he was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

"I don't know if I've ever had a better performance coming off the bench, ever, for me," Gibbs said. "(Collins) made a lot of key plays for us."

Collins said the waiting was the hardest part.

"I can't say how many number of years, but I know I have been preparing as a No. 2 to get an opportunity in a game for probably literally hundreds of games," he said. "This was really the first time where I was able to go in and get to play in a situation that really matters."

Washington increased its lead to 14-0 on the first drive of the third quarter.

After a pair of runs by Clinton Portis left the Redskins at 3rd-and-2 at their own 45, Collins hit Portis with a swing pass in the right flat. The running back weaved his way from right to left virtually untouched for 54 yards before getting pushed out of bounds at the Chicago 1.

"That was a big play by Clinton on that swing play," Gibbs said. "The guys talked a lot about finishing in the second half, so that was a big deal for us."

Portis finished with just 36 yards rushing on 17 carries but made up for it in the passing game, making six catches for 86 yards for the Redskins, who won despite netting just 31 yards on the ground - their fewest in a victory since 1974.

Mike Sellers scored from a yard out two plays later.

Chicago responded with 10 unanswered points, capped when Berrian made an incredible diving catch in the end zone to narrow the deficit to 14-10. Each team exchanged field goals, but the Redskins finally put away the game when Collins found Ladell Betts in the middle of the field for a 16-yard score, opening a 24-13 lead.

"Everyone in the huddle on offense knew we wanted to finish," said Collins, who went 15-of-20 for 224 yards. "We didn't want to kick a field goal because I think that would have made it 20-14. We wanted to get a touchdown so it wouldn't come down to one of those harrowing losses at the end, like what happened last week."

The emotionally-drained Redskins - who had lost four straight games - are so weary that the past four days seemed like a week. But for one night, they showed signs of life.

"I felt like the guys were having a good time, which has been a struggle for us these past couple of weeks," Gibbs said. "Emotionally, everything that has happened has made it hard for anybody to laugh or have some fun. I think today on the field, they were playing that way. They were back to being excited about it."

Chicago's Robbie Gould booted a field goal with 30 seconds remaining to account for the final margin.