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Moss comes up big in second half as Redskins top Lions

Oct 26, 2008 - 10:29 PM DETROIT (Ticker) -- The Detroit Lions were poised for an upset Sunday, but they had no answer for Santana Moss.

Moss had two huge scoring plays in the second half as the Washington Redskins avoided a scare from the winless Lions with a 25-17 victory Sunday.

Despite coming into the game more than a touchdown favorite against the hapless Lions (0-7), the Redskins struggled for much of the first three quarters.

That all changed late in the third, as Jason Campbell found Moss for a 50-yard touchdown down the right sideline to give the Redskins a 16-10 lead - their first since the opening quarter.

"He was one of our reads on that play," Campbell said. "Santana did a good job of running the route. He's so electric after he makes the catch. He caught the ball and he was still able to stay in bounds and get up the sideline and score."

After a Detroit drive stalled early in the fourth, Moss came through for the Redskins again - this time with a rare appearance on special teams. Lining up for a punt for just the second time all season, Moss returned the ensuing kick 80 yards for a score to make it 22-10.

It was the longest punt return of his career and his first return for a touchdown since 2002.

The 5-10, 200-pound speedster, who had 220 all-purpose yards on the day, was nearly brought down near his own 15-yard line, but ducked under a pair of tackles and raced past everyone else on his way to the end zone.

"Any time you've got the ball, something needs to happen, especially on offense. But when you do it on special teams, that's great," Moss said. "That gives your team an extra boost."

The Lions, deflated but not out of it, answered five minutes later. Dan Orlovsky, making his third consecutive start in place of injured veteran Jon Kitna, orchestrated a 10-play, 76-yard scoring drive that culminated in Calvin Johnson's 17-yard touchdown catch.

But after the Redskins tacked on a field goal to make it 25-17, the Lions failed to make anything happen on their final drive.

"It was a grind-it-out day," Redskins running back Clinton Portis said. "We kept plugging as a team. Things started great and finished great. Anytime you can get that and end up with a win, it's a good day."

Orlovsky was 21-for-35 for 223 yards and a touchdown and Shaun McDonald caught five balls for 68 yards for Detroit.

The Redskins (6-2) won their second game in a row, but looked vulnerable once again following their strong start.

They had a four-game winning streak snapped by the previously winless St. Louis Rams on October 12, and Redskins struggled to squeak past the struggling Cleveland Browns, 14-11, last week.

Sunday's meeting wasn't any easier. Though the Redskins controlled the line of scrimmage and held a 439-274 advantage in total offense, they had trouble capitalizing. In the first quarter, Campbell fumbled on a sack to set the Lions up near midfield.

Four plays later, Rudi Johnson gave Detroit a 10-7 lead with an 11-yard touchdown run.

Despite facing the league's worst scoring defense, the Redskins settled for four field-goal attempts in the first half - converting three by Shaun Suisham - before Campbell and Moss finally connected for a touchdown in the third quarter.

"We're feeling very solid about our record, about being 6-2 starting into the second half," Redskins head coach Jim Zorn said. "Now this is the push here where the teams begin to define themselves halfway through the season. We're hoping that we can keep this thing going."

Campbell, who still hasn't thrown an interception this season, completed 23-of-28 passes for 328 yards and a score for Washington. Moss hauled in nine passes for 140 yards while Portis rushed for 126 yards on 24 carries - his fifth consecutive 120-yard performance.

Things continue to get tougher for the Lions, who have been in contention in each of the last three weeks but remain winless.

"We had 'em, really," Lions linebacker Paris Lenon said. "You look at that punt return. We had the opportunity to make a big play and he just eked out of it. You've got to be on top of it, all the time, every play. Every play is the most important play."

Two weeks ago, they lost to the division rival Minnesota Vikings, 12-10, on a field goal with nine seconds remaining.

Last week, they staged an impressive fourth-quarter rally against the Houston Texans, but still came up short, 28-21.

"We were that close. It's true," Lions defensive tackle Shaun Cody said. "It's almost like we flounder off at the end every time we get a chance. I don't know what it is, what's going on, but it's a shame because we put ourselves in an opportunity to make it a game and make it close to winning but we just can't finish it off."