National Football League

Texans stun Redskins 30-27 in OT to improve to 2-0

Published Sep. 20, 2010 6:15 a.m. ET

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Things were looking rather bleak for the Houston Texans.

They trailed by 17 points late in the third quarter. Their top playmaker, receiver Andre Johnson, was hobbling around on a sprained right ankle. They had missed a field-goal attempt, botched a kickoff return that put them at their own 1, and threw an interception for the game's only turnover.

Ah, yes, and the opposing quarterback, Washington's Donovan McNabb, was hanging out on the sideline, relishing his 400-yard-plus passing day, a burgundy ballcap turned backward on his head, a white towel around his neck, a wide smile on his face.

By game's end, McNabb was hunched over, hands on knees, outdone by Matt Schaub and his 497 yards passing. Yes, the Texans were swarming the field Sunday night, jumping on each other's backs, celebrating a wild, 30-27 victory decided by Neil Rackers' 35-yard field goal in overtime and made possible by Johnson's game-tying, 34-yard TD catch on fourth down late in regulation.

''Craziest game I've ever been a part of,'' said Houston's Bernard Pollard, who blocked Graham Gano's 29-yard field-goal attempt with 6 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter. ''That just shows the 'want to' on our team. We want to make plays. We want to show everybody that we're not going to give up.''

The Texans improved to 2-0 for only the second time in the franchise's nine seasons, and they've done it by distancing themselves from their never-made-the-playoffs predecessors.

Before beating Indianapolis in Week 1, the Texans were 1-15 against the Colts.

Before coming back to edge Washington in Week 2, the Texans were 0-6 in games that went to OT.

''My thought coming into this week was that I knew that a lot of people was going to be questioning us, asking if we were for real,'' said Johnson, whose 12 catches for 158 yards included that key, fourth-and-10 score when he outjumped safety Reed Doughty with 2:03 left despite the bum ankle. ''I think we showed a little something today.''

A week after Arian Foster ran for a franchise-record 231 yards, the Texans returned to their passing ways - and against their former offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, who now holds that job on his father Mike's staff in Washington. Schaub threw only 17 times against the Colts, but on Sunday, he completed 38 of 52 passes - those 497 yards are also a franchise record - with three touchdowns and one interception.

McNabb went 28 for 38 for 426 yards and one TD, completing throws to nine receivers - including six passes to six teammates on one drive. It's the first time two quarterbacks each threw for more than 400 yards in an NFL game since New England's Drew Bledsoe and Miami's Dan Marino topped that figure in September 1994, according to STATS LLC.

''It doesn't matter if I pass for 400 or 500 yards or if I pass for 100-and-something yards,'' said McNabb, who surpassed Johnny Unitas for 18th place in career completions. ''It's about winning.''

Even before the game stretched into an extra period, it certainly seemed clear that whichever team had the ball last would win.

After Schaub connected with Johnson to tie the game, the quarterback set up the winning field goal with a 28-yard heave to Joel Dreessen to the Washington 18. That was Dreessen's only reception Sunday, when the Redskins (1-1) were missing injured defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

Texans receiver Kevin Walter caught 11 passes for 144 yards and a TD, Jacoby Jones caught six for 53 yards and a score, and Foster caught three for 69 yards. In a game with all sorts of contributors, Foster also ran 19 times for 69 yards, while Mario Williams had three sacks, part of a defense that held the Redskins to 18 yards rushing.

''I told the team there probably wasn't a guy on our team that didn't have a bonehead play,'' Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. ''But there probably wasn't a guy on our team that didn't make a great play in the game.''

A game with plenty of twists and turns kept them coming in overtime. The Texans got the ball first and drove to the Washington 34, but Kubiak decided to punt rather than try a 52-yard field goal because he didn't think the breeze was favorable.

With starting left tackle Trent Williams sidelined by left knee and toe injuries, the Redskins then moved the ball to the Houston 34, and Mike Shanahan went for the field goal. Gano put the ball through the uprights from 52 yards, but the kick didn't count because Kubiak called timeout right before the snap. Gano's second attempt sailed wide right.

''That type of game is always tough to lose,'' Mike Shanahan said. ''You have your opportunities to put the game away, and you don't take advantage of it. That's what happened today.''

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