SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 20, 2013
Redskins 45, Bears 41: Roy Helu Jr. rushed for his third touchdown of the game with 45 seconds left and Robert Griffin III passed for 298 yards and a pair of scores as Washington outlasted visiting Chicago.
Jordan Reed caught nine passes for 134 yards and a touchdown and Brian Orakpo returned an interception 29 yards for a score for the Redskins (2-4). Barry Cofield sacked Bears backup quarterback Josh McCown in the final seconds to seal the win.
McCown went 14-of-20 for 204 yards and a touchdown in relief of Jay Cutler, who was knocked out in the first half with a groin injury. Matt Forte rushed for 91 yards and three touchdowns and Devin Hester matched an NFL record with his 19th career touchdown return (punt, kickoff and interception) for Chicago (4-3), which fell for the third time in its last four games.
Helu rushed for a tying 14-yard touchdown 1:16 into the second quarter and Orakpo’s interception return for a TD gave Washington its first lead 17 seconds later. Hester’s 81-yard punt return TD evened it again, but Griffin capped an 11-play drive by finding Reed for a 3-yard score with 27 seconds left to send the Redskins into the half up 24-17.
Chicago managed a total of 46 yards in the first half but topped that on Forte’s tying 50-yard touchdown run with 6:34 left in the third before Helu burst through for a 3-yard touchdown and a 31-24 lead on the ensuing drive. The teams traded TDs again in the fourth, with Forte’s 6-yard burst tying it up and Griffin’s 45-yard pass to Aldrick Robinson with 10:55 left giving the Redskins the lead before a 49-yard field goal and McCown’s 7-yard TD pass to Martellus Bennett gave the Bears a 41-38 edge with 3:57 left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cutler was twisted to the ground by Washington NT Chris Baker and stayed down in pain before limping off the field with the medical staff. He is scheduled for an MRI exam on Monday amid reports that the Bears will re-sign QB Jordan Palmer. … Chicago CB Charles Tillman (knee) was questionable but got the start and intercepted Griffin in the first quarter before leaving in the fourth. … Forte is the first Bears player to rush for three TDs in a game since Rashaan Salaam in 1995.