In a game filled with big plays from San Francisco's offense, defense and special teams, perhaps none was bigger than the Tim McDonald's interception return for a 73-yard touchdown.
McDonald was one of four 49ers with plays of 50 yards or more - three for scores - in a 37-22 win Sunday over the Washington Redskins.Dexter Carter returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown and Steve Young hit Brent Jones for a 69-yard score. Jerry Rice scored on a 28-yard reverse and also had a 55-yard catch that set up a short touchdown run by Young.
"I felt that the reason we were able to win the ballgame was the key big plays," 49ers coach George Seifert said. "There were a couple of big pass plays ... a return and an interception. That allowed us to be in the position that we were."
The 49ers (7-2) left Washington (2-8) winless in six games at RFK Stadium, their worst start at home since 1961 when it also began 0-6.
The Redskins had a chance to stay in the game, but San Francisco had a thief who stole Washington's last hope.
On the Redskins' first real drive of the day, trailing 17-3, quarterback Gus Frerotte reacted to a blitz on third-and-6 at the San Francisco 22 by trying to dump the ball off to running back Ricky Ervins in the flat.
But McDonald was watching and waiting, aware that his team needed to stunt the momentum Washington was building.
McDonald tipped the ball, reaching up to his left, then pulled it in and sprinted, untouched, 73 yards to the end zone for a 24-3 lead.
"You just don't see the robber in that situation, and Tim McDonald made a great play," Frerotte said. "He's just roaming around, not covering anyone."
McDonald said the play kept the momentum on San Francisco's side.
"We knew they were just a touchdown away from being back in the game, so we knew we needed to make a play on offense or defense," he said.
"That really made a big difference," Young said. "They're driving, trying to make it 17-10, make it a ballgame, and Tim McDonald makes a big play."
Young showed what the NFL's top-rated passer can do against the league's 26th-rated defense, picking apart the Redskins' secondary early in the game. He was so effective early he took the fourth quarter off, and finished the day 15-of-25 for 291 yards and one touchdown.
Rice was just one of several offensive weapons the 49ers unleashed. He caught three passes for 90 yards. Ricky Watters caught six passes for 66 yards and Jones had the 69-yarder.
Vikings 21, Saints 20
In the huddle, there was just one voice, Warren Moon's, and 10 players who had no doubt he would save them again. And he did.
Moon led Minnesota on an 84-yard drive in the final 2:44 on Sunday, covering the final 11 yards on a pass to Qadry Ismail with five seconds remaining as the Vikings beat New Orleans 21-20 in Minnesota.
"When you know you need it, Warren will come in and say, `This is what we've got to do, everybody listen,"' receiver Jake Reed said. "And everbody listens."
The Vikings (7-2) needed Moon's leadership in the waning moments for the second game in a row at the Metrodome after the Saints (3-6) took a 20-14 lead on two field goals by Morten Andersen late in the fourth quarter.
Just like he did against Green Bay on Oct. 20, Moon drove Minnesota to the points it needed when it needed them most. Against the Packers, it was Fuad Reveiz's tying field goal with 17 seconds left, and the winning kick on the first possession of overtime.
Bears 20, Buccaneers 6
Dave Wannstedt didn't say it, but Steve Walsh's play did.
It's a safe bet that the sixth-year pro will be at quarterback for Chicago next week after improving to 4-0 as a starter with Sunday's 20-6 victory over Tampa Bay at Tampa Bay.
Walsh threw for two touchdowns and 205 yards, while rookie Raymont Harris paced a rushing attack that produced a season-high 178 yards and kept the Buccaneers (2-7) off balance all afternoon.
The victory stopped a two-game losing streak for Chicago (5-4), which had its second-best offensive day of the season (383 yards). The Bears defense, last in the NFL against the run, held the Bucs to 38 yards on the ground.
Walsh, starting for the first time with a healthy Erik Kramer on the sideline, completed 19 of 32 passes and was intercepted once. Harris gained 79 yards on 19 carries.
Rookie Trent Dilfer made his second pro start for Tampa Bay, but had less success against the Bears than Craig Erickson in September when Chicago held the Bucs to three field goals on opening day.
The Bears sacked the first-round pick twice and forced him to hurry several throws during a 13-of-25 performance. Dilfer finished with 159 yards passing and scrambled for 15 yards to set up one of Tampa Bay's two field goals.
Packers 38, Lions 30
At Milwaukee, the Green Bay Packers' top-rated defense stuffed Barry Sanders and knocked out Scott Mitchell. That almost wasn't enough against the Detroit Lions.
The Packers, behind Brett Favre's three second-quarter touchdown passes, built a 24-point lead entering the fourth quarter Sunday, yet won only 38-30 when Dave Krieg's fourth-down pass was broken up in the end zone with 42 seconds left.
Krieg, taking over after Mitchell broke a bone in his right hand in the second quarter, led the Lions on late touchdown drives of 72 and 58 yards, both of them capped by two-point conversions.
Falcons 10, Chargers 9
At Atlanta, not even Natrone Means' fifth straight 100-yard game was enough to save the San Diego Chargers.
"You have to score in this league to win," Means said Sunday after the Chargers failed to score a touchdown for the second time in three weeks, settling for three John Carney field goals in a 10-9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Chargers (7-2), with Gale Gilbert starting for the injured Stan Humphries, thought they had a touchdown in the third quarter with the score 7-3, but Gilbert's short completion into the end zone was nullified by an offensive interference penalty on Duane Young.
Three weeks ago, San Diego dropped a 20-15 decision to Denver with Carney accounting for all the Chargers' points.
On Sunday, Carney extended his field goal streak to 21, but missed a 47-yarder that sailed wide right with 8:01 left in the game. The Falcons (5-4), now 6-0 in games after the bye week, then held off the Chargers.
Eagles 17, Cardinals 7
Randall Cunningham was embarrassed after Buddy Ryan lifted him from a playoff game five years ago in Philadelphia.
On Sunday, it was payback time for Cunningham, who threw two touchdowns to Fred Barnett in the third quarter as the Philadelphia Eagles beat Ryan's Arizona Cardinals 17-7 in Philadelphia.
The Eagles' defense produced two turnovers and five sacks to spoil Ryan's return to Philadelphia, where he was fired after lifting Cunningham for a series in the Eagles' 20-6 loss to the Washington Redskins on Jan. 5, 1991.
Ryan was greeted by a cascade of boos as he came onto the field before the game. There were several signs and banners hung inside the stadium, some razzing him and others praising the former coach.
Dolphins 22, Colts 21
At Miami, Marino (30 of 41 for 261 yards) bounced back from a costly fourth-quarter interception to rally Miami. Cornerback Ray Buchanan appeared to sew up a victory for the Colts (4-6) when he intercepted a pass and returned it 28 yards for a TD with 7:32 left.
Marino then hit O.J McDuffie on a 28-yard TD pass with 3:52 left and the Dolphins got the ball right back. Marino completed five passes in a row to the 17 before Stoyanovich kicked the winner.
Miami runnning backs Bernie Parmalee (right knee, shoulder) and fullback Keith Byars (right knee) were both injured. The Colts' Don Majkowski injured his right thumb and was replaced late in the second quarter by Jim Harbaugh.
Steelers 12, Oilers 9, OT
At Houston, Gary Brown's fumble gave Anderson the one extra kick Pittsburgh needed. In a game with no touchdowns, the only turnover set up Anderson's winning field goal.
Anderson also had kicks of 50, 39 and 37 yards. Al Del Greco made kicks of 32 and 49 yards before his 38-yarder with seven seconds left in regulation tied it at 9. The Oilers (1-8) lost their fifth in a row.
The victories left the Dolphins (7-2) atop the AFC East, the Vikings (7-2) in front in the NFC Central and the Steelers at 6-3 in the AFC Central.
Jets 22, Bills 17
At East Rutherford, N.J., with stars going down left and right, the New York Jets went right up the middle to beat the Buffalo Bills.
In a brutal game that saw both quarterbacks get battered and each team lose key players, Boomer Esiason hit Rob Moore with a 4-yard TD pass to lift the Jets past the Bills 22-17 Sunday.
Esiason, who twice had to leave the game with ankle injuries, found Moore in the center of the end zone to give the Jets the lead. Moore sneaked behind Thomas Smith after a fine play-fake by Esiason. It was the 200th TD pass of Esiason's 11-year career.
New York (5-4) played the second half without safety Ronnie Lott (neck), while Buffalo (5-4) was without leading receiver Andre Reed for that span. The Jets used a conservative game plan filled with runs up the middle and short passes to beat the Bills for the second time this season after losing 12 of the previous 14 to Buffalo - including seven straight at Giants Stadium.
Browns 13, Patriots 6
Bill Parcells taught Bill Belichick well. Too well.
Using the same type of ball-control offense and stifling defense that were once the trademarks of Parcells' New York Giants teams, the Cleveland Browns beat the New England Patriots 13-6 Sunday at Cleveland.
Belichick was Parcells' assistant for eight years in New York before becoming head coach of the Browns (7-2) in 1991. Parcells is in his second year coaching New England (3-6), which has lost four straight.
Leroy Hoard ran for 123 yards - the first 100-yard game by a Cleveland rusher in more than a year - and scored the game's only touchdown on a 1-yard pass from Mark Rypien in the fourth quarter.
The Browns withstood two New England threats at the end. Stevon Moore gathered in an onside kick with 2:10 left, and Mike Caldwell intercepted Drew Bledsoe's Hail Mary pass as time expired.
Bengals 20, Seahawks 17
At Seattle, the Cincinnati Bengals won their first game of the season when Doug Pelfrey kicked his sixth field goal, a 26-yarder with 6:46 left in overtime Sunday to beat Seattle 20-17 in the Seahawks' return to the Kingdome.
A 76-yard pass from Jeff Blake to rookie Darnay Scott set up Pelfrey for his winning field goal. Pelfrey set a team record by also making kicks of 36, 44, 36, 47 and 28 yards.
Cincinnati (1-8) didn't win until its 11th game last season. The Bengals also had a safety in handing the Seahawks (3-6) their fifth loss in a row.
A disappointed crowd of 46,630 saw the first NFL game of the season in the Kingdome, which was closed since July 19 after ceiling tiles fell before a baseball game between the Mariners and Baltimore. The Kingdome underwent $32.5 million in roof and ceiling repairs, a job that may run $9 million over the budget.
Rams 27, Broncos 21
At Anaheim, Calif., Chris Chandler threw two touchdown passes that helped stake Los Angeles to a 21-point lead, then the Rams held off another fourth-quarter comeback by John Elway to down the Denver Broncos 27-21 Sunday.
Elway threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final period, and got a final chance when the Broncos took over at the Los Angeles 48 with 2:28 left.