The rebuilding Redskins reunited with an old friend, former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Mark Rypien, now playing in relief of the Rams’ concussed starting QB for a St. Louis team with fading playoff hopes. Heath Shuler’s tenuous grasp on the Redskins starting QB job slipped away in this one, with RetroSkins favorite Gus Frerotte stepping in for the second half following a hand injury that would sideline Shuler for the rest of the season, and effectively end his disaapointing time with the Redskins. Rumor has it, Shuler didn’t have the smarts to master a pro-football playbook - so, naturally, he went on to become a member of Congress (true story!)
The Redskins overcame early fumble-fingered jitters in this one, rebounding from a 10-0 first quarter deficit with 28 straight points. After Ryp rallied the home team to close the score from 28-10 to 28-23, the ‘Skins defense forced a key fourth quarter fumble off a suddenly very unpopular Rams receiver and returned it for the easiest touchdown ever to silence the crowd and kill the Rams’ playoff hopes.
This was Washington’s first visit to St. Louis since the departure of the Cardinals for Phoenix in 1988. The Redskins went 5-3 against the Rams in their oft-renamed dismally domed stadium before their retreat back to LA in 2016. The perennially patient Kevin Harlan along with loveably excitable Jerry Glanville on the call from St. Louie.
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