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Six unsung plays from Washington Redskins history

By Jonathan Eig

LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 20: Quarterback Robert Griffin III #10 of the Washington Redskins looks to make a pass during a preseason game against the Detroit Lions at FedEx Field on August 20, 2015 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 20: Quarterback Robert Griffin III #10 of the Washington Redskins looks to make a pass during a preseason game against the Detroit Lions at FedEx Field on August 20, 2015 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 22: A Washington Redskins helmet is seen on the field before the game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants at FedExField on December 22, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 22: A Washington Redskins helmet is seen on the field before the game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants at FedExField on December 22, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

CHARLEY MALONE, 12-6-40

If you are old enough to remember this game, turn away now. This is not something you want to relive. Several weeks earlier, the Redskins had beaten Chicago in a tough 7-3 battle. Now, the Bears were returning to Griffith Stadium for the championship game, and they were… well, motivated.

Redskins owner George Preston Marshall had talked some smack about George Halas’ team after that 7-3 win, and Halas had his troops ready. And you know the saying – “Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes…” Well, that day, the Bears definitely got the Redskins.

They got ’em to the tune of 73-0.

I won’t go over the gory details. I just want to mention this one play. Not because of how it figured into the game, but how it led to one of the greatest post-game interview soundbites of all time. Early on, with the Bears up 7-0, Sammy Baugh drove the Redskins down the field and threw a perfect strike to veteran end Charley Malone. Had he held on, it would have been a touchdown, and most likely a tied ballgame. But Moore dropped it. After a missed field goal, the Bears scored again, and the biggest rout in NFL history was on.

A reporter asked Baugh about the play after the game. He asked if the result might have been different had Moore made the catch.

Baugh answered, “Sure, it would have been 73-6.”

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