This is the backstory to one of the great moments of Week 7, the Washington Redskins' thrill-a-minute victory over the Chicago Bears. The Redskins' comeback, as well as the Buffalo Bills' late-game rally over the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets' overtime win over the New England Patriots, are nominees for the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the week. Cast your vote for the GMC Never Say Never Moments of Week 6.
An 86-point outburst wasn't what was expected when the Washington Redskins hosted the Chicago Bears for a Week 7 tilt, but that's why they play the game, any given Sunday and all that jazz. The clash turned into a weird and wild affair, featuring eight lead changes, five ties and the second-most points scored in a game this season (topped only by the dramatic Denver Broncos-Dallas Cowboys showdown that ended with a 51-48 tally). The Redskins-Bears back-and-forth thriller was decided in the final minute, when Roy Helu scored his third touchdown of the game in a 45-41 thriller.
Here are the key moments before the moment:
Redskins fall behind early
The play: With the score tied at 3-3, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was intercepted by Charles Tillman, who returns the turnover to the Redskins' 10-yard line.
The aftermath: Two plays later, Bears running back Matt Forte scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to put the Bears up 10-3. It was the first of a career-high three touchdown runs for Forte, who became the first Bears running back with three rushing touchdowns in a game since Rashaan Salaam pulled it off during the 1995 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cutler pick sixed by Orakpo
The play:Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo intercepts Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and returns it 29 yards for a touchdown.
The aftermath: The play gave the Redskins a 17-10 lead. After missing all but two games during the 2012 season due to a pectoral injury, Orakpo is working his way back to form, adding the aforementioned pick six to the three sacks he has registered this season. It was the first touchdown of Orakpo's five-year NFL career.
Cutler hurt
The play: Cutler is sacked by Redskins defensive end Chris Baker.
The aftermath: The Bears' once-promising season hangs on the health of their quarterback. Cutler hurt his groin on the play and is expected to miss a significant amount of time with the injury. Bears fans will be quick to recall the 2011 season when the team opened 7-3, but a Cutler injury resulted in an 8-8 finish.
Hester provides hope
The play:Bears return specialist Devin Hester fields Sav Rocca's punt and goes 81 yards for a game-tying touchdown.
The aftermath: It was the 19th return touchdown of Hester's career, tying Deion Sanders' NFL record. He also padded his NFL record for most punt-return touchdowns (13, ahead of Eric Metcalf's 10). It was the third consecutive week that the Redskins allowed a special teams touchdown, becoming the first team to do so since the 2002 Arizona Cardinals.
RGIII goes deep
The play:RGIII hits receiver Aldrick Robinson for a 45-yard touchdown play that gives the Redskins a 38-34 lead.
The aftermath: Things got a bit crazy -- and by "crazy" we mean "awesome" if you're into high-scoring/exciting NFL games. A total of 45 points were scored in the second half, with 31 of those points coming in the final period. The RGIII-to-Robinson strike was the third of seven consecutive possessions that resulted in scores. The seventh, of course, was ...
The moment
The play: Helu scores from three yards out with 45 seconds remaining for the decisive score in the Redskins' win.
The aftermath: After tight end Martellus Bennett gave the Bears a 41-38 lead with a 7-yard touchdown catch, the Redskins got the ball back with 80 yards to navigate in a little under four minutes. Milking the clock was essential on the drive, given the back-and-forth scorefest this game had evolved into. RGIII and the Redskins convert on three third-down situations on the game-winning march. Griffin finished the game with 298 yards passing and two touchdowns, plus a season-high 84 yards rushing on 11 carries to help overcome a psychological hurdle following offseason knee surgery.
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
