LANDOVER, Md. – Josh Brown raised both hands in victory after his kick on the last play of regulation – until the ball hit the left upright.

In overtime, Nick Novak ran toward the bench and pumped his right fist after his kick was on the way, but his celebration wasn’t premature. The rookie’s 39-yard field goal 5:31 into overtime gave the Washington Redskins a 20-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

The Redskins are 3-0 for the first time since 1991, the season they won their last Super Bowl. Mark Brunell hit unlikely targets Robert Royal and Mike Sellers for touchdowns, and Washington survived Seattle’s late rally – including the kick that came inches from winning it.

The Seahawks (2-2) tied the game on Darrell Jackson’s 6-yard catch with 1:23 remaining. They got the ball back on Kelly Herndon’s interception on a pass deflected off the outstretched fingertips of Clinton Portis, the only turnover of the game. Three plays later, Brown hit the upright from 47 yards.

The Redskins won the toss at the start of overtime and drove 55 yards. Santana Moss, who caught the two touchdown passes in the fourth-quarter comeback victory over Dallas two weeks ago, snagged a 30-yard reception that put Washington into position for Novak, who had never attempted a field goal in the NFL until Sunday. The Redskins converted three third-and-long situations in their winning drive, including an 18-yard scramble by Brunell on third-and-9.

Novak, playing because of an injury to John Hall, didn’t try a field goal in his first game against Dallas. His first NFL attempt Sunday was blocked. He also made a 40-yarder late in the third quarter to give the Redskins a 17-10 lead. He actually had to kick the winner twice because the Redskins were called for delay of game on the first try.

Brunell completed 20 of 36 passes for 226 yards. Moss caught six passes for 87 yards, and Portis ran 25 times for 90 yards.

Hasselbeck was 26-for-38 for 242 yards for the Seahawks. Bobby Engram caught nine passes for 106 yards, and Shaun Alexander, throttled for most of the game, came alive late to run for 98 yards on 20 carries, including a 3-yard touchdown run that cut the Redskins’ lead to 14-10 in the third quarter.

Trailing 17-10, the Seahawks started a drive at their 9 with 7:42 remaining. They converted a fourth-and-1 at their 35 when Hasselbeck scrambled 10 yards for the first down. Hasselbeck later scrambled 6 yards to the 6, then hit Jackson for the touchdown to tie the game.

The Redskins had drives of 15, 12 and 16 plays in the first half. They scored only seven points, but the 21:57-to-8:03 domination in time of possession wore down the Seahawks’ defense and kept Alexander and the rest of the Seattle offense watching from the sideline.

Leading 7-3 at halftime, the Redskins opened the second half with a 62-yard drive, aided by a 29-yard pass interference penalty on Michael Boulware that was heavily disputed by the Seahawks. Brunell hit Sellers for a 4-yard touchdown on the next play, giving the former CFL player his first NFL touchdown since 2001.

AP-ES-10-02-05 1635EDT


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