Redskins Win - In Playoffs

Joe Gibbs and the Washington Redskins are back in the playoffs. Clintin Portis ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Redskins to a hard-fought 31-20 victory over the woeful Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Washington (10-6) clinched the NFL's final playoff spot and its first postseason berth since 1999 with its fifth straight win. The victory also eliminated Dallas from contention. The Redskins play Tampa Bay (11-5) in an NFC wild-card game next Saturday in their first playoff game since losing 14-13 to the Buccaneers in a second-round matchup six years ago. They also lost to Tampa Bay 36-35 in week 10 on a controversial 2-point conversion by Tampa Bay late in the forth quarter.

Philadelphia quarterback Mike McMahon threw a 33-yard TD pass to Reggie Brown to give the Eagles a 10-7 lead in the first quarter. The two hooked up on an 8-yard scoring pass to make it 17-7 in the second quarter and Philadelphia still led 17-10 at halftime. But McMahon made a crucial mistake in the fourth quarter with the Eagles leading 20-17. His poorly thrown pass was tipped and intercepted by linebacker Lemar Marshall, putting the ball at the Eagles 22. On the next play, Portis eluded a tackle in the backfield, completely spun around, cut to the left and sprinted down the sideline into the end zone to give the Redskins a 24-20 lead.

The Eagles drove to the Redskins 38 on the ensuing drive, but McMahon fumbled and Joe Salave fell on it. Sean Taylor sealed the victory by returning a fumble 39 yards for a score after Phillip Daniels knocked the ball away from the Eagles's quarterback Ty Detmer.

It has taken just two seasons for Gibbs to get the Redskins back to the winning ways they enjoyed when he was the coach in the 1980s and early 1990s. Gibbs led the Redskins to three Super Bowl titles during his first stint in Washington from 1981-92. His first season back after a 12-year retirement was a flop, with the Redskins going 6-10 last year. However, Gibbs made the necessary adjustments to turn it around.

Portis broke Stephen Davis' franchise rushing record of 1,432 yards set in 2001, and Redskin receiver Santana Moss topped Bobby Mitchell's 42-year-old receiving mark of 1,436 yards.