Late confusion on down and distance Ira Kaufman, The Tampa Tribune, published 13 December 2010 Fans at FedEx Field and TV viewers might have experienced some confusing moments Sunday during Washington's final drive. On first down from the Tampa Bay 12, Donovan McNabb's pass to Anthony Armstrong appeared to come up short of a first down, but officials ruled a 10-yard completion. While the Bucs sideline was aware of Washington's first down, spectators and viewers had reason to believe the Redskins faced a second-and-short situation. And after an errant pass and a 4-yard loss by RB Ryan Torain, McNabb's incompletion appeared to seal a Tampa Bay victory. "The first pass that was made, the initial ruling was first down and the auxiliary box on the other side did not turn over,'' referee Pete Morelli said. "It was showing second down. The primary box on the head linesman side, which is the main down box, had first down. So we corrected the 2 because it hung up there for a while and we corrected it to 1.'' On fourth down, McNabb found Santana Moss for a 6-yard touchdown before the Redskins mishandled a potential game-tying extra point. "We knew we had gotten the first down with Armstrong,'' McNabb said. "They made plays and we knew we had another down.'' Stepping up Despite Tampa Bay's dramatic win, CB E.J. Biggers was a bit subdued in the locker room. "I left some plays out there on the field,'' said Biggers, who started for the injured Aqib Talib across from Ronde Barber. I was excited to get the start, but I dropped an interception and I slipped a couple of times out there.'' Biggers, who has played primarily at the nickel this year, finished with seven tackles and seldom appeared out of position. "We got the victory, and that's what counts,'' Biggers said. "I've got to say that 8-5 feels very good.'' Gracious hosts The Redskins are finding new ways to lose during a stretch that has seen Washington drop five of its past six to fall to 5-8. Graham Gano missed field goal attempts of 34 and 24 yards, CB DeAngelo Hall and ILB London Fletcher dropped interceptions, and holder Hunter Smith couldn't handle a slightly high snap on the extra-point attempt after Washington had pulled within 17-16 with nine seconds remaining. "What happened tonight is my fault,'' Smith said. "I have to catch the ball and put it down. It doesn't matter if the snap is high, it doesn't matter if it's low. I've caught a lot of snaps in the rain and I dropped this one and we lost the game.'' The Redskins also were penalized for a costly delay of game from the Bucs' 2-yard line late in the opening half, settling for a 25-yard field goal by Gano that almost sailed wide. "I thought we played our hearts out,'' Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said. "I thought we fought and we made mistakes. You can't make the mistakes we made and win a tight football game.'' Keeping it close The Bucs improved to 5-0 in games decided by three points or less, especially impressive considering Tampa Bay is the league's youngest club. "All of our young guys have to grow up right away,'' said WR Mike Williams, one of five Tampa Bay rookies who started on offense Sunday. "This is not a rebuilding year for this football team … we're going for the playoffs.'' For TE John Gilmore, Tampa Bay's poise under pressure is a reflection on Raheem Morris. "We've bought into what our head coach tells us — don't blink,'' Gilmore said. "We're using everyone on our roster and they're all contributing. Look at our offensive line. I think (rookie LG) Ted Larsen has the second-longest streak of starts up front. I love to put the film on every Monday morning and see what those guys are doing.'' Extra points By improving to 5-2 on the road, the Bucs are assured of their first winning road slate since capturing the NFC South in 2005. They can tie the franchise road mark of 6-2 set by the 2002 championship club if the Bucs win at New Orleans on Jan. 2. RG Derek Hardman made his first NFL start, becoming the 40th Bucs player to open a game this season. Shanahan can't believe LT Donald Penn wasn't penalized for grabbing LB Brian Orakpo on Josh Freeman's game-winning TD pass to Kellen Winslow. "He (Orakpo) wasn't held — he was mugged,'' Shanahan said. Tampa Bay boasts an 85-49 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter. The Bucs have limited four of their past five opponents to 17 points or less. With his three field goals Sunday, Connor Barth has converted 17 of 21 kicks this season. Freeman has been intercepted only three times in his past nine games.