Redskins quarter-by-quarter

FIRST QUARTER

What happened: Sparked by Michael Turner’s 33-yard run and two offside penalties against Albert Haynesworth — the second on fourth-and-1 — the Falcons drove 74 yards in 10 plays on the opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. The Redskins answered by going three-and-out with Jason Campbell sacked on third-and-long. On the Falcons’ next drive, Matt Ryan threw into triple-coverage and Rocky McIntosh intercepted it. Clinton Portis was shaken up and left the game. Then Campbell’s pass went off Fred Davis’ hands and was intercepted by Tye Hill, who returned it 62 yards for a touchdown.

Analysis: Coming off a bye week, the Redskins continued to be plagued by mistakes. The Falcons even succeeded at drawing Haynesworth offside on fourth-and-short, and then Reed Doughty was whistled for the same penalty on fourth-and-4. Davis, starting for the injured Chris Cooley, should have caught the pass that Hill intercepted. The Falcons chewed up the Redskins’ defense on their first drive, and Washington’s offensive line opened up no holes for the running game and afforded Campbell minimal protection.

BY THE NUMBERS

4 Penalties committed by the Redskins in the quarter, including two on fourth down that kept Atlanta drives alive.

SECOND QUARTER

What happened: Another Campbell sack ended the Redskins’ first drive of the second quarter. After Washington held, Campbell hooked up with fullback Mike Sellers on a 47-yard pass play. After a pair of sacks, the Redskins settled for Shaun Suisham’s 48-yard field goal. Atlanta then moved 61 yards in five plays, scoring on Turner’s 30-yard run to take a 21-3 lead. Campbell was sacked for a fifth time and left the game with a chest contusion; he was relieved by Todd Collins, who threw one pass for a 4-yard loss. Atlanta’s final drive before halftime was marked by flags on LaRon Landry (late hit) and Haynesworth (personal foul) during a sideline fracas in which DeAngelo Hall also was an antagonist. Jason Elam kicked a 33-yard field goal as the half ended.

Analysis: The quarter served as a microcosm of everything that has gone wrong for the Redskins this season. Campbell was constantly hounded and finally had to leave the game as the offense generated little other than the long pass to Sellers, the defense gave up yet another big play and there were dumb penalties. Overall, the Redskins looked like a confused and undisciplined team.

BY THE NUMBERS

3 Personal fouls called against the Redskins on the Falcons’ third drive of the quarter.

THIRD QUARTER

What happened: With Portis on the bench with a concussion, the Redskins took the second half kickoff and drove 80 yards in 13 plays, a drive that took 7:50 and ended with Ladell Betts’ 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal. Campbell was 4-for-5 for 49 yards and also had a 19-yard scramble. Trailing 24-10, the Redskins stopped the Falcons in three plays, got the ball back on their 19 and picked up where they left off with another crisply executed drive that reached the Atlanta 19 as the quarter ended.

Analysis: The Redskins were not a just a different team compared with the first half; they were a different team compared with the entire rest of the season. Campbell, given better protection, dissected the Falcons with short passes that turned into healthy gains, and Betts and Rock Cartwright, filling in for Portis, gained significant yardage.

BY THE NUMBERS

11 Yards for Marko Mitchell on his first career reception.

FOURTH QUARTER

What happened: On second-and-goal from the Atlanta 3, backup tight end Todd Yoder made a circus catch in the back of the end zone, keeping both feet inbounds for his first catch of the year. With the deficit cut to 24-17, the Redskins had all the momentum. Or so it seemed. After two plays got Atlanta a first down on its 42, Turner ripped off a 58-yard touchdown run to make it 31-17. Campbell then was dragged down from behind and limped off the field. Collins returned and the Redskins again moved downfield, but on fourth-and-1 on the Atlanta 38, a pass to Sellers lost 2 yards. Campbell came back in for the next drive, but the offense managed only one first down.

Analysis: For all the problems with their offense, it was the defense that let down the Redskins after they got back into the game with 14 unanswered points. Turner, a tough runner, got a lot of help from missed tackles by Landry and Hall on his touchdown run. But the second-half play of Campbell, who came back in, was encouraging, and the Redskins got better production from the running back position with Betts instead of Portis.

BY THE NUMBERS

2 Failed fourth-down-conversion attempts by the Redskins.