No headset? No problem

The play began with a silent headset and ended with a game-winning touchdown strike.

Jason Campbell did not hear the play call. The Washington Redskins trailed by three points with about 4:30 to play, and the second-year quarterback faced a crucial third-and-8 at his own 34-yard line.

Campbell, making only the second start of his NFL career, heard the formation called by the coaches, but then the earpiece in his helmet went dead. He shrugged off the technical glitch and picked a play he thought was appropriate.

“He said, ’I can’t hear, I can’t hear,’ ” center Casey Rabach said. “And he’s like, ’The [heck] with it.’ He just made the call, and it worked.”

Did it ever.

Campbell, operating out of the shotgun, threw a short pass between two defenders over the middle to Chris Cooley. The tight end eluded tacklers and completed a 66-yard touchdown play that gave the Redskins a 17-13 lead over the Carolina Panthers they never surrendered.

Campbell, 24, showed that kind of poised leadership all day. His statistics weren’t gaudy, but he ran the offense efficiently, stayed calm in the pocket and made good decisions.

“That is the kind of thing this young man has in store for this team,” wide receiver Santana Moss said. “Give him a chance. He handled himself well twice, two games in a row. He is young, but now we can already see what our quarterback of the future can do for this team.”

Campbell, a first-round pick out of Auburn last year, completed 11 of 18 passes for 118 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Antwaan Randle El on third-and-goal at the end of the third quarter to give the Redskins a 10-6 lead.

“They did a great job covering the play,” Campbell said. “Randle El didn’t give up and did a great job getting open.”

The performance by Campbell and the Redskins was especially impressive considering it came against a defense that recorded seven sacks last week in a win over the St. Louis Rams. The Panthers managed only one sack yesterday, stymied by a Redskins offensive line that played particularly well. Campbell also was able to sidestep trouble on other occasions.

The game-winning touchdown pass to Cooley came shortly after a mistake by Campbell that appeared like it might cost the Redskins a chance at victory. The Redskins trailed 13-10 with a less little than eight minutes remaining when, on first-and-10 at the Washington 26, Campbell lofted a pass deep to Moss. The ball was underthrown, and cornerback Richard Marshall intercepted at the Carolina 26.

The defense, however, forced the Panthers into a three-and-out, and Campbell got another shot. This time, he delivered.

“The thing he has is great poise and composure,” associate head coach-offense Al Saunders said. “He did a great job coming back from the interception. Things don’t bother him, and that’s something that will carry him a long way. The physical skills are there. One of the major components of a successful quarterback is their emotional makeup. He’s demonstrated he has a high standard of performance and a high standard in not letting one play bother him.”

That clearly was in evidence on the game-deciding play. Players in the huddle could tell something was wrong. Campbell heard the formation of the play called before the radio went dead. He quickly deciphered what he thought the play would be. The result of his good guess was a touchdown and a victory for a team that desperately needed one.

The Redskins likely won’t have the playoffs to look forward to this season, but they at least are learning they have a young quarterback who holds promise for future seasons.

“We had seen him in practice and in preseason and stuff but never in a live situation,” Rabach said. “We knew what his credentials were. He looked amazing on paper. But you never know until you see what he is capable of. Last week he played his butt off. He played good enough for us to win, and look at what he did for us today — that call and Chris’ touchdown, not getting rattled against one heck of a rush team, not getting panicked and making the throws when it counts.”