LANDOVER, Md. — The Washington Redskins did everything except hold a big neon sign to let the world know that a trick play was in the works.

The Denver Broncos still couldn’t stop it. Life was so much easier when they were 6-0.

PITTSBURGH — Maybe it wasn’t a concession speech, even if it sounded like one. The Bengals spent most of the last 20 seasons chasing Pittsburgh, and now it’s the other way around, and the Steelers realize it’s a decidedly uphill climb.

ATLANTA — A melee breaks out along the Falcons sideline, and who’s right in the middle of it?

DeAngelo Hall, of course.

ASHBURN — Having failed to assemble a winning football team, the Washington Redskins now have a split in viewpoint between the front office and the locker room.

While executives accent the positive, many players won’t play along. They know what a 2-5 record means.

LANDOVER, Md. — Over the last decade, the Washington Redskins have employed six head coaches.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had one.

LANDOVER, Md. — In the locker room, the quarterback presented the game ball to the rookie head coach, who was still wet from the celebratory sideline ice bath. The coach then gave the ball to Mr. Irrelevant, a player no longer worthy of his nickname.

The Kansas City Chiefs are winless no more. Neither is coach Todd Haley, who earned victory No. 1 with an assist from the last player taken in this year’s draft. Ryan Succop kicked four field goals in Sunday’s 14-6 win over the Washington Redskins, whose season is tanking toward oblivion because of losses to winless teams.

MINNEAPOLIS — In Favre they trust.

Brett Favre’s 58-yard completion to Sidney Rice setup Ryan Longwell’s fourth field goal, and Baltimore’s Steve Hauschka missed a 44-yard field goal at the final whistle, allowing the Minnesota Vikings to remain undefeated with a 33-31 victory on Sunday.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Aided by a disputed call and Jake Delhomme’s bold third-down run, the Carolina Panthers jump-started a sagging season at the expense of embattled Washington coach Jim Zorn.

The Panthers scored the game’s final 18 points Sunday, with Jonathan Stewart’s 8-yard run with 9:21 left the go-ahead touchdown in a 20-17 win over the Redskins.

LANDOVER, Md. — Within the first two minutes, the Washington Redskins had given up two sacks and lost a fumble.

They had also allowed a quarterback making his first NFL start to throw for a touchdown on his first pass of the game. By halftime, they were down 10 to a winless team, and Jason Campbell had thrown two interceptions.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — It took just one game for Virginia to regain some of the confidence lost during an 0-3 start. Now it’s North Carolina’s turn to figure out what’s gone wrong.

DETROIT — Finally, the Detroit Lions are winners.

With rookie Matthew Stafford leading the way, Detroit ended a 19-game losing streak with a 19-14 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

The Lions (1-2) had not won since Dec. 23, 2007 and their skid matched the second longest in NFL history. They no longer will have to hear about closing in on Tampa Bay’s record 26-game losing streak set during the 1976-77 seasons.

LANDOVER, Md. — After the final whistle, after an afternoon with as many boos as cheers from the home fans, the Washington Redskins retreated to a very quiet locker room. Anyone walking in would think they had lost.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants opened their defense of their NFC East title the same way they started last season, with a win over the Washington Redskins.

Redskins’ $100M man Haynesworth pursues greatness

There he is, the latest craze among backup quarterbacks in D.C. Throw a couple of touchdown passes in a preseason game, and suddenly the fans are in love.

Maybe it’s because the Washington Redskins had nowhere to go but up after the first game. Or maybe it’s because there are intangibles a coach can notice on the sideline that won’t show up in a play-by-play account or on the scoreboard.

The starting quarterback completed one pass. The second- and third-stringers each threw an interception. Only in the preseason can the No. 4 guy get such a great chance to save the day.

Long-standing Washington Nationals “face of the franchise” Ryan Zimmerman was in the home clubhouse before Tuesday’s game, fielding question after question about newly signed No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg.

Brett Favre unretired again and will be wearing purple this time. Chew on that, cheeseheads.

Nats sign No. 1 pick just before midnight deadline.

CHASKA, Minn. — Tiger Woods is one round away from winning another major, with more company than he wanted.

PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick flicked his wrist and fired tight spirals deep downfield.

A remorseful Michael Vick wants a second chance and vowed to crusade for animal rights with the Philadelphia Eagles — and knows he won’t be easily forgiven by fans.

Michael Vick is back in the NFL, landing a job with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison got a game ball for directing a shutout in his debut and the offense amassed 500 yards, all but 101 through the air.

BREAKING NEWS: 8:54 p.m.

 
Michael Vick is back in the NFL, landing a job with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Mike Williams lost more than 100 pounds in less than six months in his bid to return to the NFL. After five days of training camp with the Washington Redskins, it’s apparent he needs to lose something else.

Tiger Woods won the Buick Open for a third time and claimed his 69th PGA Tour victory.

CHICAGO — Mark Buehrle pitched the 18th perfect game in major league history, and Chicago White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise got the assist.

WASHINGTON — Rich Harden allowed three hits over six innings, Derrek Lee homered and the Chicago Cubs beat Washington 6-2 on Thursday night, spoiling the debut of Nationals’ interim manager Jim Riggleman.