The Redskins then drove to the Houston 34 - the same yard line as the Texans - and Shanahan opted to try the field goal. Graham Gano made the first attempt, but it didn't count because Kubiak called timeout just before the snap. Gano's second try was wide right, putting the ball back in Schaub's hands for the winning drive.

The Redskins had a chance to take a 30-20 lead with 6:36 to play in regulation, but Bernard Pollard blocked Gano's 29-yard field-goal attempt, keeping the Texans within one score. Houston then tied the game with an 81-yard drive that started with 3:16 remaining. Schaub converted a third-and-10 with a 29-yard pass to Johnson, who had returned to the game after hurting his right ankle in the third quarter.

That was Johnson's 600th career reception, and No. 601 was a gem. On a fourth-and-10 desperation throw by Schaub, Johnson outjumped safety Reed Doughty in the end zone to snag a 34-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at 27 with 2:03 to play.

McNabb and Schaub put on an offensive show in the first half - combining to go 27 for 34 for 404 yards - but the yards didn't always translate into maximum points. The Redskins' two promising drives stalled quickly, ending in field goals instead of touchdowns, and the Texans drove inside the Washington 25 before a sack led to a 47-yard field goal attempt missed wide right by Rackers.

Schaub's 5-yard pass to Jacoby Jones gave the Texans a 7-6 lead on the first play of the second quarter, but McNabb then cranked it up. He hit 38-year-old Joey Galloway deep over the middle for 62 yards on the first play of the next drive, moving the ball to the Houston 11. Clinton Portis had his first 1-yard touchdown run four plays later to give the Redskins the lead.