Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Minnesota 33, Washington 26
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 24, 2011
Where: FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
Temperature: 45°
Head Official: Tony Corrente
Attendance: 68370
Joe Webb threw two touchdowns and ran for another in relief of injured rookie Christian Ponder and the visiting Minnesota Vikings ended a six-game losing streak with a 33-26 victory over the Washington Redskins on Saturday.

The second-year pro bailed out the Vikings by leading Minnesota to scores on three straight possessions after replacing Ponder, who left with a concussion. Ponder exited the contest one play after star running back Adrian Peterson was knocked out with a left knee injury.

Webb’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Percy Harvin gave the Vikings the lead with 10:06 remaining in the fourth quarter. Mistral Raymond’s interception set up Ryan Longwell’s 23-yard field goal that gave Minnesota a 10-point cushion with just over four minutes left.

The Vikings (3-12) need to win next week to avoid matching the worst season in the franchise’s 51-year history.

It won’t be easy without Peterson, who needed help getting off the field after being taken down awkwardly on the first play of the second half. It was his second game back from a high ankle sprain that sidelined him three weeks.

Ponder, meanwhile, left after being bent backwards on a sack on the next play.

Rex Grossman threw two touchdowns for the Redskins (5-10), who have lost six straight at home and nine of their last 11 overall.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Minnesota   Washington
Toby Gerhart Player Evan Royster
11 Attempts 19
109 Yards 132
9.9 Avg Yards 7.0
0 Touchdowns 0
67 Long 28
Receiving
Minnesota   Washington
Percy Harvin Player Jabar Gaffney
5 Receptions 6
65 Yards 77
13.0 Avg Yards 12.8
1 Touchdowns 1
36 Long 29
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Minnesota 389 241 148 4 2 1 3.0 1
Washington 397 141 256 2 4 0 2.0 2
Upcoming Games
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Redskins have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Vikings have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.