Darrel Young ran for three touchdowns, including one with 8:59 remaining in overtime, as Washington Redskins defeated the San Diego Chargers 30-24 on Sunday at FedEx Field.
Young, the fullback, ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns in the second half for the Redskins (3-5), who will take a bit of momentum into their Thursdaynight road game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Wide receiver Pierre Garçon had a career-high 172 receiving yards, while running back Alfred Morris ran 25 times for a season-high 121 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Robert Griffin III completed 23 of 32 passes for 291 yards with an interception.
The Chargers (4-4) trailed by 10 points with just over seven minutes to play, but scored on each of their next two possessions to tie the score with three seconds left on a 19-yard field goal by Nick Novak.
They appeared poised to score on their final drive, taking the ball 91 yards and facing first-and-goal from the Redskins’ 1-yard line. Running back Danny Woodhead was stopped on a run on first down, Rivers threw an incompletion to tight end Antonio Gates on a fade route on second down and then couldn’t connect with receiver Keenan Allen on third down, leading to a 19-yard tying field goal by Nick Novak with three seconds remaining.
The Redskins took the 24-14 lead with 7:06 remaining on a 47-yard field goal by Kai Forbath, who had attempts of 25 and 59 yards blocked in the first half. The Chargers answered with a 16-yard touchdown catch by Allen, and the Redskins’ ensuing drive sputtered, giving San Diego the chance to win the game.
Young, a fullback who had just one rushing touchdown in more than three seasons, took the ball into the end zone on a pair of identical plays in the third and fourth quarter. The first touchdown tied the score at 14 with 9:46 remaining in the third quarter, while the second touchdown, 40 seconds into the fourth quarter, gave the Redskins their first lead of the game.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed 29 of 46 passes for 341 yards for the Chargers, who led 14-7 at halftime. Defensive tackle Sean Lissemore intercepted a pass by Griffin in the end zone with 11:35 remaining in the second quarter, and Morris ran five yards for a touchdown with 5:25 left before halftime, Rivers found wide receiver Eddie Royal on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 42 seconds remaining in the quarter to reclaim the lead.
The Redskins held the Chargers to just 67 rushing yards.
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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