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Disappointment, confusion and anger were among the emotions expressed after the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals traveled across an ocean and showed Londoners firsthand that American football can have anti-climactic draws too. Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins missed a 34-yard field-goal attempt late in overtime and the Redskins and Bengals settled for a 27-27 tie on Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London.
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"I don't know how to react. I didn't think it was possible to tie. I know there was a tie last week in Arizona, but I was like, 'how the heck did they tie?' Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. "Now we know."
A game which evolved into a second-half shootout ended with a scoreless overtime.
The Redskins drove from their 22-yard line to the Cincinnati 16 and Gruden called for Hopkins on third down with 2:13 remaining in overtime. He appeared to win it, but Bengals coach Marvin Lewis had called timeout before the snap. On his second attempt, Hopkins was wide left.
"I think there just wasn't quite the rhythm that I normally see with the snap, the hold and the kick. And he missed it," said Gruden, who was facing the Bengals for the first time since leaving the team following the 2013 campaign to join the Redskins.
"Hops had a great year, he's going to have a great year for us. I thought it was the right play. I tried to let as much time go down. I didn't want them to get the ball back and score on us, but unfortunately we missed it."
The Bengals (3-4-1) then drove to near midfield, but on third-and-1 from their 46, Will Compton forced an Andy Dalton fumble. Washington couldn't get within field-goal range and Kirk Cousins' Hail Mary attempt fell far short.
Washington (4-3-1) tied it at 27-27 on Hopkins' 40-yard field goal with 1:08 left in regulation.
Cousins threw for a career-high 458 yards on 38-of-56 passing, with two touchdowns and one pick.
Jamison Crowder had nine catches for 109 yards a touchdown. Jordan Reed, returning after missing two games with a concussion, had nine receptions for 99 yards and a score.
The Redskins were penalized 15 times for 106 yards. Five were called on cornerback Josh Norman, four for illegal use of hands, and three were accepted by Cincinnati.
"Who is official 88?" Norman said, referencing official Brad Freeman's number. "He sucked. Just to be honest with you. I'm to going to be straightforward. He was terrible and I feel he like should be reprimanded. I feel like some of the plays that was going on out there, it was terrible."
Dalton wasn't particularly sharp, completing 27 of 42 passes for 284 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Bengals rushed for 152 yards.
"Obviously not winning the football game is a disappointment," Lewis said. "We had opportunities on both sides of the football to win the football game. For the time, energy and everything invested in it, that's what you want to get."
After catching one pass in the first half, Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green finished with nine receptions for 121 yards. Bengals Pro Bowl tight end Tyler Eifert, who made his season debut last week, caught nine passes for 102 yards.
The Bengals led 20-17 early in the fourth quarter and were at the Redskins' 20 when Dalton was bumped while attempting to throw and his errant pass was picked off by Compton at the 17. It was Dalton's first interception since Week 3.
"Feels more like a loss than anything," Dalton said after the game.
Cousins completed all four of his passes on the ensuing drive and Crowder's 33-yard catch-and-run, his fourth touchdown of the season, gave the Redskins a 24-20 lead with 9:30 left in regulation.
Dalton found Green, covered by Norman, for a 40-yard completion that set up Jeremy Hill's 1-yard touchdown, which put the Bengals ahead 27-24 with 6:54 left in the fourth quarter.
The Bengals went 75 yards after the second-half kickoff. Dalton found Eifert over the middle for a 15-yard touchdown, but Mike Nugent missed the extra point attempt and the Bengals led 13-10.
After a Washington punt, Dalton went back to work with Eifert and Green. Each caught two passes in a 64-yard drive that ended when Dalton scored on a 1-yard bootleg. Nugent's kick made it 20-10 with 5:15 left in the third quarter.
Washington responded with its longest drive of the season, going 91 yards in five plays to pull within 20-17. On the second play, Cousins hit DeSean Jackson down the right sideline for 38 yards to cross midfield. Jackson left the game after appearing to be hit helmet to helmet on the play by George Iloka and was evaluated for a concussion.
Three plays later, Cousins found Reed along the sideline. The Redskins tight end cut back toward the middle and dived in to the end zone to complete the 23-yard scoring play.
Washington outgained Cincinnati 226 yards to 82 in the first half but led only 10-7 after scoring one touchdown in three trips inside the red zone.
The Redskins took the opening kickoff and went 80 yards in 15 plays for a touchdown. Reed caught three passes for 31 yards and Robert Kelley, starting in place of injured Matt Jones, bulled his way in from 4 yards for his first NFL rushing touchdown. Kelley finished with 87 yards on 21 carries.
Alex Erickson took the ensuing kick one yard deep in the end zone and returned it 65 yards to the Washington 36. Seven plays later, Giovani Bernard ran it in from the 8.
Washington drove inside the Cincinnati 10 midway through the second quarter but settled for a 20-yard Hopkins field goal.
NOTES: It was the first NFL overtime game in London. ... Redskins S Duke Ihenacho left the game with a concussion in overtime. ... T Trent Williams (knee) and CB Josh Norman (concussion), both of whom were questionable, started for Washington. ... Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah was a healthy scratch. ... The Bengals' defense has allowed touchdowns on its opponents' first drives in four of eight games. ... Alex Erickson's 65-yard kickoff return was the longest in the 17 NFL games played in London. ... Redskins QB Kirk Cousins (458 yards) notched his 16th career 300-yard passing game, tying Sonny Jurgensen for the most in team history. ... Washington (546 yards of total offense) tied a team record with its third straight 400-yard game.
