Well, so much for inspiration. The Washington Redskins pulled out all the stops to honor their teammate Sean Taylor yesterday. There were special patches, a moment of silence — the defense even took the field in a “missing man” formation (which history will remember as a 22-yard gain for the Bills). The inflamed passions failed to translate into quality gameplay, and Washington found themselves coming undone for many of the same reasons they’ve done so over the course of a disappointing season. Oh, and then, Washington somehow managed to find a way to lose that was more humiliating and inane than one could have possibly imagined.

With seven seconds to play in the game, Buffalo’s Rian Lindell took the field to take a game-winning 51-yard field goal try. Which, he made. But the play didn’t count because Joe Gibbs called one of those last-second timeouts that seem to be the obsession of head coaches this season (and which are, ENTIRELY, bush league – the league needs to put an end to this practice with all deliberate haste). Lindell looked money from 51 on his first attempt, but, heck — a sliver of slim hope remained that he’d miss his second attempt.

But that’s when Gibbs inexplicably called a second consecutive timeout, which is “illegal” where league rules are concerned, and which drew an immediate fifteen-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. And if Lindell was good from 51, he was golden from 36. Game over, cue the stunned silence.