Ravens vs. Redskins final score: Washington wins a thriller, 31-28

Without Robert Griffin III and with their playoff hopes dwindling, the Washington Redskins’ 2012 season was in peril. Down, 28-20, to the Baltimore Ravens and with their star quarterback injured on the sidelines, the Redskins had little hope against one of the best teams in the NFL. A loss would have badly damaged their playoff hopes and ended a three-game winning streak.

Instead, backup quarterback Kirk Cousins saved the day. The fourth-round pick threw a game-tying touchdown to Pierre Garcon, then ran in a two-point conversion to force overtime. The Redskins then got the ball second in overtime and won it on a 34-yard field goal by Kai Forbath.

The Redskins moved to 7-6 on the season, and the Ravens fell to 9-4.

Things looked really bad for the Redskins near the end of regulation. Down, 28-20, Griffin took a hit from Haloti Ngata midway through the final drive on a scramble. His leg bent backwards and he had to leave the game momentarily. Here’s the play.

Griffin somehow stayed in the game and led the Redskins into the red zone, but after taking an intentional grounding penalty, he left the game. Somehow, Cousins came in and threw two critical passes, the final of which was an 11-yard touchdown pass to Garcon with 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cousins then rushed up the middle for the game-tying two-point conversation.

The Redskins’ final drive was set up by a 64-yard punt return from Richard Crawford. Crawford, who normally doesn’t return kicks, replaced the inactive Brandon Banks and made the biggest play of the day. He went to the sideline, then cut upfield and got all the way to the Ravens’ 24-yard line. Three plays later, Forbath hit the game-winner to give the Redskins the victory.

Winners: The Redskins badly needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and got it. Now 7-6, they are just a half a game behind the New York Giants for the NFC East lead.

Reactions/tweets/comments from fans/media:

Best/worst stat of the game: Cousins’ line: 2-2, 26 yards, one touchdown.

Fantasy studs/duds: Both Ray Rice and Alfred Morris went over 100 yards and a touchdown, though Morris fumbled. Anquan Boldin caught two early touchdown passes and had 78 yards total.

Odds/Gambling: The Redskins were three-point favorites and did not cover that spread. For more lines around the league visit SB Nation’s NFL Odds page.