ATLANTA -- From Washingtons first possession to the decisive play in the final minute, Atlantas defence kept finding ways to get its hands on the ball. One of five rookies to start for the defence made the biggest play of the game. Desmond Trufant deflected Kirk Cousins pass on a potential winning 2-point conversion with 18 seconds remaining, and the Falcons edged the Redskins 27-26 on Sunday. The Falcons (4-10) scored 20 points off seven Washington turnovers. The Redskins (3-11) tied a team record with five lost fumbles. Alfred Morris and Santana Moss each lost two fumbles. "You cant win with turnovers, yet we still had an opportunity to win and that shows you how hard they fought," said Redskins coach Mike Shanahan. "Those guys normally are great with ball security and dont turn it over." Cousins passed for 381 yards and three touchdowns, but had three turnovers in his first start of the season after Shanahan benched Robert Griffin III. Griffin was not in uniform and watched from the sideline. Cousins 3-yard touchdown pass to Moss gave Washington a chance to force overtime by kicking the extra point. Instead, Cousins 2-point pass for Pierre Garcon was deflected by Trufant, who also had an interception. "I was telling myself I had to make some big plays," Trufant said. "I wasnt surprised they went for the win. They had the confidence and we were up for the challenge." Shanahan said his decision to go for 2 was based on the Falcons defensive alignment. He said he would have used his final timeout to send his kicking team on the field if the Falcons didnt have the alignment he wanted for his planned play. "I thought if we had the right defence and the right play, were going to stay with it," Shanahan said. "We thought we did and unfortunately it didnt work out." Shanahan brushed off a question about his job status, saying "Im not going to talk about that." Cousins said he liked the decision to go for 2. "I loved the call to go for 2 there," Cousins said. "I felt like we had them on the ropes. We just didnt do enough to execute, but it starts right here with me." The Falcons recovered an onside kick to seal the win. "It was a game full of drama, but Im glad we were able to pull it off," said Atlantas Steven Jackson, who ran for 38 yards and two touchdowns. Cousins listed his two interceptions, lost fumble and failed 2-point pass as "four plays right there that if they go differently, its probably a much better result." The Falcons started five rookies on defence, including three in the secondary. The Falcons held out safety Thomas DeCoud, who is recovering from a concussion. Rookie safety Zeke Motta made his first start. Rookie offensive tackle Ryan Schraeder also made his first start for Atlanta. Morris had 98 yards rushing on 18 carries, including a 37-yard run. Cousins lost a fumble on the Redskins first possession and set up the Falcons go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter with his first of two interceptions. The Falcons led 24-20 with less than 6 minutes remaining before Trufants interception set up Matt Bryants 51-yard field goal. The teams combined for six turnovers in the first half, including four turnovers by the Redskins. There were lost fumbles on three straight plays in the second quarter. The Redskins had an excellent scoring opportunity at the Atlanta 18 following a 62-yard pass from Cousins to Aldrick Robinson. On first down from the 18, Morris lost the ball without being hit, and Malliciah Goodman recovered for Atlanta. The Falcons gave the ball back when Matt Ryan fumbled when hit by Ryan Kerrigan. On the next play, Cousins passed to Moss, who lost the ball when stripped by Robert McClain. William Moore recovered for Atlanta. Ryan completed 29 of 38 passes for 210 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez had six catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. He became the fifth player in NFL history with 15,000 yards receiving. NOTES: The Redskins also lost five fumbles against the Oilers on Oct. 30, 1988. ... Garcon had seven catches for 129 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown. ... Falcons DT Jonathan Babineaux recovered two fumbles. ... Signs spotted in the stands held by Redskins fans: "Free RGIII," "Let em play" and "We still believe in RGIII." ... Falcons LB Sean Weatherspoon left the game with a knee injury. Kole Calhoun Jersey . -- Zach Johnson is like most players at the World Challenge, not sure whether hes still playing in 2013 or if hes in the middle of the new wraparound season that officially started in October. Chris Young Jersey . Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Doug Martin broke the news that hes cleared for full activity moving forward. http://www.angelsteamshop.com/Angels-Bla...er-Kids-Jersey/. - The Oakland Athletics say they are stopping negotiations to extend their lease at the Coliseum. Albert Pujols Jersey . Austin Watson, Scott Ford, Filip Forsberg and Mark Van Guilder had the other goals for the Admirals (30-21-12). Scott Darling made 30 saves for his 10th win of the season. Garrett Richards Jersey . Advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals should be a formality after Lionel Messi scored a penalty and Dani Alves added a late second to secure a commanding 2-0 advantage over City in the round of 16 on Tuesday.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss the mistakes in the recently-filed concussion lawsuit, Jaroslav Halaks unwillingness to play his fomer team, Ryan Smyth and what he meant to Edmonton and Canada, and the new, civilized way managers and umpires argue with each other. Bruce Arthur, National Post My thumb is up to proofreading, especially when you happen to be filing a class-action lawsuit that pertains to concussions. The suit filed this week against the NHL on behalf of a group that included a small group of former players, including Michael Peluso and Dan Lacouture, was the second of its kind in hockey, and wont be the last. And it probably didnt help the cause by misspelling Sidney Crosbys name, citing movies like “Friday the 13th” and “Mystery, Alaska”, and declaring Gordie Howe dead. Look, we know what brain trauma does to people, now. In sports, what leagues knew and when they knew it is important, because if information was concealed, that could be monstrous. Now, Im not a lawyer, but if youre looking for answers, maybe start by not killing Gordie Howe. Steve Simmons, SUN Media My thumb is down to Jaroslav Halak, for basically opting out of playing goal against his former team, the St. Louis Blues. This is a hard one to completely understand and there is more than one version of the story. But the way I understand it, the Washington Capitals picked up the goalie at the trade deadline for the express purpose of trying to help them get in the playoffs. Yet he told his coach, Adam Oates, that he wasnt comfortable playing against the Blues, the team that just traded him away. Not commfortable? Isnt the athletes favourite game the one against his former team with all his friends? Isnt that what a goalie signs up for? The odd part in all this, without Halak the Capitals beat the Blues Tuesday night and still managed to miss the playoffs.dddddddddddd. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated My thumb is up to Ryan Smyth, who announced his retirement Friday. He was not the greatest Oiler, obviously, but he was as much of an Edmonton-standard bearer in his era as Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier were in theirs. Smyth was not conspicuously skilled, but he stood for old-time hockey values - and he stood in front of the net, the source of most of his 386 goals. He was steadfast in commitment to country, playing in eight World Championships and two Olympics. Captain Canada, indeed. But Smyth spent 15 of 19 NHL seasons in copper and blue. He belongs to Edmonton. The rest of the country was lucky it could borrow him. Dave Hodge, TSN My thumb is down to baseball fans who say they miss the loud-cursing, dirt-kicking, arm-waving, near-spitting, face to face arguments between managers and umpires. Those have been replaced this season by civilized conversations that the managers deem necessary while they wait for dugout advice on replay challenges. We have enough fits of temper and rage in this world that they dont have to come in the form of phony sports entertainment. The managers look better when they act older than five, the umpires are deserving of respect and this way, bad calls can actually be corrected. Its all quite civilized, which, Abner Doubleday intended, I believe. If, indeed, Doubleday was baseballs inventor. There are other claims, but lets not fight about that, either. 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