WASHINGTON -- The Washington Redskins thought it couldn't get any worse than last year's nightmarish season.
They were wrong.
Their 21-19 loss to the New York Giants yesterday dropped the Redskins to 2-10, their worst record at the 12-game mark in 33 years.
, The gloomy and rainy conditions -- 43,384 braved the elements at RFK Stadium -- were an appropriate backdrop for the sorry day by the Redskins, who were burned for a pair of touchdown passes by Dave Brown and 106 yards rushing by Rodney Hampton. Brown also scored on a 1-yard -- around right end.
Even after bringing in a new coach, 10 free agents and a celebrated rookie quarterback, Heath Shuler, the Redskins are losing ground. They were 3-9 at this point last season.
The last time they were worse was in 1961, the year before the team was desegregrated, when the Redskins started 0-11-1. They're 0-7 at home for the first time in the history of the franchise, and it's the first time they've ever had 10 or more losses in back-to-back seasons.
All this comes just three years after they won the Super Bowl. They've lost 29 regular-season games since then. They've also lost 14 straight division games and they're 6-22 since coach Joe Gibbs quit after the 1992 season.
Darrell Green, the 12-year veteran cornerback who played in three Super Bowls, said yesterday "was just the lowest for me."
He was nailed for a pass interference penalty on Mike Sherrard that set up the Giants' first touchdown. "That was only the beginning of probably one of the worst days as a Redskin that I've ever had," Green said. "It's a shame, really, when I think about this team, what we've been historically. It was a different feeling for me today. I always say pain is pain, but sometimes the sting is a little stronger. Something hit me like a ton of bricks.
"I'll be just as enthused next week, but right now is right now," Green said. "It's very hard to see the clear when you're in the middle of it. I've never felt like this before."
Norv Turner, who was brought in to turn the team around after the team went 4-12 under Richie Petitbon last season, said: "We just weren't good enough today."
Turner went back to Shuler at quarterback, but it didn't make any difference. In making his fourth start, Shuler completed 11 of 28 passes for 165 yards and was intercepted once.
"I liked the way Heath played," Turner said. "I thought he handled the situation real well."
Shuler was hurt by several dropped passes, but his main problem was that the Giants kept him off the field. They controlled the ball 22:22 of the final 30 minutes and 13:57 of the final 15 minutes.
Brown, in his third year, showed no ill effects from the concussion he suffered last Monday night against Houston. He burned the Redskins for two straight 34-yard passes late in the second period, the second to Chris Calloway for the touchdown that made it 14-9 at halftime.
Brown then directed a 61-yard touchdown drive that put the Giants ahead 21-9 early in the third period.
At that point, Turner abandoned the run even though the Redskins had rushed 21 times for 145 times in the first half. They rushed just three times in the second half.
After Chip Lohmiller's fourth field goal cut the deficit to 21-12, the teams traded punts and the Giants put together a drive that took 10:14 off the clock before David Treadwell missed his second field goal attempt, from 34 yards.
There was just 6:02 left in the game when the Redskins got the ball back.
Facing a fourth-and-1 at the Washington 34, Turner gambled on a Shuler pass to tight end Ethan Horton, but Shuler overthrew it.
"It didn't slip. I just through a bad pass," Shuler said.
The Redskins then got a break when the officials ruled that Calloway fumbled a reverse, although it was uncertain whether his knee hit the ground before he lost the ball.
Redskins defensive coordinator Ron Lynn didn't think it was a fumble.
"I thought he was down, but I thought they made enough other miserable calls [that] they might as well make one for us for a change," Lynn said.
Martin Bayless picked the ball up and ran 60 yards for a touchdown to cut it to 21-19.
With 4:44 left, the Redskins had plenty of time to get the ball back and set up a game-winning field goal for Lohmiller.
Instead, the Giants got a pair of first downs before they punted. The Redskins had just 10 seconds left when they got the ball back and all Shuler could do was heave a pair of desperation passes.
The Redskins were guilty of mistakes throughout the game.
For example, the Giants were called for holding on a play at the Washington 3 in the first period. But the Redskins had 12 men on the field and that nullified the holding call. Brown scored two plays later.
"You can't make those kinds of mistakes and expect to be successful," Turner said.
The victory was the second in six days for the Giants (5-7), who had lost seven straight. Two of their victories have come against the Redskins.
"It wasn't pretty, but we won and that's all that matters," Sherrard said.
N.Y. Giants ..7 ..7 ..7 ..0 ..21
Washington ...3 ..6 ..3 ..7 ..19