DATE: Monday, November 10, 1997             TAG: 9711100141

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   62 lines

REDSKIN REPORT CARD

THE GOOD: Washington's swarming defense against Barry Sanders, even though Sanders finished with 105 yards. . . The play of Michael Westbrook. Last Wednesday, he wasn't even in the game plan; Sunday, he caught four passes for 93 yards and set up a touchdown by drawing a pass-interference penalty deep in Lions territory. . . Brian Mitchell. He rushed for 26 yards, caught four passes for 37, returned five punts for 82 yards and two kickoffs for 38. That's 183 total yards.

THE BAD: All three Detroit quarterbacks. Scott Mitchell was 5 of 14 before injuring a hamstring; Frank Reich was 10 of 28 before injuring his arm; Matt Blundin was 1 for 1 - actually, his pass was intercepted by Darryl Pounds and returned for a touchdown - before he was yanked and Reich re-inserted in the game. . . Redskins kicker Scott Blanton. He connected from 50, but his misses from 40 and 46 weren't even close.

THE UGLY: The situation between Redskins corner Cris Dishman and Lions receiver Herman Moore. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Moore leveled Dishman with a comeback block. Dishman, down for several minutes, wound up with a bruised sternum. Moore, who later said he eased up on the hit so as not to injure Dishman, apologized on the field. Dishman made it clear afterwards he didn't accept it. ``I don't care if it's next week, next year or 20 years from now. I've put this in the back of my mind. If it takes next year or 20 years, I'll get him back.'' To which Moore responded: ``I'm not out to hurt anyone, but I've got to block. I'm not getting into a war of words. Let the guy say what he wants.''

TURNING POINT: Michael Westbrook's entry in the game early in the second quarter. On his first series, he caught a 33-yard pass. Next series, he drew a 25-yard pass-interference penalty against Corey Raymond that led to Washington's first TD. When he was on the field, he was dominant.

AND DON'T FORGET: Sanders may have finished with 105 yards, but 51 of them came on one carry. His other 14 carries netted just 54 yards, or 3.9 a rush.

UNSUNG HEROES: DTs Ryan Kuehl and Chris Zorich. A month ago, Kuehl was a high school assistant coach after the Redskins cut him. Sunday, he had a tipped pass that Darryl Pounds intercepted and two other tackles in sharing playing time with Zorich. Zorich, barely in camp for a week, had three tackles and forced a Detroit fumble.

NUMBERS CRUNCHING: 75,261 - The announced attendance at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, where there appeared to be about 12,000 no-shows. . . 1,103 - Sanders' rushing total this season. He became the first back in NFL history to go over 1,000 yards nine consecutive seasons. . . 22 - The yardage on one of Blanton's field goals and how far Pounds returned his second interception of the day for a touchdown. . . 40:03 - Washington's advantage in time of possession, the second straight week the Redskins have dominated that category. . . 2 for 23 - Detroit's woeful percentage on third-down conversions. . . 4.6 - Amazingly, what both teams averaged per offensive play. . . 20 - The number of Redskins who made at least one tackle Sunday. . Redskins-Dallas matchups.

INJURIES: LB Twan Russell (mild concussion), CB Dishman (bruised sternum), LB Patrise Alexander (bruised shin).

NEXT OPPONENT: The Redskins play the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, 4 p.m., at Texas Stadium. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

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