Hall ties record with 4 interceptions over Bears

[October 25, 2010]  CHICAGO (AP) -- The way he was picking off passes, DeAngelo Hall looked like he was playing catch with Jay Cutler.

Hall tied an NFL record with four interceptions, running one back 92 yards for a touchdown, and the Washington Redskins sacked Cutler four times while forcing six turnovers in a 17-14 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Hall tied a record held by 18 others and became the first to pick off four passes since Deltha O'Neal did it with Denver in 2001. His one-handed interception and TD return late in the third quarter were made for the highlight reel and put the Redskins ahead for good, sending Chicago (4-3) to its third loss in four games.

Washington (4-3), meanwhile, equaled its win total from last season and joined a growing line of teams that has pounded Cutler. He now has been sacked 19 times in his last three games, and when he wasn't on his back, he kept finding Hall.

The TD return after his second interception were particularly impressive and stopped a Bears drive at the 13.

The Redskins were trailing 14-10 when Hall made that one-handed grab. Cutler, throwing off his back foot, was trying to hit Johnny Knox along the right sideline. Instead, Hall ran it back 92 yards to give Washington a 17-14 lead with 1:36 left in the third.

He also picked off Cutler early in the fourth, after Ryan Torain lost a fumble. That led to a missed 37-yard field goal by Graham Gano, and Hall had one more in him.

That came in the closing minutes, when he picked off a deep pass intended for Knox at the Washington 13.

In the first game after the NFL's crackdown on illegal hits, there were at least a few instances where players appeared to pull up rather than go for the big hit. One example came on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. The Redskins' Reed Doughty could have blasted Knox on an incomplete pass near the left sideline, but grabbed his legs rather than go high.

But the turnovers and sacks took the spotlight in this one.

Cutler was 26 of 40 with 281 yards and the Bears wound up with 322 yards against a defense that came in allowing a league-high 322. They got going after running seven plays for minus-5 yards in the first quarter, but it was simply another rough afternoon for a team that is struggling going into its bye.

Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs left in the first quarter after aggravating an ankle injury that kept him out of the previous game.

Washington's Donovan McNabb threw for 200 yards with a touchdown and interception in his hometown. Torain had another big game, gaining 125 yards on 21 carries.

And Albert Haynesworth had a sack after missing two games following the death of his half-brother in a motorcycle accident.

[Associated Press; By ANDREW SELIGMAN]

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