LAS VEGAS — With 41 seconds remaining and The Washington Football Team down 15-14 to the Las Vegas Raiders, Bethesda, Maryland native, Brian Johnson jogs onto the field. Without hesitation, he makes a 48-yard field goal to give Washington the 17-15 lead and the win. "It was insane," said Johnson.
The Washington Football Team has agreed to sign kicker Brian Johnson off the Chicago Bears practice squad on Tuesday. This comes after kicker Joey Slye injured his hamstring in Washington's Monday Night win over Seattle.
Johnson was born in Washington D.C. and went to Gonzaga High School in the district. Now he's the hero for his hometown team. "It's awesome to be here," said Johnson.
Johnson is the third consecutive kicker The Washington Football Team has signed this season from the Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area. Johnson also played college ball at Virginia Tech.
The list of local kickers started on Oct. 20, when The Washington Football Team released veteran kicker Dustin Hopkins after seven seasons, promoting Chris Blewitt to the active roster. Blewitt went to West Potomac High School in Alexandria, Virginia.
"It was always a dream of mine when I first started playing football with my buddies," Blewitt said. "I remember going to a [Washington] preseason game against the Steelers back in 2009. It's amazing that it came back to this point."
Blewitt was released after just two games. Three of his five field-goal attempts failed to make it over the line of scrimmage.
Washington replaced Blewitt with Joey Slye. He attended North Stafford high school, in Stafford, Virginia, and grew up watching the Burgundy and Gold.
"It's also nice to be able to go home and have dinner with my parents if I want to, and sometimes having my mom do my laundry is something I'll never pass up," said Slye. The team would place him on the injured/reserve list with a hamstring injury.
Johnson will now return to Washington D.C. to take on the Dallas Cowboys at FedEx Field on Sunday. "I've been to plenty of games at FedEx," said Johnson. "My mom and brother are Washington Fans. It will be good to be back in there." Johnson admitted that he actually grew up a Baltimore Ravens fan.