The first quarter was scoreless. The closest either team came was Washington's drive inside the 49ers 30-yard line that ended when Joe Washington lost a fumble that was recovered by San Francisco lineman Lawrence Pillers. In the second quarter, Washington managed to fool the 49ers with a trick play when punt returner Nick Giaquinto threw the ball across the field to Darrell Green who took it all the way to the end zone, but Giaquinto inadvertently threw a forward pass rather than a lateral and the score was called back. Washington fans and news media at the time disputed whether this was actually a forward pass, calling it the "Micrometer Play." The suggestion was that one would need a high precision measuring device to determine that the play was indeed a forward pass, and that the referees got the call wrong. The Redskins still managed to drive into 49ers territory, but ended up with no points when Moseley's 45-yard field goal attempt went wide right.