FOOTBALL

REDSKINS HONOR SEAN TAYLOR, LOSE TO BILLS

Fred Smoot cried several times when he looked over to the safety position and Sean Taylor wasn’t there. Santana Moss held up his fingers to represent Taylor’s no. 21 after catching a pass. Clinton Portis showed a T-shirt honoring Taylor after scoring the game’s only touchdown.

Drained before they ever took the field, the Washington Redskins somehow steeled their fragile emotions and played to honor their fallen teammate in front of 85,000 fans waving their No. 21 towels.

Their resolve was shattered, replaced by more tears and disbelief, when Rian Lindell kicked a 36-yard field goal with 4 seconds left to give the Buffalo Bills a 17-16 victory.

“It makes your heart drop all the way to your feet,” quarterback Jason Campbell said. “We wanted to come out here and win one for Sean.”

When the Redskins defense came on for the first time, Taylor’s safety position was vacant: Only 10 players were on the field for Fred Jackson’s 22-yard run around the left end. Then Taylor’s replacement, Reed Doughty, ran out, and he was the one who made the tackle on the next play, a short pass to Josh Reed.

BASEBALL

YANKEES SET DEADLINE IN TALKS WITH TWINS ON JOHAN SANTANA

The Yankees likely will pull out of trade talks for Johan Santana if the Minnesota Twins don’t make a decision by late today.

“I’m not going to be played against the Red Sox. That’s not something I’ll do. That’s not something the Yankees should ever do, and that’s I think what they’re trying to do now,” Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said Sunday. “So if they want the best offer that has been offered to them, then they need to make up their minds.”

The Yankees have proposed swapping pitcher Phil Hughes, center fielder Melky Cabrera and a midlevel prospect for the two-time Cy Young Award winner, who can become a free agent after next season.

Boston also is competing to land Santana. The Red Sox are thought to have offered a package that would include pitcher Jon Lester or center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury but not both. Center fielder Coco Crisp also could be part of a trade. Steinbrenner wouldn’t set a specific time Monday for pulling out. “We’ll see how it goes, but this is not an act. It’s not a bluff. It’s just reality,” he said.

HOCKEY

DEVILS TOP THRASHERS IN SHOOTOUT

It came down to a showdown between a gifted scorer and a likely Hall of Fame-bound goalie.

Martin Brodeur made a glove save on Ilya Kovalchuk in the shootout and the Devils beat the Atlanta Thrashers 3-2 yesterday for their seventh straight victory. Brian Gionta, second up for the Devils, had the only goal in the shootout. After Gionta beat Johan Hedberg with a backhander, Kovalchuk squared off against Brodeur with the win hanging in the balance. Brodeur, who had 23 saves in regulation, snared the puck after Kovalchuk tried to maneuver him out of position.