‘Santana Claus’ gives gift of grab

LANDOVER, Md. – Kicker John Hall walked into the Washington Redskins locker room in a complete outfit of red and white, including the full beard and tall black boots.

Santa Claus? “Santana Claus,” Hall said.

Want a better Santana Moss story? Clinton Portis said Moss became a good receiver by playing Frisbee with a dog at the University of Miami.

“He’d outrun the dog, jump up and catch the Frisbee,” Portis said.

Whatever the joke, whatever the game, whoever the quarterback, Moss going deep has the Redskins on pace for their first playoff berth in six years. Moss added three touchdowns and 160 yards Saturday in a 35-20 victory over the New York Giants, including a 72-yard TD grab from Patrick Ramsey after Mark Brunell left with an injury.

Peaking at the right time, the Redskins (9-6) won their fourth straight and will clinch at least a wild-card berth if they win at Philadelphia in next week’s regular-season finale. They will win the NFC East with a win and a Giants loss at Oakland next week.

“We said we had to win five in a row,” said right tackle Jon Jansen, who held Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan without a sack. “We’ve got four done. We’re not there by any means there yet, but it feels a lot better than it did at 5-6.”

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is 4-0 this December, improving the Hall of Fame coach’s record to 56-18 after Dec. 1. The victory also avenged a 36-0 shutout at the Meadowlands on Oct. 30.

Despite the loss, the Giants (10-5) will secure a playoff berth if Minnesota fails to beat Baltimore on Sunday night. They will win the NFC East with a win against the Raiders.