The fact that DeSean Jackson’s inexplicable, backward, punt-return fumble on Monday Night Football — the one that gave the Dallas Cowboys the ball in the red zone with under two minutes in a 9-9 tie — isn’t immediately the dumbest play in his repertoire speaks volumes about DeSean Jackson. He collects such plays. He’s an aficionado. With every subsequent penalty or fumble or idiotic move, he becomes like an oenophile adding another ’66 Margaux to the cellar. So, does Monday night’s play crack No. 1 on his personal list of Leon Lett-like plays? Let’s find out. (We’re limiting this to five because, hey, we gotta sleep and this could go on all night.)

5. Flip into end zone in the 2005 Army Bowl.

During a high-school All-Star game, the Cal commit caught a deep pass in stride and had 15 yards on his closest defender as he approached the end zone. So what did he do with all that room? He decided flipping from the five-yard line was a sound decision. Misjudging his ups, Jackson only got to the one-foot line and fumbled as he hit the ground. The other team recovered and a young DeSean Jackson learned a valuable lesson he’d never forget.

4. Tossed the ball at an opposing coach following a 50-yard pass play.

Coming off a suspension, Jackson caught a deep pass against the Giants, ran out of bounds to avoid taking a hit and decided that tossing the ball to New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell was the best way to express his excitement. The catch was nullified. But there was a silver lining: Jackson learned a valuable lesson he’d never forget.

3. Taunting while falling backward into end zone against the Cowboys in a 2010 Monday Night game.

After connecting on a 90+ yard pass with Michael Vick, Jackson got to the end zone ahead of his defenders, turned around to face the 100 yards he’d just conquered and fell into the end zone with his hand outstretched, looking like a third grader testing out poses on the diving board. He was called for taunting, teaching him a valuable lesson he’d never forget.

2. Dropping the ball before actually reaching the end zone, like a BOSS.

This was the big one, before Monday. After hauling in a 65-yard pass from an Eagles quarterback (Donovan McNabb this time) Jackson, then a rookie, celebrated the big touchdown as anyone would — by thinking he was in the end zone and swaggerifically dropping the ball, only doing it at the one, not the goal line because that’s cool and, hey, ridding yourself of the ball the instant you get in the end zone gives off the impression that such equipment is irrelevant to DeSean Jackson The Great. It was the world’s worst game of hot potato. It was like holding up your shooting hand while running down the basketball court after airballing a three. But Jackson was saved from his own stupidity because no one on Dallas (are we sensing a trend?) picked up the ball and the Eagles maintained possession at the one, not harming Philadephia too badly and giving Jackson a lesson he’d never forget.

1. The Monday night moron

Unleashing his not-so-secret weapon, coach Jay Gruden put DeSean Jackson deep to return a punt with under two minutes remaining in Monday night’s 9-9 tie with the — you got it — Dallas Cowboys. Wanting to make something happen, Jackson ran nine yards after returning the punt (pretty good) but then decided that cutting across the field and running backwards 26 yards was the best option for returning the kick. Because, obvi.

He went back so far he almost touched the ‘Skins goal line but ended up bringing it out to the nine — probably running 90 yards total for a disastrous 17-yard loss, but the hilariously bad play still left the Redskins in a manageable position, I suppose. At worst, overtime was coming. But just as everyone was laughing, tweeting and texting about Jackson’s look-at-me play, I think I’m Usain Bolt” play, they realized he actually fumbled while going down, giving Dallas the ball.

So not only did he lose decent field position (that original nine-yard return — if he’d just kept his original run — would have been great in that position), he then gave a division rival the game, life in the NFC East and might have cost his team a shot at the playoffs. Pretty good for one play! Jackson was somewhat “redeemed” when the Cowboys scored a quick touchdown after the fumble, Washington got the ball back and Kirk Cousins hit DJax on a game-tying TD with 42 seconds left. But poor kick coverage put Dallas easily into field-goal position and Dan Bailey nailed a 54-yarder as time expired to bring the first-place Redskins to 5-7 in the unbelievably woeful NFC East.

As I wrote on Twitter at the time of the fumble, you can’t really blame DeSean Jackson for running 25 yards in the opposite direction and then fumbling. That’s just what he does. No, the blame lies with the man who put him in the position to do so. That’s you, Jay Gruden. It’s like if a seven-year-old crashes a car. You don’t blame the kid, you blame whoever left the keys out. So, this play is our winner because it actually might have cost the Redskins the game and a division crown. Yes, they had a chance to go to overtime after trading touchdowns, but having the ball on their own 25 with 1:40 left at 9-9 would have been a far better scenario. But, hey, at least Jackson learned a lesson he’d never forget.

Chris Chase is a FTW staff writer who has opinions. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.