Game Notes: Washington Redskins 40, New Orleans Saints 32

(Sept. 10, 2012) - Is it too early to dust off the Washington Redskins bandwagon? Area fans had a lot to cheer about Sunday as the Robert Griffin III era in Washington kicked off with a shocking 40-32 win at New Orleans. Griffin was stellar in his NFL debut, completing 19 of 26 passes for 320 yards and two TDs to finish with an out-of-this-world QB rating of 139.9.

Here are the game notes from the big victory provided courtesy of the Washington Redskins:

·         The win was Executive Vice President/Head Coach Mike Shanahan’s 166th overall victory as an NFL head coach. The win was Shanahan’s 158^th career regular season win, tying him with Pro Football Hall of Famer Bud Grant for 13^th-most regular season wins all-time.

·         Shanahan became the first Redskins coach since George Allen to win his first three season openers with the team (2010-12). Allen won his first six season openers with the Redskins from 1971-76.

·         Shanahan is now 15-4 in season openers. His 15 wins currently lead all active NFL head coaches in Week 1 wins.

·         Shanahan is now against 4-1 the Saints and 12-7 in regular season games against the teams that currently comprise the NFC South.

·         Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III started in his first career NFL game and completed 19-of-26 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with a passer rating of 139.9.

·         Griffin III became the first player in NFL history to compile 300-plus passing yards, two or more passing touchdowns and no interceptions in an NFL debut.

·         Griffin III’s passer rating was the highest by a rookie with no professional football experience, besting Matt Ryan’s 138.4 passer rating at Oakland in Week 9 of the 2008 season (minimum 200 attempts). Only Dieter Brock, who played in the Canadian Football League prior to playing in the NFL, had single-game passer ratings higher than Griffin III’s, including a 144.8 passer rating vs. Atlanta in 1985 at 34 years of age.

·         Griffin III was the first rookie to start at quarterback for the Redskins in Week 1 since Norm Snead started at San Francisco on Sept. 17, 1961. The only other rookie quarterback to start for Washington in Week 1 since 1950 was Jack Scarbath against the Chicago Cardinals on Sept. 27, 1953.

·         Griffin III is now the youngest quarterback to start a game for the Redskins since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger (22-years, 210-days old). The previous youngest Redskins starting quarterback in that era was Heath Shuler, who started at 22-years, 275-days old vs. Dallas on Oct. 2, 1994.

·         The Redskins outgained the Saints, 464-358. The 464 yards is the second-highest output by the Redskins in the Mike Shanahan era, trailing only the team’s 465-yard effort at Tennessee on Nov. 21, 2010.

·         The Redskins held the ball for 39:10, the second-longest the team has held the ball in the Mike Shanahan era, trailing only the aforementioned 2010 game at Tennessee. The Redskins were 5-3 last season in games in which the team possessed the ball longer than their opponent.

·         The Redskins held the Saints to 358 yards of offense, the Saints’ lowest yardage output since compiling 283 yards at St. Louis on Oct. 30, 2011.

·         The Redskins did not have a turnover, marking the third time in the Mike Shanahan era at that the Redskins have not turned the ball over in a game (Sept. 12, 2010 vs. Dallas and Sept. 19, 2010 vs. Houston).

·         The Redskins forced a three-and-out by the Saints on the game’s first drive and on three of the Saints’ first four drives. The Saints had the fewest three-and-outs per possession in the NFL in 2011 (13.1 percent).

·         The Redskins opened the game with a 12-play, 49-yard drive that culminated in a 37-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff, his first field goal as a Redskin. The Redskins scored on opening drives three times last season, including two touchdowns and a field goal. The team was tied for second in the NFL in 10-play drives in 2011 (33).

·         Griffin III was 6-for-6 for 35 yards on the opening drive and completed passes to four different receivers.

·         Griffin III’s first career pass attempt was completed to Pierre Garçon for no gain. Griffin III followed with the first rushing attempt of his career on the next play, a 12-yard gain.

·         Second-year wide receiver Aldrick Robinson made the first catch of his career in the first quarter, gaining five yards on a pass from Griffin III. Robinson later caught his first career touchdown pass, hauling in a five-yard pass from Griffin III in the midst of a four-catch, 52-yard day.

·         On the team’s second drive, Griffin III found Garçon for an 88-yard touchdown pass on the drive’s first play. It was the first touchdown of Griffin III’s career and the 17^th receiving touchdown of Garçon’s career.

·         The 88-yard pass from Griffin III to Garçon was the longest pass play by the Redskins since Ed Rubbert's 88-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Allen in a strike game vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on Oct. 4, 1987, a span of 397 regular season games.

·         The last time the Redskins had a pass completion of 88 yards or more in a non-strike game was Billy Kilmer’s 96-yard touchdown pass to Frank Grant at the New York Giants on Nov. 9, 1975, a span of 571 regular season games.

·         Griffin III completed the first eight passes of his career before throwing his first incompletion in the second quarter.

·         Garçon registered the seventh 100-yard receiving game of his career and his first as a Redskin. His 109 yards in the first half represent the third-most prolific first half receiving yardage of his career (126 vs. TEN on 12/6/09, 119 vs. KC on 10/9/11)

·         The Redskins’ amassed 245 first-half yards, the fifth-best first half yardage total by the Redskins in the Mike Shanahan era.

·         Griffin III finished the first half with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. It marked the 35^th time since the merger that a QB has posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the first half with 10 or more attempts, according to records kept by STATS, LLC. Griffin III is the first rookie and the first Redskin to accomplish the feat.

·         Cornerback DeAngelo Hall registered the first full sack of his career, dropping Saints quarterback Drew Brees in the second quarter.

·         Rookie running back Alfred Morris scored his first career touchdown on a one-yard plunge on the Redskins’ first drive of the second half and added a fourth-quarter touchdown. Morris finished the game with 28 carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns

·         Morris was four yards shy of giving the Redskins a rookie 100-yard rusher in six of the team’s last seven games, dating back to 2011.

·         Morris is the third Redskins rookie since the merger to score a rushing touchdown in Week 1, joining Michael Westbrook (1995) and Kelvin Bryant (1986).

·         With Cundiff’s third field goal of the game, the Redskins broke the 30-point barrier for the first time since posting 30 at Dallas on Dec. 19, 2010, 18 games ago.

·         The Redskins’ 40 points represent the largest offensive output of the Mike Shanahan era. It is the most points scored by the Redskins since scoring 52 vs. San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2005.

·         Defensive end Stephen Bowen recorded multiple passes defensed in a single game for the first time in his career.

·         Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan posted his first sack of the season, dropping Brees in the fourth quarter.

·         The Redskins intercepted Brees twice in the fourth quarter, once by safety DeJon Gomes and once by safety Reed Doughty. Gomes’ interception was the first of his career. Doughty’s interception was the second of his career and his first since 2009.

·         The Redskins snapped the Saints’ eight-game home winning streak in regular season play. Prior to Sunday, the Saints’ last loss at home came on Jan. 2, 2011 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team coached by Raheem Morris, now the Redskins’ defensive backs coach.

·         The Redskins improved to 23-19 in season openers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and pushed their season-opener winning streak to three games.

·         The Redskins are now 16-8 all-time against New Orleans all-time, including a 9-3 record against the Saints on the road.

·         The victory represents the Redskins’ fourth consecutive win in New Orleans. The Redskins have not lost in New Orleans since Nov. 23, 1992.

·         The Redskins are now 40-37-4 all-time in season openers, including wins in nine of their last 12 season openers.

·         The victory is the Redskins’ third-consecutive season-opening win, the team’s first opening-game winning streak of three games or more since the team won four straight openers from 2002-05.