Redskins-Vikings: Recap

Quarters

1 - The Redskins notched 45 yards in the first quarter and quickly fell into a 9-0 hole after three Blair Walsh field goals. Adrian Peterson averaged 9.4 yards per carry on the Vikings’ first two drives, while Washington’s first two drives resulted in a total of six plays. Robert Griffin III, in his first action since being knocked out of last week’s loss to Atlanta with a concussion, was the victim of a great play by Antoine Winfield, who intercepted an RG3 pass on the right sideline.

2 - New kicker Kai Forbath got the Redskins on the board with his first NFL field goal, a 50-yarder. Washington then drove 91 yards on its next possession and capped the drive with a 1-yard run from Alfred Morris. The maligned Redskins defense continued to keep pace, as Lorenzo Alexander recovered a Christian Ponder fumble deep in Vikings territory. RG3 threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to fullback Darrel Young on the next play.

Play of the game: With 2:56 left in the game and the Redskins' lead down to five, RG3 took a designed quarterback draw 76 yards to the house. It was the longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback since Kordell Stewart in 1996.

3 - RG3 slipped through the Vikings’ red-zone defense at the 9:37 mark to extend Washington’s lead to 24-9. In the process, he picked up his fifth rushing touchdown of the season, the most by any quarterback in Redskins history. The Vikings answered with a solid drive of their own but stalled in the red zone and settled for Walsh’s fourth field goal.

4 - When Redskins safety Madieu Williams returned an interception for a touchdown with 12:40 left, the Redskins were up by 19 and the game appeared to be in hand. But two Christian Ponder touchdown passes later — one to a diving Michael Jenkins and another to tight end Kyle Rudolph — had the Vikings suddenly within five. Then RG3 took over. On a third and 6 with less than three minutes remaining, he sprinted 76 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. The ensuing Minnesota drive sputtered at the goal line with a DeAngelo Hall interception, and the Redskins improved to 3-3 on the season.

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