Washington Redskins rusty early, can't recover against Eagles

LANDOVER, Md. - Robert Griffin III's teammates predicted it would take him one half of football to shake off his rust.

They were proven correct, but didn't account for how much the Eagles could accomplish in that half.

Philadelphia's new offense built enough of a lead to withstand Washington's comeback, and the Redskins suffered a 33-27 setback to open the season.

"We had a serious case of the can't-get-rights," Griffin said. "I don't throw picks, Alfred (Morris) doesn't fumble, and Kai (Forbath) doesn't miss field goals. All three of those happened tonight."

While Griffin tried to adjust to game speed, Philly was showing off its new-look offense.

The Eagles gained 322 yards in the first half, building a 33-7 lead behind a smorgasbord of fast-paced plays that had the Redskins on their heels.

"It's hard to win a football game like that," cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. "There were a couple times we thought it would be one thing, but it was something else. I didn't think that offense would be like that. I didn't think they would be able to jump on us like they did."

Washington's offense, meanwhile, didn't get into Philly territory until the third quarter.

Griffin refused to blame his surgically repaired knee after the game, or his lack of preseason play. But he clearly wasn't himself until offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan called a series of short passes to build momentum in the third quarter.

At that point the offense began rolling, but the team left points on the board twice, which would prove decisive. Forbath missed a 40-yard field goal in the third quarter, and the Redskins turned the ball over on downs late in the fourth when a Griffin pass went off the fingertips of Leonard Hankerson.

Even with the miscues, Washington had an onside kick to set up a potential winning drive.

"To say we only lost the game by 6, when we had that horrendous of a first half, it's something," Griffin said.

The quarterback fumbled with his ankle brace all night, having received word from the NFL that it was showing too much to meet specifications. Doctors poked and prodded at it to get it into compliance, which surprised Griffin, because it met inspection during the preseason.

"I don't know what the league's doing," he said. "I got fined 10 grand for a shirt. I don't know."

Griffin's pregame talk to teammates centered around the attention he had received for his comeback.

"This game isn't about one person," he said, telling each of them they were critical to the outcome.

He was proven correct in agonizing fashion. Running back Alfred Morris fumbled the ball early, and failed to catch a pitch in his own end zone, contributing to the team's offensive woes. Like Griffin, Morris had limited preseason action.

On this night, the athletes were all lined up for the other team. Philly running back LeSean McCoy and receiver DeSean Jackson ran circles around Redskins tacklers in coach Chip Kelly's debut.

"That's a good scheme," Redskins safety Bacarri Rambo said. "Chip Kelly, hats off to him."

For one week, Kelly was the toast of the NFL thanks to a fast start. The Redskins left with a measure of optimism, though - in a league that changes in a blink of an eye, they felt they left FedEx Field having claimed the upper hand late.

"I'm glad we get to play those guys again," fullback Darrel Young said.