Game Notes: Redskins 24, Bucs 22

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(Oct. 1, 2012) - The Redskins improved to 2-2 on the season with a 24-22 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in front of an announced crowd of 58,191 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Here are game notes on the big win:

• The victory is Washington’s first regular season win in Tampa Bay since 1993. Washington’s only win in Tampa Bay since 1993 came in the NFC Wild Card Round following the 2005 season.
• The win ties the Redskins’ regular season record against the Buccaneers at 9-9.
• The win was Executive Vice President/Head Coach Mike Shanahan’s 167th overall victory as an NFL head coach. It is his 159th regular season victory as an NFL head coach, pushing him past Pro Football Hall of Famer Bud Grant (158) for sole possession of 13th all-time in regular season wins.
• Shanahan is now 4-2 all-time against the Buccaneers and 12-7 against the teams that currently comprise the NFC South.
• The Redskins accumulated 474 net offensive yards, the team’s highest total since posting 481 yards vs. Jacksonville on Oct. 1, 2006, a span of 95 regular season games.
• The Redskins rushed for 160 yards. The Buccaneers entered the game with the league’s best rushing defense, having surrendered an average of 47.3 yards per game through the first three weeks.
• The Redskins have now rushed for 150 yards or more in four consecutive games this season, the first time the team has done so since posting four 150-yard rushing games from Weeks 4-7 of the 2008 season.
• The Redskins are now averaging 175.5 rushing yards per game, the highest total in the league as of the conclusion of Sunday’s late afternoon games.
• The Redskins have scored 123 points through four games, the team’s highest point total for a four-game stretch since scoring 130 points in a four game stretch from Weeks 4-8 in the 1999 season (the team had a bye in Week 5 that season).
• Kicker Billy Cundiff was 1-for-4 on field goal attempts but converted on a 41-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give the Redskins the win.
• The game-winning field goal was Cundiff’s eighth of his career, his first as a Redskin, and his first since hitting a 25-yard game-winner vs. Arizona on Oct. 30, 2011, as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
• Running back Alfred Morris rushed for a career-high 113 yards, his first career 100-yard rushing game and the Redskins’  first since Evan Royster in Week 17 of last season. Including Morris’ performance on Sunday, the Redskins’ last six 100-yard rushing performances have all been by rookies (three byRoy Helu, Jr., two by Royster, one by Morris).
• Morris joins Larry Brown (1972), John Riggins (1983), George Rogers (1986), Earnest Byner (1991) and Terry Allen (1996) as the only backs in team history since the 1970 merger to open a season with at least 75 yards in each game in the first four weeks of a season.
• Robert Griffin III completed 26-of-35 passes for 323 yards and a passer rating of 102.4. He established career highs in pass completions, pass attempts and passing yardage.
• Griffin III now has 1,170 passing yards on the season. He joins Cam Newton (2011) and Ryan Tannehill (2012) as the only players to reach 1,000 passing yards in their first four games of their rookie seasons.
• Griffin III’s 300-yard passing performance is the second of his career and the 100th by a Redskins quarterback in team history.
• Griffin III led the Redskins on a seven-play, 61-yard drive in 1:42 to set up the game-winning field goal. The fourth-quarter comeback was the Redskins’ first by a rookie quarterback since Jason Campbell vs. Carolina on Nov. 26, 2006.
• Wide receiver Pierre Garçon scored the first touchdown for the Redskins, recovering a Griffin III fumble in the end zone.
• The Redskins now have two fumble recoveries for touchdowns this season. The last time the Redskins had multiple fumble recovery touchdowns in a single season was in 1994, when Martin Bayless and Darryl Morrison each had one fumble recovery touchdown.
• Cornerback DeAngelo Hall registered his 36th interception of his career, picking off Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman in the second quarter. The interception gives him sole possession of sixth place in career interceptions by active NFL players, pushing him past Cincinnati’s Nate Clements.
• The Redskins have at least one interception in four consecutive games. The last time the Redskins had at least one interception in four consecutive games in the same season was in Weeks 2-5 of the 2010 season.
• Griffin III scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season on a five-yard run in the second quarter, tying Joe Theismann (1979) and Eddie LeBaron (1955) for the Redskins record of rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season.
• Griffin III became the sixth NFL quarterback since the 1970 merger to register at least four rushing touchdowns in the first four games of a season, joining Cam Newton (2011), Kordell Stewart (1997), Bubby Brister (1988), Steve Grogan (1976) and Terry Bradshaw (1972).
• Griffin III became the first Redskin since Clinton Portis (2006) to score four rushing touchdowns in the first four games of a season.
• Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan recorded a sack of Freeman in the second quarter, pushing his season total to 3.5. He has at least half a sack in four consecutive games, the first time he has done so since Weeks 9-12 of last season.
• Morris took his 10th carry of the game a career-long 39 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. The rushing touchdown was his fourth of the season.
• With Griffin III and Morris each reaching four touchdowns, the Redskins have two players with four rushing touchdowns through the first four games of the season for the first time since the 1970 merger.
• Griffin III and Morris are the first pair of rookie teammates in NFL history to each rush for four touchdowns over their team’s first four games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
• As of the conclusion of Sunday’s late afternoon games, Griffin III and Morris are tied with Houston’s Arian Foster for the league-lead in rushing touchdowns (four).
• The Redskins scored 21 points in the first half, marking the fourth consecutive game in which the team has had at least one half scoring 20 or more points.
• The Redskins led the Buccaneers 21-6 at halftime, the team’s largest halftime lead since leading Minnesota by 22 points on Dec. 23, 2007.
• Punter Sav Rocca registered his longest punt of the season on the team’s first drive, covering 61 yards.
• Tight end Niles Paul recorded a career-long 25-yard kick return in the first quarter.
• Fullback Darrel Young caught a 24-yard pass on his first reception of the season, the second-longest reception of his career. On two receptions, he finished with 40 receiving yards, tying his career high.
• Paul caught a career-long 30-yard pass in the third quarter, making the reception on a play in which Griffin III lateralled to Brandon Banks who lateralled back to Griffin III, who completed the pass to Paul.
• Wide receiver Joshua Morgan had a season-high 62 receiving yards on four receptions.
• Wide receiver Leonard Hankerson had 57 receiving yards on a team-high and season-high seven receptions.
• Tight end Fred Davis had four receptions for 70 yards. Including a 90-yard effort last week, Davis now has consecutive games of 70 or more receiving yards for the first time since Weeks 7-8 last season.

Game notes are provided courtesy of the Washington Redskins.