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Recap: Redskins Rewrote Team, NFL History

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Since the start of the 2012 season, the Redskins have set dozens of franchise and NFL marks on their way to first place in the NFC East.

Whether in victory or defeat, the Redskins have set new records in 14-of-15 contests, an impressive feat for any club, and a major reason why the Redskins find themselves in first place in the NFC East.

Regardless of the outcome of Sunday night's game, the Redskins have found a strong roster foundation and have set a new precedence for rookie excellence in Washington and around the league.

Here is a comprehensive, week-by-week recap heading into the Week 17 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys:

Week 1: Redskins 40, Saints 32

  • Redskins quarterback Robert 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 finished the first half with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. It marked the 35th 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.

Week 2: Redskins 28, Rams 31

  • Griffin III also added 11 carries for 82 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Griffin III's 82 rushing yards are the most by a Redskins quarterback since the 1970 merger, surpassing Joe Theismann's 64 rushing yards at Chicago on Nov. 9, 1980.
  • Griffin III became the first rookie quarterback to score two rushing touchdowns for the Redskins since Norm Snead rushed for two touchdowns at Dallas on Nov. 19, 1961.
  • According to the NFL, Griffin III is the first rookie to throw a touchdown pass of 65 or more yards in each of his team's first two games of a season since Cincinnati's Greg Cook in 1969.

Week 3: Redskins 31, Bengals 38

  • The Redskins forced a fumble of Cincinnati running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, the first fumble forced against Green-Ellis in 590 career touches. The fumble was recovered by Josh Wilson, who tied a single-season career high with his second fumble recovery of the season.

Week 4: Redskins 24, Buccaneers 22

  • With Griffin III and running back Alfred 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.

Week 5: Redskins 17, Falcons 24

  • Morris joins Eric Dickerson as the only rookies in NFL history to rush for at least 75 yards in each of their team's first five games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
  • Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan is the first Redskin since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to have an interception return for touchdown in each of his first two NFL seasons.
  • Griffin III rushed once for seven yards, giving him 241 rushing yards on the season, breaking Sammy Baugh's team record for rushing yards by a rookie quarterback (240 in 1937).

Week 6: Redskins 38, Vikings 26

  • Griffin III set a franchise record for single-game rushing yardage by a quarterback, surpassing his own record of 84 rushing yards from Week 2 at St. Louis.
  • Griffin III now has 379 rushing yards on the season, establishing the team record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season. His total surpasses Harry Gilmer, who had 365 rushing yards in 1952 and saw action at both quarterback and left halfback in that season. The previous high by a Redskins player who played strictly quarterback was Joe Theismann, who rushed for 314 yards in 1984.
  • Griffin III finished the evening with a 76-yard touchdown run. The run is the longest by a quarterback in team history and the longest by an NFL quarterback since Pittsburgh's Kordell Stewart rushed for an 80-yard touchdown against Carolina on Dec. 22, 1996.
  • Griffin III now has at least one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown in three games this season, making him only the second individual quarterback in team history since 1950 to do so three times in a season (Joe Theismann, 1980).
  • Griffin III joins Michael Vick as the only NFL quarterbacks since 1970 to rush for at least 130 yards and two touchdowns in a game.
  • With touchdowns by Griffin III and Morris, the Redskins became the first team in NFL history to have two rookies each rush for five touchdowns in the first six games of a season.
  • Griffin III's six rushing touchdowns are the most by a Redskins quarterback in a single season in team history. He was previously tied with Joe Theismann (1979) and Eddie LeBaron (1955).

Week 7: Redskins 23, Giants 27

  • The Redskins have now rushed for 1,244 yards this season, the most the team has ever rushed for in the first seven games of a season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The previous high was 1,235, set by the 1984 team.

Week 9: Redskins 13, Panthers 21

  • Griffin III and rookie running back Morris became the first rookie quarterback-running back tandem in NFL history to each amass 500 rushing yards in a season.
  • The game was the first in NFL history contested between a Heisman-winning rookie quarterback (Griffin III) and a Heisman-winning quarterback in his second NFL season (Carolina quarterback Cam Newton).

Week 11: Redskins 31, Eagles 6

  • Griffin III completed 14-of-15 passes (93.3 percent) for 200 yards with four touchdowns. He finished the game with a perfect 158.3 passer rating and also contributed 84 rushing yards on 12 carries.
  • Griffin III was five attempts short of meeting the 20-attempt minimum needed to qualify for team records for completion percentage (Mark Brunell – 89.3 on Sept. 24, 2006 vs. Houston) and passer rating (Sonny Jurgensen – 149.3, Sept. 15, 1968 at Chicago).
  • The completion was Griffin III's 173rd of the season, pushing him past Norm Snead (172 in 1961) for sole possession of the team record for completions in a rookie season.

Week 12: Redskins 38, Cowboys 31

  • The 38 points scored are the most scored by the Redskins on Thanksgiving Day in team history. The team's previous high was 23 points (Nov. 28, 1974 at Dallas).
  • Griffin III broke single-season team records for passing yards by a rookie (Norm Snead's 2,337 in 1961) and passing touchdowns by a rookie (Eddie LeBaron's 14 in 1952). For the season, Griffin III is now 206-for-305 (67.5 percent) for 2,504 yards with 16 touchdowns.
  • Griffin III became the first player in Redskins history to pass for four touchdowns in consecutive games. He is only the second NFL player this season with four touchdown passes in consecutive weeks and is the only player to do so without the benefit of a bye week in between games (New Orleans' Drew Brees threw for four touchdowns in Weeks 5 and 7 with a bye in Week 6).
  • Griffin III is the first player in NFL history to have four 60-yard passing touchdowns and a 60-yard rushing touchdown in a season.
  • Griffin III is the first rookie since at least the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to have multiple games with four or more passing touchdowns in a season.
  • Griffin III's four passing touchdowns are the most in a single game by a Redskins quarterback on Thanksgiving Day, surpassing the three Thanksgiving Day touchdowns thrown by Jim Ninowski (Nov. 28, 1968) and Danny Wuerffel (Nov. 28, 2002). Griffin III's 311 yards are also the most by a Redskins quarterback on Thanksgiving Day, surpassing Ninowski's 280.

Week 13: Redskins 17, Giants 16

  • Morris broke the Redskins' record for rushing yards by a rookie with a 16-yard gain in the third quarter that pushed him past Reggie Brooks' former rookie record of 1,063 rushing yards for the Redskins during the 1993 season.
  • The Redskins became the first team in NFL history to have a rookie with 2,000 passing yards (Griffin III) and a rookie with 1,000 rushing yards (Morris).
  • Griffin III rushed for 72 yards on five carries. Griffin III now has 714 rushing yards this season, setting an NFL record for rushing yards by a rookie quarterback, a record formerly held by Carolina's Cam Newton (706 in 2011).

Week 14: Redskins 31, Ravens 28

  • Rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins led an eight-point fourth-quarter comeback, making the Redskins the first team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to have two different rookie quarterbacks lead fourth-quarter comeback wins in the same season.
  • Cousins converted the game-tying two-point conversion on a quarterback draw, marking the first time in team history that the Redskins had scored a two-point conversion to send a game to overtime.
  • Washington has now rushed for 150 yards or more in 10 games this season. Entering Sunday, no other NFL team had more than six. The Redskins are one 150-yard game shy of matching their team record for 150-yard rushing games in a season (11, set in 1983).
  • Morris (1,228) and Griffin III (748) have combined for 1,976 rushing yards, the most by rookies on any team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

Week 15: Redskins 38, Browns 21

  • The Redskins became the first team in NFL history to have two different rookie quarterbacks post 300-yard passing games in the same season.
  • Morris rushed for two touchdowns, giving him nine on the season, surpassing Skip Hicks (eight in 1998) to set the Redskins' record for rushing touchdowns in a rookie season.

Week 16: Redskins 27, Eagles 20

  • Kicker Kai Forbath converted field goal attempts of 45 and 42 yards in the second quarter, improving him to 17-for-17 this season and breaking Garrett Hartley's NFL record for consecutive field goals made to start a career (16).
  • Morris (1,413) and Griffin III (752) have combined for 2,165 rushing yards this season, the most by a pair of teammates in a season in Redskins history.
  • With his third quarter touchdown, Morris tied Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Taylor for the Redskins' rookie record for total touchdowns in a season (10, 1964). Morris already held the team rookie record for rushing touchdowns.

Week 17: Redskins 28, Cowboys 18

  • With the Redskins winning the NFC East one season after finishing in last in the division, the Redskins completed their first "worst-to-first" one-season turnaround in team history.
  • Running back Alfred Morris rushed 33 times for 200 rushing yards with three touchdowns, all career highs. With the 200 yards on Sunday, Morris finished the season with 1,613 yards, breaking Clinton Portis' team record for rushing yards in a season (1,516 in 2005).
  • The three rushing touchdowns tied a Redskins' team record, marking the 22nd time a Redskin has rushed for three touchdowns in a game.
  • The 200-yard rushing performance by Morris is a Redskins rookie record and is the first by a Redskin of any experience level since Gerald Riggs' team-record 221 yards on Sept. 17, 1989, vs. Philadelphia.
  • The 33 carries were a Redskins rookie record and the most since Portis had 36 rushing attempts on Nov. 4, 2007.
  • The Redskins finished with 2,709 rushing yards for the season, breaking the team record for rushing yards in a season (formerly 2,625 in 1983).
  • Washington broke the 200-yard rushing mark for the fourth time this season, giving the Redskins' four games of 200-plus rushing yards this season, tied for the team's most since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger (four in 1985).
  • Griffin III set NFL rookie records for passer rating (102.4, surpassing Russell Wilson's 100.0 passer rating this season and Ben Roethlisberger's 98.1 from the 2004 season) and for percentage of passes intercepted (1.3 percent, breaking Charlie Batch's 1.98 percent).
  • With his first pass attempt, Griffin III set the team rookie record for pass attempts in a season, surpassing Norm Snead (375 in 1961).
  • Griffin III finishes the regular season with team rookie records for completions (258), pass attempts (393), passing yards (3,200), passing touchdowns (20), completion percentage (65.6) and passer rating (102.4). He also hold team records for rushing attempts (120), rushing yards (815) and rushing touchdowns (seven) for a quarterback of any experience level.
  • Sunday marked the sixth game this season the Redskins finished a game without a turnover, a team record.
  • With 13 touchdowns, Morris broke the Redskins' rookie record for total touchdowns in a season previously held by Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Taylor (10 in 1964).

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