Childress wins head coaching debut; Vikings upstage Portis' return

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- Two days before his 38th birthday, Brad Johnson was the one handing out a very nice present. In the locker

room, the quarterback gave the game ball to new head coach Brad Childress, whose mission to transform the Minnesota Vikings is off

to a winning start.

Ryan Longwell's 31-yard field goal with one minute remaining

gave the Vikings a 19-16 victory over the Washington Redskins on

Monday night. For now, Childress has at least some temporary

bragging rights over Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs.

"I am tremendously humble and was a little emotional after the

game," Childress said. "I'm just happy for those guys in the

locker room. ... They faced a lot of adversity tonight. It was an

away game, a Monday night, Hall of Fame coach, I'm just pleased

with what they accomplished."

Johnson deserved much of the credit himself for doing what he's

been doing throughout his NFL life: win, win and win some more.

He has won an impressive 61 percent (66 of 109) of his starts

with four teams in his 15-year career -- including two years with

the Redskins. He completed 16 of 30 passes for 223 yards and a

touchdown Monday, and kept bailing out his team, completing 10 of

15 passes on third down.

"That's Brad," center Matt Birk said. "He's just so smart,

and he's obviously crafty to have played in the league this long."

The loss subdued a Washington crowd that turned the stadium into

a sea of fluttering red, white and blue as they waved American

flags to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001,

terrorist attacks.

Big things are expected of the Redskins this year, a confidence

reflected in an attendance of 90,608 that set a new record for the

largest stadium in the NFL. Even Hollywood made an appearance:

Actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were guests of owner Dan Snyder,

who has recently entered into a partnership with Cruise's

production company.

Nothing in the sideshow helped the Redskins win. They did have a

chance to send the game to overtime after Longwell's kick, but John Hall -- who has struggled with leg injuries for the last two years --

was wide left with a poorly hit 48-yard field goal attempt with 12

seconds remaining.

"There were some plays, yards and even some touchdowns that we

left on the field," said Mark Brunell, who was 17-for-28 for 163

yards. "How far off we are I'm not quite sure yet, but I do know

that we're a throw away, a block away and a run away from really

doing some good things tonight."

Childress has vowed to change the culture of a Vikings team that

was belittled following last year's infamous "Love Boat" party

involving several players. He made a statement before the game by

deactivating safety Dwight Smith, who was cited for indecent

conduct two weeks ago.

"A win is always good," receiver Troy Williamson said. "It's

going to be even greater for coach Childress."

Elias Says

Taylor Chester Taylor had 31 carries in his first game for the Vikings, setting an NFL record for most carries in a veteran player's first game for a new team. The old record was 29, set by Clinton Portis in 2004 in his first game for the Redskins. (Several rookies have had as many as 31 carries in their first game in the NFL, most recently LaDainian Tomlinson, who had 36 carries in his NFL debut in 2001.) • For more Elias Says, click here

Chester Taylor, the Vikings' free agent signing from Baltimore,

rushed 31 times for 88 yards and a touchdown, upstaging Clinton Portis' surprise return for Washington. Portis, who spent the week

downplaying his chances for the game because of a shoulder injury,

entered the game late during the Redskins' first drive and finished

with 39 yards on 10 carries and scored his team's only touchdown.

A game that had no turnovers was decided with a winning Vikings

drive that began at Minnesota's 33 with 5:34 remaining. A 13-yard

pass to Williamson converted a key third down, and 15 yards were

added to the play when Redskins safety Sean Taylor grabbed

Williamson's face mask.

From there, Taylor carried five straight times to the Washington

13, forcing the Redskins to use all their timeouts before

Longwell's winning kick.

The Vikings become the 10th road team to win in the NFL's

opening weekend, the most in Week 1 since 1983, when there were 12

road winners.

"That just shows how battle-tested we are," said Minnesota

safety Darren Sharper, who saved a touchdown by knocking the ball

out of Santana Moss' hands in the end zone late in the first half.

"That's what coach has expressed to us all camp -- he wants a

hardened unit."

The Redskins sputtered as they unveiled a new offense designed

by assistant coach Al Saunders. Saunders' arrival meant Gibbs

wasn't calling plays for the first time in his head coaching

career, and the attack relied heavily on laterals and screens,

making for some odd stats. At halftime, a receiver, Moss, led the

team in rushing, while a running back, Ladell Betts, led the team

in receptions.

"I think, obviously, we'd like to have more points," Gibbs

said. "I don't think anybody in there from an offensive standpoint

is satisfied."Game notes
Redskins S Pierson Prioleau hurt the ACL in his right knee

on the opening kickoff. Gibbs said the injury was "pretty bad."

Prioleau will have an MRI on Tuesday. Redskins DT Phillip Daniels

bruised his knee, and TE Christian Fauria had a lower leg injury.

... Portis, recovering from a left shoulder that was partially

dislocated on Aug. 13, played as a backup for the first time since

Sept. 30, 2002, the fourth game of his rookie year with Denver.