RG3 shines in debut as Redskins down Saints

New Orleans, LA - Central Texas' own Robert Griffin III had the best seat in the house as Pierre Garcon scampered 88 yards for Griffin's first NFL touchdown.

Making his NFL debut, Griffin threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns on 19- of-26 efficiency as the Washington Redskins held off the New Orleans Saints, 40-32, on Sunday.

Late in the first quarter, Griffin took a big hit from safety Malcolm Jenkins before releasing the football downfield on a play-action pass to an open Garcon over the middle at the 30-yard line.

Griffin sat on the turf with both arms raised as Garcon, who caught four passes for 109 yards before exiting with a right foot injury, streaked down the left sideline for the score.

Griffin added 42 yards on 10 carries for Washington (1-0), which failed to score more than 30 points in any game a year ago.

The Saints (0-1), playing in their first regular season game since the fallout from the bounty-gate scandal, were led onto the field by interim head coach Aaron Kromer. He's taking over for Sean Payton, who's banned for the entire 2012 campaign for failing to put a stop to the Saints' scandal overseen by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Joe Vitt will take over the head coaching duties following his six-game suspension.

Fresh off a new five-year, $100 million deal and one of the most prolific seasons in league history, during which Drew Brees established new NFL marks with 5,476 passing yards and a career-best 46 touchdowns, he completed 24- of-52 passes for 339 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.