5 Most Impressive Week One Performances in Washington Redskins History

The Washington Redskins are one of the most decorated franchises in NFL history. 

They’ve had plenty of stud players on both offense and defense, and these legends of Washington have made their mark in plenty of games. With Washington’s regular season opener just six days away, it is only appropriate that we honor specific performances of these greats in the Redskins' past season openers. 

From big numbers on offense to stingy defensive showings, there are plenty of good choices to select, so narrowing it down was tough. Legends, upstarts, has-beens, never-were's...they’re all here, as I list the five most impressive season-opening performances in Redskins' history.

Darrell Green, 1991

Darrell Green is well-known as one of the best cornerbacks in NFL history, and had one of his better games against the Detroit Lions in 1991. 

The game itself was a complete blowout with Washington winning, 45-0, in a victory highlighted by textbook defense. The Redskins’ defense allowed just 61 yards passing and generated four interceptions–two of which were by Green. 

Aside from his stiff performance on defense, he also turned in a solid performance on special teams, averaging 44 yards per return.

Clinton Portis, 2004

Clinton Portis had a good chance at becoming a Redskins legend if it weren’t for a string of unfortunate injuries, but he still made a difference while he was with the team. 

Although Portis has had plenty of impressive games, his performance in the 2004 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was one for the ages. 

He rushed for 148 yards on 29 carries (averaging 5.1 yards per carry) and a touchdown. Those would be good numbers against any team, but this was a Buccaneers team which was shortly removed from a Super Bowl victory—a title that Tampa Bay had won largely because of its defense. 

Portis was still relatively new to the league, so racking up almost 150 yards against arguably the best defense in the NFL at that time was that much more special.

Robert Griffin III, 2012

Expectations and hopes were both high for Robert Griffin III when he entered the league and he hasn’t disappointed to date. 

He rejuvenated a Redskins team that hadn’t looked decent for a very long time, leading Washington to its first division title in years. Griffin really kick-started his NFL career when he torched the New Orleans Saints' defense in his debut last season. 

The former Heisman Trophy-winner had a pretty impressive stat line. He went 17-for-26 passing for 320 yards and a pair of touchdowns. RG3 also added 42 yards on the ground, a mere amuse-bouche of what we would see of his running ability. 

RG3 has proven that his opening performance last year wasn’t a fluke and he will look to bolster that claim on Sept. 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Art Monk, 1982

Art Monk was undoubtedly one of the best receivers in the NFL and was able to enjoy a few big games with former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann. 

Monk was a big-bodied receiver and one of Theismann’s favorite targets for a reason. Monk was Washington's leading receiver in the 1982 opener, recording eight catches for 134 yards and a touchdown. 

Monk was also instrumental in the Redskins' Super Bowl run that season, which all started with his huge opener against the Eagles.

Joe Theismann, 1982

Joe Theismann isn’t the most well-received quarterback in Redskins' history, but he did have a plethora of big games. One of his biggest games came when Washington traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles to kick off the 1982 season. 

Theismann was on fire, throwing for 382 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-34 win, marking the third-highest passing yardage total of his career. It came against an Eagles team that had gone 10-6 the previous season and was only one year removed from a Super Bowl appearance. 

This game ended up being the triumphant start to Washington’s next Super Bowl run.

If the Redskins are able to mirror their success in this season's opener with the Eagles then who knows where Washington could end up by the end of this season.

You know what they say: History has a way of repeating itself.