Vikings vs. Redskins: Leslie Frazier Chalks Up 'W' in Debut as Interim Coach

LANDOVER, Md. -- Interim coaches are the new hot thing in the NFC. Following Jason Garrett, who won his first two games with Dallas and then nearly upset defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans, Minnesota came into Washington today and beat the Redskins 17-13 in interim coach Leslie Frazier's debut despite losing All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson in the second quarter with an ankle injury.

The Vikings improved to 4-7, driving 74 yards in nine plays to start the second half and then added a field goal after a Donovan McNabb pass bounced off receiver Santana Moss and was intercepted by Minnesota linebacker E.J. Henderson at the Washington 7 late in the third quarter.

Brett Favre, who's expected to finally retire for good after the season, improved to 2-0 as a starter in Washington and clinched game with 10-yard scramble on third-and-8 in the final minutes. The cinch Hall of Famer's only previous game here was in 2004 for Green Bay.

The Redskins, who had first downs at the Minnesota 24 and 28 in the final 16 minutes but had to settle for field goals, dropped to 5-6.

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The killer for the Redskins was a penalty on rookie Perry Riley for illegally blocking Minnesota's Everson Griffen -- who was out of the play -- that wiped out Brandon Banks' 88-yard kickoff return that would've put them ahead 20-17 with just 6:54 remaining.

Here are some more thoughts on the game

• The Redskins drove 83 yards in 13 plays on their opening possession with McNabb completing all eight of his passes for 84 yards and the touchdown to backup tight Fred Davis. They gained just 67 yards on their 19 plays on their ensuing three series in the first half with McNabb going 5-for-11.

• The Vikings, who moved 71 yards in seven plays to tie the game on their first series, got 70 yards and a touchdown on just seven touches from Peterson before he exited, but they were still able to grind out the victory with rookie Toby Gerhart, who churned out 76 yards on 22 carries.

• Redskins outside linebacker Brian Orakpo had seven sacks in the first seven games but just a half sack in three games since until he took down Brett Favre in the first quarter. Orakpo, who had 11 sacks as a rookie in 2009, is the first Washington player with as many as eight sacks in consecutive seasons since outside linebacker Ken Harvey in 1996 and 1997.

• It's always something with Albert Haynesworth. The Redskins' defensive lineman became sick during warmups but was able to return by the second quarter. He shared a third-quarter sack in the red zone with Andre Carter.

• Eight of the nine Redskins who were limited in practice on Friday suited up: Moss and Banks; center Casey Rabach; right guard Artis Hicks; defensive end Kedric Golston; linebackers Lorenzo Alexander and Rocky McIntosh and cornerback Carlos Rogers. Guard Derrick Dockery was inactive but not for health reasons.

• The Redskins finally gave up on 38-year-old receiver Joey Galloway on Saturday, cutting him after he caught just 12 passes in 10 games, and promoting rookie receiver Terrence Austin from the practice squad. Last Sunday at Tennessee, Galloway had become the 32nd player in NFL history with 700 catches.

• Minnesota didn't lose yards to a penalty in the first 41:30 (there was a situation with offsetting flags earlier).

• With Clinton Portis on injured reserve and Ryan Torain out for a second straight week with a hamstring, the Redskins couldn't run the ball, generating just 29 yards on 13 carries.

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