ST. LOUIS – Robert Griffin III followed up his brilliant NFL debut with another solid performance. But the other quarterback was just a little better.
St. Louis’ Sam Bradford threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns Sunday as the Rams scored their first win for new coach Jeff Fisher with a wild 31-28 decision over Washington at the Edward Jones Dome.
Bradford’s 1-yard scoring flip to tight end Matthew Mulligan on the first play of the fourth quarter gave St. Louis (1-1) the lead for good and their defense managed to make it stand up against Griffin III, who accounted for three touchdowns a week after throwing for 320 yards in a 40-32 win at New Orleans.
But last year’s Heisman Trophy winner couldn’t get his suddenly explosive Redskins (1-1) on the scoreboard after going seven yards on a quarterback draw to give them a 28-23 edge with 5:27 left in the third quarter. Griffin finished 20 of 29 for 206 yards in the air and rushed for 82 yards on 11 attempts.
Billy Cundiff missed a 61-yard field goal attempt with 1:13 left. The kick was pushed back 15 yards when Josh Morgan was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after coming up a yard shy of a first down on a third-down catch.
Griffin III could have been the Rams’ property had they opted to take him with the No. 2 overall pick and trade Bradford, as some opined they should have done back in April. But St. Louis dealt the selection to Washington for multiple draft picks and stuck with its third-year signal-caller.
Bradford made the decision look really good in this one, making liberal use of Danny Amendola and getting support from the running game. Amendola more than made up for a first-play fumble that Josh Wilson returned 30 yards for a touchdown, catching a career-high 15 passes for 160 yards. Amendola’s 12 first-half catches tied Reggie Wayne for most ever by a wide receiver.
Daryl Richardson tacked on 83 yards on 15 carries for St. Louis, giving its running game a spark after Fisher benched veteran Steven Jackson in the second quarter. Jackson was stopped for no gain on third-and-goal from the 1, then drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing with officials and spiking the ball in anger.
Notes: The Rams distributed adhesive mustaches to each fan in the sellout crowd in honor of Fisher … It’s the third straight season that the teams have played in St. Louis … Redskins WR Pierre Garcon was inactive with an ankle injury suffered in last week’s win at New Orleans and teammate Brandon Meriweather also sat out.