Redskins come out swinging, but lose to Dolphins in opener in a familiar way

But a host of familiar problems — costly interceptions, gassed defenders down the stretch and special-teams gaffes — produced an all-too-familiar result.

As a result, the Redskins fell, 17-10, to the Miami Dolphins before a crowd of 76,615 that at least for a stretch, when the home team dominated the early going, cheered what appeared to be a turnaround.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 21 of 31 throws for 195 yards and one touchdown, but again undercut his production with two interceptions.

Alfred Morris did the lion's share of the work in carrying 24 times for 107 yards. But the rushing attack wasn't enough to compensate for mistakes that led to a scoreless second half.

Moreover, the Redskins lost two starters to injury: Wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who strained a hamstring before making a single catch; and safety Duke Ihenacho, who injured his left wrist. Neither returned.

The loss dropped Cousins's record as a starter to 2-8 and suggested that the turnaround Coach Jay Gruden is trying to pull off in his second season in Washington may be a long time coming.

The game offered the first look at best of the new rookie class: offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, linebacker Preston Smith, running back Matt Jones and wide receiver Jamison Crowder, all of whom had some fine moments against a tough opponent.

Quarterback Robert Griffin III, demoted on Aug. 31 and only cleared for competition following a concussion on Thursday afternoon, was ruled inactive for the season opener as the No. 3 quarterback.

Miami's vaunted defense sacked Cousins on the Redskins' opening series, with defensive tackle Jordan Phillips plowing over center Kory Lichtensteiger to drop the quarterback for an eight-yard loss.

But tight end Jordan Reed proved tougher than his injury-prone reputation suggests in breaking a series of tackles for two first downs. After sputtering rushing attempts, Kai Forbath nailed a 45-yard field goal to cap a 12-play drive and put the Redskins on the board, 3-0.

And the retooled Redskins defense stood tall when it got to work, holding the Dolphins to three-and-out. Defensive lineman Jason Hatcher got the tackle that mattered on third-and-1.

Washington's next offensive series was costly, with wide receiver Jackson, who'd sat out the preseason to nurse a shoulder injury, straining his left hamstring trying to run down a deep ball on the first play.

Pierre Garcon proved he was made of tougher stuff, pounding past defenders for an 18-yard gain. Unable to draw a penalty on a fourth and 1 on Miami's 27, the Redskins opted for a field goal try instead. This time, Forbath's attempt, from 46 yards, sailed wide.

The defense proved its first stand was no fluke, forcing the Dolphins to punt again.

Garcon was called for pass interference after getting open by slamming a defender to the ground with one hand. Backed up on a third and 18, Cousins pressed too hard in trying to recover lost ground. He scanned the field and uncorked a throw to Reed, but cornerback Brent Grimes grabbed it instead.

Again, the Redskins' defense came up huge, stuffing the driving Dolphins on fourth and 1 to make sure they didn't get a point from the Cousins turnover.

Washington's offense took over at the 12, and what followed was the team's longest scoring drive in three years. A medley of new faces played a part: Jones bulldozed on some carries and bounced like a pinball on others, and tight end Derek Carrier caught his first pass as a Redskin. Reed and Garcon came up with tough catches. Morris got them to the 1, only to be knocked back to the 4, as chants of "Let's Go Redskins!" rang out. Finally, Cousins lofted a nicely arcing ball into the hands of Reed for the game's first touchdown to put the Redskins up, 10-0, with just under 2 minutes remaining in the half.

The momentum changed in a hurry after veteran cornerback DeAngelo Hall went down with a rib injury.

That brought up backup David Amerson — chum in the water, in the eyes of Miami's quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who threw at the third-year cornerback six consecutive times and beat him with the seventh throw, a three-yard strike to Rishard Matthews that made it 10-7 when the half expired.

Smith, Washington's rookie linebacker, made two big splashes on a single play to open the second half, flying in for a sack that dislodged the ball from Tannehill. It twice squirted out of the Dolphins' clutches before Smith, part of the Redskins' gaggle in pursuit, dove on it for good. A pat on the helmet was his reward.

But the offense couldn't get a first down and was forced to punt.

The Redskins run defense lost its punch as the third quarter ground on.

Miami marched down the field and was quickly in scoring position. Hall, back in the action, saved one touchdown and combined with Perry Riley Jr. to bring down Tannehill on an end zone-bound scamper. Miami knotted the score at 10 apiece with a field goal.

The Redskins replied with a penalty-strewn mess of a drive, then gave up the lead on a 69-yard punt return that Jarvis Landry carried in for a touchdown. In a flash, FedEx Field turned teal, as Dolphins fans shot to their feet.

It went south in a hurry.

After Chris Thompson set the offense up with good field position, Cousins took to the air. He was nearly intercepted trying to squeeze the ball between defenders flanking Reed in the end zone. So he tried the other side, targeting Garcon. It was grabbed instead by Brice McCain.