The Redskins insisted they were a brand new team with rookie Robert Griffin III at quarterback. The Saints insisted they were the same as last year despite losing coach Sean Payton to a season-long suspension.

Washington was right. New Orleans was dead wrong, at least on opening day.

Griffin completed his first eight passes and led the Redskins to scores on seven of their first eight possessions as they dominated the Saints most of the way and held on for a 40-32 win on Sunday at the Superdome. It is the most points the Redskins have scored since 2005 and a huge departure from last year, when Washington went 5-11 and QB Rex Grossman committed 25 turnovers.

It was a dismal start for the Saints following their brutal, bounty-related offseason. Drew Brees completed fewer than half of his passes (24 of 52). The offense had four three-and-outs in its first six series. The defense could not stop Griffin. And the Saints committed costly penalties everywhere. After going 9-0 at home and outscoring opponents by 203 points last year under Payton, the Saints are 0-1 under interim coach Aaron Kromer.

When the game turned: The Saints had just gone ahead 7-3 in the first quarter when Griffin threw a laser over the middle that WR Pierre Garcon turned into an 88-yard touchdown, the Redskins’ longest TD from scrimmage since 1987. The Redskins led the rest of the way, going ahead by as many as 16.

Highlight moments: Griffin’s pass to Garcon, who received a nice block just as S Roman Harper was about to tackle him and raced untouched for an easy touchdown. With the Redskins leading 20-14 at the start of the third quarter, Griffin threw a deep pass to Aldrick Robinson on fourth-and-1 from the New Orleans 34. Harper appeared to make a good play in the end zone, but he was flagged for interference, setting up an easy touchdown.

Top-shelf performance: Griffin -- 19 of 26 for 320 yards, two TDs, no interceptions. Redskins rookie RB Alfred Morris -- 28 carries, 96 yards, two TDs. Garcon -- four catches, 109 yards, one TD. Saints WR Lance Moore -- six catches, 120 yards, one TD.

Tough-guy award: After breaking his left arm on the second-quarter play when the Saints blocked a punt and scored a TD, Redskins long snapper Nick Sundberg played the entire second half. 

What they said about the 88-yard TD pass

Griffin: “They blitzed, and I was looking to throw to my hot guy, but he got covered. Pierre was my primary receiver, I had enough time and I threw it. Receivers don’t like to run across the middle for a long time. Pierre had to, and he did a good job finishing the play.”

Garcon: “We just got lucky. They got out of position, Robert threw a great ball. The end zone looked like it was far away. I looked up on the screen a couple of times and was like, ‘ah.’ I’m glad it worked out for us.”

What they said about the Saints loss:

Brees: “It’s hard to believe we even had a chance to tie it at the end. When you make that many mistakes, you don’t deserve to win.”

Numbers you should know: The Saints were penalized 12 times for 107 yards. The questionable interference call on Harper was the biggest, but the rest weren’t controversial, including a 12-men-on the field call that prolonged a scoring drive when Washington was punting. The Redskins are 7-1 in their last eight visits to the Superdome and 2-0 there since Drew Brees arrived in New Orleans.

Injury update: Saints CB Johnny Patrick hurt his right leg after deflecting a pass in the second quarter. He was helped off the field, carted to the locker room and did not return. Redskins WR Pierre Garcon left with a right foot injury soon after scoring on a 88-yard reception in the first quarter. Saints LB Scott Shanle did not return after halftime with a leg injury. Saints WR Devery Henderson left in the third quarter after receiving a blow to the head. Redskins y Jordan Bernstine was carted off in the fourth quarter after hurting his right leg on kickoff coverage. Redskins SS Brandon Meriweather was inactive with a knee injury. He sprained an MCL and PCL ligament last Monday, and coach Mike Shanahan said he would be out two to four weeks. Saints CB Jabari Greer (groin) was a pre-game scratch after practicing most of the week. He had sports hernia surgery on Aug. 2 and missed the entire preseason.

Going forward: The Saints’ tour of Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks continues with a trip to Carolina, and they can only hope they will fare better against Cam Newton than they did against Griffin. Newton won the Heisman in 2010. The Redskins travel to St. Louis and have an excellent opportunity to match their 2-0 start from 2011. With Griffin around, the 3-11 free-fall that followed seems highly unlikely. 

Follow Saints reporter Guerry Smith on twitter @CBSSaints.