ASHBURN, Va. — Jay Gruden has endured a trying season in his first year as the Washington Redskins’ head coach, but Sunday’s events might have topped the blowout home loss to the New York Giants in Week 4 or losing quarterback Robert Griffin III to a dislocated left ankle in Week 2 for negativity.

Before the game at the Minnesota Vikings had even begun, the Redskins’ buses crashed into each other after a police escort leading the procession to the stadium missed the exit ramp.

Then came an erroneous ESPN report that some of Griffin’s teammates had tried to interrupt his group interview last Friday because they didn’t want him to reclaim the starting job from Colt McCoy, who had quarterbacked the Redskins to a stunning victory at Dallas four days earlier.

Finally came the game in which Washington failed to hold leads of 10-0, 20-14 and 26-21 and lost 29-26 to a Minnesota team with a rookie quarterback and rookie running back.

Griffin wasn’t stellar after missing six-plus games with a dislocated left ankle, but despite often porous protection, he produced a respectable 90.0 passer rating while teaming with big-play receiver DeSean Jackson and resurgent running back Alfred Morris to score the Redskins’ most points in six weeks.

Griffin did throw an interception with 59 seconds left in the first half and Washington leading 10-0, but that mistake didn’t cause the previously somnolent Minnesota offense to need just four subsequent plays to drive 46 yards for the touchdown.

The second half was even more of a horror show for coordinator Jim Haslett’s defense, easily its worst outing since the blowout loss to the visiting New York Giants five weeks earlier. The Vikings’ second half series went like this: six plays, 56 yards, touchdown; three-and-out (just barely); 10 plays, 76 yards, touchdown; 12 plays, 73 yards, touchdown; three-and-out after Griffin’s poor fourth down throw, leaving him just 12 seconds to try to win on a Hail Mary. It didn’t come close as Washington fell to 3-6 heading into its bye week.

“We let them drive 80 yards right down the field to take the lead; we go back down and score (to) take the lead and they come right back and go 80 yards again and take the lead, very, very, very sickened by that,” Gruden said. “(Was it) schematic or they just out-physicaled us, outworked us, out-prepared us, I don’t know. (But) that was unacceptable football.”

Free safety Ryan Clark agreed, saying, “The defense lost this game, not Robert Griffin.”

Although Washington’s defense was much worse against the pass than the run, the 47-year-old Gruden referred to the holes in Haslett’s unit as “gaping,” before adding sarcastically, “I might’ve been able to rush for 48 yards. We’ve just got to get off blocks better. We’ve got to cover better. I don’t know what to say positively.”

Indeed. While Jackson had two more catches of at least 40 yards along with a touchdown, Morris rushed for a season-high 92 yards and scored twice, kicker Kai Forbath improved to 15-for-16 with two more field goals and Andre Roberts established a season-high with a 45-yard kickoff return, there was very little good to say about the defense’s performance over the last 31 minutes.

“You can’t ask your offense to do much more,” added defensive end Chris Baker. “They gave us the lead multiple times and left it up to us to go out and get a stop and we weren’t able to do that.”

MEDICAL WATCH: RB Silas Redd was inactive after suffering back spasms in the pre-game bus crash but should be ready to when the Redskins return after their bye to face Tampa Bay on Nov. 16. … TE Logan Paulsen suffered plantar fasciitis against the Vikings but hasn’t been ruled out of the game with the Buccaneers. … ILB Keenan Robinson injured a shoulder but is expected to be ready for Tampa Bay. … S Ryan Clark re-aggravated an ankle injury at Minnesota but is expected to ready for the Bucs.

REPORT CARD VS. VIKINGS

PASSING OFFENSE: B- — Robert Griffin III actually wasn’t rusty early in his first game in seven weeks. He completed six of his first seven passes for 103 yards as the Redskins built a 10-0 lead. The quarterback was 12 of 18 for 148 yards, a touchdown and an interception the rest of the way. He was sacked five times as the interior of Washington’s line regularly couldn’t handle Minnesota’s rush up the middle and as Griffin continued his tendency to hold onto the ball too long.

Receiver DeSean Jackson had catches of 45 and 56 yards, giving him a league-best nine grabs of at least 40 yards in just nine games. He also took the team lead with his fourth touchdown reception on a slant. Third down back Roy Helu and Griffin teamed for 24 yards on a play that was almost a sack. No one else had more than three catches or one that went for more than 17 yards.

RUSHING OFFENSE: A- — Add Alfred Morris’ season-high 92 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries against the Vikings to his 13 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown in the second half against Dallas and the Pro Bowl back has 154 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries over the last six quarters. So perhaps he’s finally back on track after a subpar first seven and a half games. Griffin returned with a 14-yard burst but managed just 10 yards on his other six carries. The blocking was pretty good.

PASS DEFENSE: D — Six days after controlling Cowboys stars Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, the Redskins were burned by Vikings rookie Teddy Bridgewater and reserve tight end Chase Ford. Washington safeties Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather looked lost as Minnesota pass-catchers continually ran free. Young cornerbacks David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland made some nice plays but also allowed too much of a cushion at times. If the Redskins have a linebacker who can cover anyone, he didn’t play on Sunday. Defensive end Jason Hatcher had an early sack and Trent Murphy recorded his first, but the rookie missed a couple of others while fellow outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan had his quietest game in weeks.

RUSH DEFENSE: C — The Redskins started strong in this area, but then ran out of gas as underrated Vikings backs Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata combined for 80 yards and three touchdowns, all by the latter, who also scored on a 2-point conversion. The elusive Bridgewater ran three times for 20 yards. Clark and inside linebackers Perry Riley and Keenan Robinson led the tacklers, but not impressively.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B+ — Kicker Kai Forbath hit field goals of 26 and 36 yards to give him 11 straight conversions and 15 of 16 this season. He also did well enough kicking off into a sometimes stiff wind to prevent dangerous Minnesota return man Cordarelle Patterson from being a game-changer. Patterson did have a 32-yard return but managed just 38 yards on his other two. Akeem Davis brought down Vikings punt return man Marcus Sherels after just eight yards on the only one of Tress Way’s three punts that was brought back. Way continued his strong season by averaging 45.3 yards. Andre Roberts was totally bottled up on three punt retuns, but he took back one of his two kickoff returns a season–high 45 yards.

COACHING: C — Playing on the road for the second time in six days, Jay Gruden had to deal with a scary bus crash and false reports on national television about quarterback Robert Griffin III’s relationship with his teammates, but the Redskins still should have been able to hold leads of 10-0, 20-14 and 26-21 against a Vikings team with a rookie quarterback and without All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson. Instead, after a good start, Washington looked tired, especially on defense. This was a game that the Redskins could have and should had but let get away.