LANDOVER, Md. (AP) – The Minnesota Vikings have a new coach, a new attitude, and an old quarterback who knows how to win.

Brad Johnson led a 54-yard fourth-quarter drive, capped by Ryan Longwell’s 31-yard field goal with one minute remaining, to give the Vikings a 19-16 victory over the Washington Redskins on Monday night.

The victory made Brad Childress a winner in his head coaching debut, and made Johnson a winner for the 66th time as a starter two days before his 38th birthday. Johnson, who completed 16 of 30 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown, has won an impressive 61 percent (66 of 109) of his starts with four teams in his 15-year career.

The Redskins had a chance to tie after Longwell’s kick, but John Hall – who has struggled with leg injuries for the last two years – was wide left with a poorly hit 48-yard field goal attempt with 12 seconds remaining.

“My heart was kind of stopping there. I was tying my shoes getting ready for an overtime game,” Johnson said. “Fortunately, it went a little wide left for us and turned out great.”

Chester Taylor, the Vikings’ free agent signing from Baltimore, rushed 31 times for 88 yards and a touchdown, upstaging Clinton Portis’ surprise return for Washington. Portis, who spent the week downplaying his chances for the game because of a shoulder injury, entered the game late during the Redskins’ first drive and finished with 39 yards on 10 carries.

The loss subdued a Washington crowd that turned the stadium into a sea of fluttering red, white and blue as they waved American flags to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

A game that had no turnovers was decided with a winning Vikings drive that began at Minnesota’s 33 with 5:34 remaining. A 13-yard pass to Troy Williamson converted a key third down, and 15 yards were added to the play when Redskins safety Sean Taylor grabbed Williamson’s face mask.

From there, Chester Taylor carried five straight times to the Washington 13, forcing the Redskins to use all their timeouts before Longwell’s winning kick.

The game featured a Hall of Fame coach (Joe Gibbs) against a first-time head coach making his debut, as well as two of the oldest quarterbacks in the league. Washington’s Mark Brunell turns 36 on Sunday.

Childress has vowed to change the culture of a Vikings team that was belittled following last year’s infamous “Love Boat” party involving several players. He made a statement before the game by deactivating safety Dwight Smith, who was cited for indecent conduct two weeks ago.

But the Vikings often looked like a team adjusting to a new system. Their mistakes included a mishandled extra point, several drops and untimely penalties, including a roughing-the-passer call on third down that kept a Redskins drive alive.

Still, they were able to beat a Redskins team that unveiled a new offense designed by assistant coach Al Saunders. Saunders’ arrival meant Gibbs wasn’t calling plays for the first time in his head coaching career, and the attack relied heavily on laterals and screens, making for some odd stats. At halftime, a receiver, Santana Moss, led the team in rushing, while a running back, Ladell Betts, led the team in receptions. Receiver Antwaan Randle El lined up in the backfield several times.

The Vikings took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards in 10 plays, converting on third-and-9 and third-and-7 and scoring on third-and-goal from 4. A 46-yard pass to Williamson set up Taylor’s touchdown run three plays later, but the extra point was botched when holder Chris Kluwe fumbled the ball and was tackled attempting to run toward the end zone.

Portis, recovering from a left shoulder that was partially dislocated on Aug. 13, played as a backup for the first time since Sept. 30, 2002, the fourth game of his rookie year with Denver. He took hits on the shoulder and kept on going, scoring the Redskins’ only touchdown on a 5-yard pitch-sweep that put Washington ahead 10-6 in the second quarter.

Minnesota safety Darren Sharper saved another touchdown with a jarring hit that knocked the ball out of Moss’ hands in the end zone late in the half. The Redskins settled for a field goal, but the Vikings matched it with a 3-pointer on the final play of the half to cut Washington’s lead to 13-9.

Marcus Robinson beat cornerback Carlos Rogers for a 20-yard touchdown catch to give the Vikings a 16-13 lead in the third quarter. The Redskins tied the game on the next drive. Unable to get in the end zone after having second-and-3 from the 4, Washington settled for Hall’s third field goal.