CANTON, OHIO ? It was exhausting and exhilarating.

And it was fun.

Joe Gibbs returned to NFL coaching Monday night, guiding the Washington Redskins to a 20-17 victory over the Denver Broncos in the Hall of Fame game. While hardly an artistic masterpiece, the win was significant to the coach who already is enshrined in Canton.

“It means a lot for me, because our guys worked extremely hard in the offseason, and they went out and played extremely hard,” Gibbs said. “And we had to overcome some adversity.

“We were kind of nervous and uptight. It meant a lot to us, probably more than to Denver. It’s a tough deal over there, but it was fun being back.”

Gibbs’ Redskins — it’s been 12 years since anyone could call them that — won on a last-second, 39-yard field goal by backup Ola Kimrin. But Gibbs saw enough mistakes to fill an entire preseason. And then some.

Still, the Redskins marched efficiently to the winning kick behind third-string quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, offsetting a long night of general inefficiency.

“It’s a learning process, and that’s the best thing about it,” Gibbs said. “It’s a little different to be back in the heat of battle, like taking a mental test. You really struggle when you can’t get things going.”

The Broncos were even worse for most of the game, although that franchise’s only Hall of Famer, John Elway, certainly couldn’t complain. His weekend was made on Sunday, when he was inducted into the shrine along with Barry Sanders, Carl Eller and Bob Brown.

Fourth-string quarterback Mike Quinn led Denver’s 13-play, 58-yard drive that was capped by a 2-yard TD pass to Jeb Putzier and drew the Broncos to 17-15. Quinn hit Charlie Adams for the 2-point conversion to tie it.

Back came Washington, with a 35-yard pass from Hasselbeck to Darnerien McCants sparking the winning march. Backup kicker Kimrin didn’t flinch on his attempt, and Gibbs was a winner again.

“It feels good to get us out of there a little earlier,” Kimrin said with a laugh.

Many Broncos fans who filled Fawcett Stadium for the ceremony Sunday were back in their No. 7 jerseys and they saluted their hero with loud cheers when he was introduced before the game and at halftime. But there were no Hall of Fame quality performances on the field, only the usual collection of errors for an opening exhibition game. Penalties galore, fumbles, interceptions, drops and poor timing slowed matters to a crawl.

Safety Sean Taylor, Washington’s first-round selection (fifth overall), had a strong debut, though. He picked off fellow rookie Matt Mauck twice, scoring from the 3 on the second interception.

Taylor stepped in front of Putzier, grabbed the pass and sauntered into the end zone for a 10-9 lead in the third quarter.

“I saw it coming and I made the play,” Taylor said. “I’m here to make big plays.”

Taylor’s work was one of the few things Gibbs could be pleased with, along with the final drive. It’s too early in his return to anticipate much more.

Still, watching the Redskins and Broncos in this game had to remind Gibbs of seeing his NASCAR drivers, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart, getting flat tires.

Worst of all, Redskins right tackle Jon Jansen ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon in the first quarter and likely will miss the season.

“I’ve never missed a practice or a game,” said Jansen, supporting himself on crutches in the locker room. “It’s disappointing, especially with a new coaching staff and we have a lot of expectations and excitement.”

Washington appeared to put the game away on Hasselbeck’s 33-yard TD pass to Gari Scott with 6:54 to go. But Quinn had other ideas.

“Overall, I was fairly pleased,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “We did move the ball. But we did make too many mistakes, including one very big turnover. We can’t have so many dropped balls. I lost count of how many.”

Although each team was sloppy from the outset, there were enough big plays by the regulars to produce some early points — field goals.

Shawn Springs, signed to replace cornerback Champ Bailey after Bailey was traded to Denver for Clinton Portis, intercepted Jake Plummer’s pass on the Broncos’ first series. Bailey’s sticky coverage of Laveranues Coles on a third-down pass forced an incompletion, and the Redskins settled for John Hall’s 39-yard field goal.

Jason Elam tied it with his own 39-yarder on the next series after Quentin Griffin, Portis’ successor as Denver’s starting tailback, had runs of 27 and 16 yards.

Elam added field goals of 40 and 47 yards.

Otherwise, it was a melange of mistakes for both sides. For much of the game, Gibbs and Shanahan stood with their arms folded or paced their sidelines, watching the flow of yellow flags.

In all, there were 22 penalties for 189 yards. Dozens of other infractions either were declined or offset each other. Notes: Gibbs became the second man already enshrined to coach in the Hall of Fame game. Paul Brown did it in 1975. … Griffin finished with 46 yards on six carries. Portis had 11 on four rushes. … Starting QBs Plummer (5-for-8 for 24 yards) and Mark Brunell (4-for-8 for 18 yards) weren’t particularly impressive in short stints. … Denver LB Jashon Sykes sprained his left knee, while star DE Trevor Pryce banged his left knee, but was able to walk it off. WR Darius Watts has a sore shoulder.