In his first professional season, Robert Griffin III has led the Redskins to a division title and hopefully, he’s not done yet.
The Redskins defeated the Cowboys 28-18 Sunday night to win the NFC East for the first time since 1999. Clearly playing at less than 100%, Griffin went 9 for 18 for only 100 yards, but rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown. Alfred Morris shouldered much of the load, with a spectacular performance rushing for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The game put an exclamation point on a remarkable seven game winning streak to finish the season. It also showed just how bright the future is for this young team.
There is a clear difference this year as compared to 2007, when the Redskins last made the playoffs. While there was legitimate excitement over a return to the postseason, there was nothing really to build around. The Redskins were led by Jason Campbell, who inspired little confidence, and a rapidly aging Clinton Portis. There was no young core and little hope for the team to expand on their success.
Now, the Redskins have two budding superstars in Griffin and Morris and two leaders on defense in Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan. Finally, we are seeing a team built through the draft, rather than pieced together by costly, over the hill free agents.
The big question in terms of this season, is whether the Redskins con keep the streak alive. The Seattle Seahawks will come to FedEx Field this Sunday in the wildcard matchup. Seattle has eliminated the Redskins the last two times they were in the playoffs. They are also being led by a rookie QB who is having an incredible season.
Russell Wilson was selected in the third round of the 2012 draft by Seattle. He was expected to backup the newly acquired Matt Flynn, but Pete Carroll liked what he saw from the young rookie and decided to roll the dice. Wow, did it pay off.
Wilson has led the Seahawks to an 11-6 record, narrowly losing the NFC West championship to the 11-4-1 San Francisco 49ers. He threw for 3,118 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only 10 interceptions. He has also rushed for another 489 yards and four touchdowns. It would be an even more remarkable rookie season if there weren’t two other guys named Luck and Griffin also having amazing success.
Perhaps most importantly, Wilson has durability. Griffin on the other hand continues to heal. A week ago against Philadelphia, Griffin returned and stuck to the pocket. He still played a very good game, completing 16 of 24 for 198 yards, two touchdowns, and a QB rating of 102.4, but he only rushed for four yards. He was clearly limited in his mobility. He played a very different game against Dallas. Though still limited and lacking the break-away speed we have become accustomed to seeing, he still rushed six times for 63 yards. He really seemed to struggle passing, however. He completed only nine passes for 100 yards with a QB rating of 66.9.
It was clear very early on that the Redskins’ offensive gameplan against Dallas revolved around running the ball. Morris carried the ball a whopping 33 times. Still, Griffin’s regression in terms of passing is a little worrying. He only attempted 18 passes, but still completed 50%. Some of his incompletions were uncharacteristically inaccurate. His mobility may have improved, but his passing did not. Everyone is entitled to a bad game, even Griffin who really had not had one all season until Sunday. Perhaps that’s all it was, but when it follows an injury you have to wonder how much the injury may have affected him.
To be fair, Griffin was wearing a brace on his right knee. His knee may be feeling much better than we think, but those braces can really restrict a player’s movements. Griffin may be as fast as ever without the brace, but if he must continue to wear it, will it continue to affect his performance? Pierre Garcon has proven himself to be a key playmaker for this offense. If you can’t get him the ball, he can’t change the game for you.
After watching the Dallas game, I would expect Seattle to load the box and force Griffin to beat them through the air. Griffin has had no trouble beating teams deep, but he will need to be healthy. After another week of rest and healing, hopefully we will see the Griffin we’ve come to expect from week to week.
The Redskins and Seahawks have gone a combined 11-1 since week 11. They are two of the hottest teams in the NFL heading into these playoffs. These are the kind of streaks that carry teams deep into the postseason. Whoever wins this game on Sunday will have a legitimate shot to play in the Super Bowl.
Regardless of how this season may end for the Redskins, it has been a remarkable ride. Will the Redskins be able to maintain that one game, back against the wall attitude, or is there already a feeling of “mission accomplished” spreading through the locker room? If the Redskins can approach this game with the same determination and heart they have shown over the past seven games, then they will add yet another chapter to the already remarkable year 2012 has been.
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