October 22, 2012
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
RG3 continued his impressive rookie season on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, but in the end it wasn’t enough to outlast the king of fourth-quarter comebacks, Eli Manning.
Less than 30 seconds after Griffin threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss to put the Skins ahead 23-20, Manning threw a 77-yard rocket to Victor Cruz, who celebrated in the end-zone with his customary touchdown salsa dance.
With about a minute left on the clock, RG3 got the ball back, and was leading a charge down the field when Moss, the game’s hero only minutes earlier, was stripped of the ball during a tackle by linebacker Chase Blackburn. The ball was recovered by New York on the Washington 43, effectively putting an end to the Redskins’ rally.
“We had a chance to go out and win the game and didn’t do that. Right now it’s kind of hard to know what to think, but you’ve got to keep pushing forward,” Griffin told reporters during the post-game press conference.
Despite the disappointing finish, the Redskins had much to celebrate. They played well against the defending Superbowl champions, putting up 480 total yards against the New York defense. Griffin was responsible for much of that yardage, running the ball nine times for 89 yards and completing 20 out of 28 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns.
Griffin wasn’t perfect, though. He had two turnovers in the second half that could’ve led to an embarrassing scoreboard if Manning hadn’t thrown an interception of his own. The Skins never lost hope, and Griffin was able to convert on fourth-and-ten to keep his team alive.
“We feel like this is a game we should’ve won that we lost,” Griffin said afterwards.
The hard playing came at a price. Before the game was over, the Skins had lost two key players: Tight end Fred Davis, their leading receiver of the year with 325 yards on 24 receptions, and London Fletcher, the middle linebacker and defensive captain who is often dubbed the “heart and soul” of the team.
Fletcher suffered an injury to his right hamstring, and said he will get treatment and “do everything [he]can to get back on the field” next Sunday. With 231 consecutive starts, he is tied with the longest active streak in the NFL. Davis, however, was placed on the injured reserve and will miss the rest of the season with a torn left Achilles tendon.
It was announced Monday that the Redskins will replace Davis with Chris Cooley, the fan favorite tight end who was released by the team late in the pre-season. He was visibly distraught during his farewell press conference, even tearing up while saying how he would always be a Redskin. Cooley spent his entire eight-year career with the franchise, and holds Washington’s all-time record for receptions by a tight end.
The ex-Skin was thrilled to resign with his old team. “I am very excited to be a part of this team,” Cooley said. “It’s been unreal to watch them come together as an offense and it’s going to be fun.”
