December 10, 2012
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
For the fourth time in so many weeks, the Redskins are winners—a feat they last accomplished in 2008.
Thanks to Robert Griffin III, a strong running game, and great punt returns, the Redskins beat their beltway rivals 31-28 in overtime on Sunday. And in the final minutes, they did it without their star quarterback.
On the final drive of the fourth quarter, Griffin was injured after a run. During a tackle by Haloti Ngata, he appeared to hyperextend his knee, leaving the field limping. Amazingly, he came back for a few plays before leaving the game for good.
His replacement, Kirk Cousins, got the job done in his absence, throwing an eleven-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garçon with twenty-nine seconds left. He then ran in for the two-point conversion to tie the game 28-28 and force overtime.
The Ravens won the coin toss, but were unable to score on their first drive and had to punt. Redskins cornerback Richard Crawford ran the punt back sixty-four yards, immediately placing the Redskins within field goal range. They ran a couple of plays before Kai Forbath, their first reliable kicker in years, nailed a thirty-four-yard field goal for the win.
The Redskins had dominated in the first quarter, scoring fourteen points on their opening two drives. Their offense waned until the final play, scoring only two field goals on nine possessions.
While FedEx Field erupted after the win, there was collective concern over the health and status of RG3. He underwent an MRI after the game which came back negative for an ACL tear. He is believed to suffer from a knee sprain which, though not season-ending, could sideline him for the next game.
If it does, fans have seen a strong backup in Cousins. A reliable replacement is necessary; the Redskins are still in playoff contention, but haven’t improved their division standing, as everyone in the NFC East won on Sunday. They remain tied with Dallas for second place (7-6), one game shy of the New York Giants (8-5). The Redskins next travel to Cleveland to play the Browns before ending the season with games against both the Cowboys and the Eagles.
Coach Shanahan is aware that the win was imperative to keep their playoff hopes alive. “We knew if we didn’t get the win today, obviously those other three didn’t mean a whole lot,” he told reporters after the game. “I’m really proud of how the guys played.”
