Redskins defeat Ravens in battle of the beltway

Kirk Cousins made several key plays down the stretch (AFP)

The Washington Redskins pulled off a thrilling 31-28 come from behind victory against the Baltimore Ravens.  Ravens running back Ray Rice scored a 7 yard rushing touchdown to put the Ravens ahead by 8 with under 5 minutes remaining in the game.  Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft out of Baylor University, and the NFL's offensive rookie of the year favorite, suffered a right knee injury on a 13 yard scramble after being slammed into by the 340 pound Haloti Ngata, a pro bowl defensive tackle for the Ravens.  Following a 3rd down pass interference that gave the Redskins a first down, Griffin was able to return to the game, albeit in a hobbled form.  Griffin was able to drive the Redskins all the way to the Ravens 16 yard line, but was visibly in pain, lacked his spectacular mobility and appeared unable to plant his foot in the ground.  Rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Redskins 4th round pick out of Michigan State, completed his next two passes, including a beautifully thrown 11 yard touchdown to wide receiver Pierre Garçon in the right corner of the end zone, over the outstretched arms of the defense.  With the Redskins trailing by two with 29 seconds remaining in the game, Cousins took off on a designed run up the middle of the defense for the two point conversion to force overtime.

Kai Forbath has yet to miss a field goal this season
(Washington Times)

On the Ravens first possession of the overtime period, the Redskins defense stepped up and forced a three and out.  On the subsequent punt return, rookie Richard Crawford, a 7th round pick out of SMU, returned the ball 64 yards to the Ravens 24 yard line.  Field goal kicker Kai Forbath remained perfect on the season by drilling a 34 yard kick through the uprights to seal the heart stopping comeback.

The victory was yet another demonstration of the incredible productivity that the Redskins have received out of their draft picks from this past draft.  Griffin III has had one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, ranking among the league leaders in passer rating, completion percentage, yards per attempt and touchdowns.  The remarkably clutch play of Cousins, who entered the game without a moments notice to complete the Redskins comeback, justifies a draft pick that was derided by most analysts, who claimed the team should have instead used its 3rd round pick to add depth to its offensive line.   Rookie running back Alfred Morris had 122 rushing yards and a touchdown in the game.  The 6th round pick out of Florida Atlantic University who is now astonishingly ranked 3rd in the league in rushing yards, was not even expected to make the team prior to training camp.  Crawford, filling in for the inactive Brandon Banks, provided a spark in the return game that has been missing all season.

The Redskins offensive line of left tackle Trent Williams, left guard Kory Lichtensteiger, center Will Montgomery, right guard Chris Chester and right tackle Tyler Polumbus has been the unheralded key to the team's success this season.  The offensive line has done a sensational job implementing head coach Mike Shanahan's zone blocking scheme and creating holes for the league's first ranked rushing attack.  After a rough start to the season, the line has improved substantially in pass protection by allowing routes to develop downfield and providing Griffin III with ample time to find open targets.  In the first quarter, Griffin III was given nearly 5 seconds in the pocket to find wide receiver Josh Morgan who ran a drag route across the entire field.  Williams, the 4th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, has developed into one of the league's best left tackles and has become the linchpin of the offensive line.

While Cousins was excellent in relief of Griffin III, the Redskins need their dynamic budding superstar to make a speedy recovery.  The Redskins option offense is predicated on the threat of Griffin running the football.

Redskins snap 8 game home losing streak against the Vikings

Robert Griffin III rushed for 138 yards, a Skins QB record
(Jonathan Newton/Washington Post)

The Washington Redskins snapped an 8 game home losing streak by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 38-26 to improve their record to 3-3.  Robert Griffin III bounced back from a concussion suffered last week in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons, by putting on yet another dazzling offensive performance, and energizing the Redskins entire fan base.  Griffin completed 17 of his 22 pass attempts to maintain the highest completion percentage in the league, rushed for 138 yards, a Redskins quarterback record, and accounted for three touchdowns.

After a sluggish first quarter in which the the Redskins were dominated by the Vikings, the team trailed 9-0.  Fortunately, Washington's ailing defense was able to prevent the Vikings from reaching the end zone despite multiple trips to the red zone for Minnesota.  Holding Minnesota to three first quarter field goals proved to be a deciding factor in the game.

The Redskins responded by scoring 24 unanswered points, including a 50 yard field goal by the team's newly signed kicker Kai Forbath in his NFL debut.  Griffin III and the Redskins have scored touchdowns on all 12 of their goal to go situations this season.  The team's red zone efficiency, induced by the threat of Griffin's elite running ability, was on full display as Griffin passed to fullback Darrell Young for a 6 yard touchdown, took the ball in himself for a 7 yard rushing touchdown, and handed the ball off to running back Alfred Morris for a goal line touchdown.

RG3 leaps into the crowd after a 76 yard rushing TD
(Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press)

Washington's defense came up with 3 huge turnovers, including a pick 6 by free safety Madieu Williams, and a fumble recovery by linebacker Lorenzo Alexander that gave the Redskins possession of the ball at the Vikings 6 yard line.

The Vikings scored two 4th quarter touchdowns  to cut the Redskins 19 point lead down to 5.  With just under three minutes remaining in the game, the Redskins faced a crucial 3rd and 6 which they had to convert in order to prevent the Vikings from completing a demoralizing comeback.  Griffin III dropped back to pass, broke a tackle, scrambled to his left and used his world class speed to outrun the defense for a breathtaking 76 yard rushing touchdown, the longest by an NFL quarterback in over 16 years.

RG3 has been nothing short of a godsend for a Redskins franchise that had lacked a quality starting quarterback for over two decades.  With Griffin III under center, the Redskins have been among the most exhilarating teams to watch this NFL season.