After their win last week against the reigning Super Bowl champion Giants, ‘Skins fans were really starting to believe. FedEx Field was shaking with a playoff atmosphere unlike anything seen since perhaps the glory days of RFK Stadium.
The team that was once at 3-6 for the season with a coach looking to “evaluate players” for next year has responded with a hot streak of victories, bringing to life long-dormant playoff hopes. The rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III has the top-selling jersey in the NFL, and for good reason: he and rookie running back Alfred Morris have collectively rushed for more yards through this point than the entire team did all last season. The RGIII chants that were rumbling the stadium have continued onto the buses and trains of our fair region all week.
The match against the Baltimore Ravens threatened to stifle the fandom. Ravens fans have had a lot more to brag about the last few years. They’ve had four straight years of making the playoffs. Last season, Baltimore lost by three points in the AFC Championship game.
There were playoff implications for both squads in this contest. The Ravens would enter the game without star defensive players Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, both out due to injury. Their absence was felt on the opening drive, as the ‘Skins drove 80 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. The first three drives of the game ended in touchdowns. For the first half, both defenses were about as successful as this writer’s last intervention. (They thought that was rock bottom?).
But the big story of this game wasn’t that the ‘Skins fought their way to a 31-28 win, but rather the hurdle that was thrown in their path. With the ‘Skins trailing 28-20, Griffin left the game with a knee injury with just two minutes left in the fourth quarter after being knocked down by a much larger Ravens defender.
After sitting out one play, Griffin came back in to drive the team within the twenty yard line, but he was clearly in a lot of pain. A muffed snap caused Griffin to panic and throw the ball away for an intentional grounding penalty. It was clear that he could not plant his leg to follow through on his throws.
Instead, the opportunities to late-game heroics fell to backup quarterback and fellow rookie Kirk Cousins. It was up to Cousins to captain the team through desperate circumstances. He did so competently, completing two passes on the way to a touchdown. Down 28-26 with less than a minute left in regulation, the ‘Skins would need a two-point conversion to tie. They showed a spread formation indicating pass, but it was a designed quarterback draw. Cousins ran through to tie the game.
In overtime, the Ravens were given the ball to start but went three and out. Before the game, Coach Mike Shanahan declared wide receiver Brandon Banks inactive after being disappointed by his decision-making. Banks was replaced as punt returner by cornerback Richard Crawford. This choice would have a dynamic impact on the outcome of this game. Crawford returned the Ravens punt for 64 yards, setting up an easy field goal for kicker Kai Forbath.
Though the victory elevated the ‘Skins record to 7-6, keeping their playoff hopes alive, there was more focus on Griffin’s knee injury that caused the star quarterback to limp off the field. An examination after the game revealed that Griffin sprained his knee and did not suffer any damage to his medial or anterior cruciate ligaments. The ‘Skins have not said whether this will keep Griffin out of next Sunday’s starting lineup against the Cleveland Browns.
