After their Week 6 home victory against the Minnesota Vikings, ‘Skins fans were left with the hope for the future that a potential franchise quarterback can bring, all while facing the current reality of a 3-3 team. Their hope for the future in their star rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III was on full display during his electrifying 76-yard touchdown run to seal the game in the fourth quarter. But the reality is that run helped the ‘Skins escape a close game from a surging Vikings that had just scored and potentially turned the tide in their favor.
There’s almost no denying that Griffin is the quarterback that Redskins fans had hoped for when they traded up to draft him in the first round. But there’s still a lot to question about the team otherwise. While the ‘Skins lead the league in rushing yards, and their rookie running back Alfred Morris is second in the league in rushing yards, RGIII is the team’s second leading rusher. This has lead a lot of observers to question whether or not calling on him to run the ball is putting him at too much risk of injury. The other big question mark is the ‘Skins pass defense, which has been as flimsy as this writer’s alibi for where he was last night. They’re ranked 29th overall in yards allowed and dead-last in passing yards and touchdowns allowed.
The ‘Skins brought this league-worst pass defense to their game against the team with the third-most passing yards so far this season, the New York Football Giants. This was the ‘Skins first divisional game of the season. Unlike the Minnesota Vikings, the Giants have actually won at least one Super Bowl, and they’ve been to at least one Super Bowl since after 1977. ‘Skins fans have been quick to point out that they beat the reigning champs twice last year. Unfortunately, the other 14 games that season also counted.
The big story coming out of this game will be the season-ending injury to tight end Fred Davis, who tore his Achilles tendon during a pass play in the end zone during the first quarter. Davis had been the team’s leading receiver so far this season. Although it looks like he will replaced by Chris Cooley, this will be a tough loss. The other big injury loss was linebacker London Fletcher. He had been once again leading the team in combined tackles this season, and had started his 231st consecutive game. Although he went out with a “mild” sprain, it was during a critical juncture of the fourth quarter, and he was out for the rest of the game.
The other big story, as it will be this whole season, was the play of their star rookie quarterback. The stats will show that Griffin completed 20 of his 28 pass attempts for 258 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. He carried the ball nine times for 89 yards. ‘Skins fans were shown the promise of his potential late in the fourth quarter, when the team was once again given the opportunity for a drive to win the game. With 1:38 left, RGIII had driven the team to the Giants’ 30-yard line and then hit Santana Moss with a touchdown pass to take the lead 23-20.
‘Skins fans were also shown the current reality of their 3-3 team. Griffin fumbled the ball twice, losing it once to the other team. Both of these fumbles came by mishandling the ball during an exchange with a running back. For a team that looks to rely heavily on option plays and play action, their rookie quarterback will need to focus on these exchanges during practice in order for them to be successful. The ‘Skins were also hurt by penalties yet again. During the first quarter, a touchdown pass was nullified by penalty, and they would eventually settle for a field goal.
‘Skins fans were also shown the current reality of their league-worst defense. Just after taking that late lead, the defense gave up a 77-yard pass from Eli Manning to salsa-dancing wide receiver Victor Cruz. The ‘Skins offense would once again be asked to atone for the sins of their defense. This time, Santana Moss would not be able to stake his claim as the hero of the game. He fumbled a pass from RGIII and gave it over to the Giants. With 40 seconds left, the Giants went into an uncontested victory formation to end the game.
After the game, at the House on Georgia Avenue, there was not enough hooch or hoochies to remedy the sorrows of the ‘Skins fans.
The ‘Skins lost to the New York Giants, 23-27.
