Zac Boyer will be entering his third season covering the Washington Redskins for The Free Lance-Star this fall. Make sure to follow Zac on Twitter (@ZacBoyer) for the latest updates or e-mail him with any questions at zboyer@freelancestar.com.
Robert Griffin III On Right Knee Injury: ‘It’s Up In The Air For Me Right Now’
By ZAC BOYER
LANDOVER, Md. – Robert Griffin III did not know the extent of his right knee injury following the Washington Redskins’ 24-14 loss to Seattle in the wild card round of the NFC playoffs on Sunday.
Griffin III
“Honestly, it’s up in the air for me right now,” Griffin said. “I know coming off the field, I thought it was just the same thing, but right now, we’ll see what it is. No matter what it is, our season’s over right now. I’ve just got to make sure I get back healthy no matter what the injury is.”
The quarterback is scheduled to undergo an MRI on the knee later Sunday night to determine its severity.
Griffin injured it twice on Sunday, leaving the game for good the second time. With 3:23 remaining in the first quarter, he was flushed out of the pocket and scrambled to the right, then felt the knee “buckle” as he planted his right leg to stop and throw a pass to Pierre Garçon.
He fell to the grass and immediately removed his helmet, but got back to his feet and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Logan Paulsen two plays later.
Then, with 6:25 left in the game, Griffin turned in an attempt to recover the ball on a bad snap, but the knee got stuck in the grass and twisted underneath him. He remained on the ground for some time before being helped to his feet, saluting a crowd chanting his initials and then heading to the locker room.
Head coach Mike Shanahan said he gave thought to removing Griffin from the game the first time he injured the knee, but that Griffin insisted he be allowed to play through it.
“Robert said to me, ‘Coach, there’s a difference between being injured and being hurt, and I guarantee you I’m hurting right now, but give me a chance in this football game because I guarantee you I’m not injured,’” Shanahan said. “That was enough for me. I thought he did enough for us this year to have the opportunity to stay in the football game.”
Griffin began the game with completions on six of his first nine attempts for 68 yards and two touchdowns as the Redskins took a 14-0 lead. But he did not complete either of his attempts in the second quarter and finished 10-for-19 for 84 yards with the two touchdown throws and an interception.
Washington had 129 yards of total offense in the first quarter, but managed just 74 yards over the final three.
