After an excellent rookie season that saw him named the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year over top pick Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III has been sorely disappointing in the past year and a half for the Washington Redskins. 2014 was supposed to be a season of redemption for Griffin after he never seemed quite like himself all of 2013. However, this season would only serve to put Griffin further behind his 2012 quarterbacking counterparts as he suffered a dislocated ankle in Week 2.
With Griffin out, the Redskins turned to Kirk Cousins, who played well in spurt, but turnovers would eventually do him in as he threw far too many interceptions and the Redskins fell to 2-5. Third-stringer Colt McCoy performed brilliantly in the team’s upset win over the rival Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, but it looks as if that will be a one-time thing.
According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden announced that Griffin will start this Sunday barring any setbacks:
Gruden: "he's our starter and he gives us the best chance to win"
— Mike Jones (@MikeJonesWaPo) October 30, 2014
Griffin could turn out to be the spark that this team needs. A win over the Vikings would make three straight for the Redskins, and though they are still last in the NFC East, they still have one more round against all three of their division rivals.
For Griffin, this is his chance to prove that he is still on the same level as the other young quarterbacks in the NFL. Russell Wilson is a Super Bowl champion while Andrew Luck is in the MVP discussion this season. Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick also continue to improve and Griffin is in danger of being left behind if he doesn’t perform on the field soon.
