Losses hurt. Division losses really hurt. Division losses thrown away in the waning moments of the game? Daggers.
Here’s the Good, The Bad and The Fugly from the New York Giants upsetting 27-23 upset of the Washington Redskins.
The Good
Robert Griffin III… surprise!!! Yeah it may seem like a broken record to those outside of the nation’s capital, but there isn’t a Redskins fan on the planet that is going to get tired of gushing about just how good this kid is. How about that 4th and wow? Arguably the play of the year so far in the NFL.
Sure he made a couple of mistakes on the interception and the fumble, but he also dazzled, and put up some pretty amazing numbers again. (Passing: 20-of-28 for 258 yards, 2 Touchdowns, 1 Interception; Rushing: 89 yards) Griffin now has 468 yards rushing on the season – only 11 NFL running backs have more. Cam Newton is the next closest quarterback and he is almost 200 yards behind (273 yards).
Griffin’s quarterback rating of 101.8 is surpassed only by Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning – pretty elite company.
Even the Giants players were quick to compliment Griffin after the game. You may remember that Osi Umenyiora said in the preseason that RGIII was just ‘Bob’ until he earned his stripes in this league. Osi was singing a different tune after the game though: “That guy is flat-out unbelievable. I’m not even going to lie. That’s the best quarterback we’ve played this year.” High praise considering that they have faced Michael Vick, Tony Romo, Alex Smith and Cam Newton.
Giants Teammate Justin Tuck came away equally impressed, “I’m pretty mad at the football gods for putting him in the NFC East. To face that guy twice a year is definitely going to be a headache. He takes away from your enthusiasm for the game a little bit.”
The Redskins own Santana Moss said, “When you have a guy that gives you an opportunity every time, even when it’s hard, that’s a blessing. There aren’t a lot of guys who can do the things he does.”
Teammates, opposing players, analysts, broadcasters, fans – everyone is gushing over RGIII, and should be. He isn’t just the most exciting rookie in all of football, he may be the game’s most dynamic player. Already.
And he doesn’t even have his feet wet yet.
So Good.
The Bad
Madieu Williams. I see a lot of fingers pointing at Jim Haslett on Monday morning, and by no means am I giving him a pass, but he can’t cover the receivers. There was nothing wrong with the ‘scheme’ when Victor Cruz ran right through the double team, it was just terrible coverage. If you’d like to talk to anyone about the miscue that ultimately cost the Redskins the game, then please dial 1-800-YOU-BURN and you will be connected with Mr. Williams.
I toiled with putting the four turnovers here, but in the end, Williams watching Cruz run right past him was just too bad to ignore.
The Fugly
Injuries, to Fred Davis and London Fletcher. First, Davis. Chris Cooley has already been signed to lessen the blow, but Davis was the Redskins’ best YAC option, and a huge part of the offense’s success. Cooley won’t likely be able to contribute as much, at least not initially, so the Redskins lose a very valuable cog in their offensive wheel. Hopefully Davis’ Achilles ‘heels’ more like Terrell Suggs’ than LaRon Landry’s.
As valuable as Davis is to the offense, it pales in comparison to the importance of Fletcher to the Redskin defense. He wouldn’t miss the last quarter of a tight game for a minor setback, so his consecutive games streak could be in real jeopardy. That’s terrible news for a struggling defense. There is no replacement on the bench or waiver wire for the captain, and more importantly, the heart and soul of your defense. Lorenzo Alexander has shown he can do just about anything, but has he ever been asked to fill such large shoes? Keep an eye out for injury reports on Fletcher – but between him and Davis – the two losses aren’t just ugly, they’re fugly.
On to the next one. It doesn’t get any easier – Steelers… in Pittsburgh.
Hail!
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Notes:
NFL.com’s RGIII Video Highlights
Tomorrow I will have a new RGIII wallpaper for #RedskinsNation – be sure to check back!