(photos by Brian Murphy)
1. “Believe” by The Bravery
Coming into the game, the Washington Redskins had every reason to believe the Minnesota Vikings boasted the toughest defense they would face in 2012.
That’s because the 4-1 Vikings boast an aggressive front seven that does a tremendous job at pressuring quarterbacks while also stopping the run.
Consider this: Minnesota’s defense had not allowed an opponent to rush for 90 or more yards in four-straight games and during the team’s three-game winning streak, they had limited opponents to less than 14 points per contest.
It should also be noted that the Redskins came into this affair with questions surrounding franchise quarterback Robert Griffin III, after he suffered a concussion last week against the Atlanta Falcons.
Would he be able to play this week? If he did, would he still be effective? Would the team take drastic measures and change Griffin’s preferred style of play in order to try and limit the number of hits he takes during a giving game?
All of these questions were answered emphatically and RGIII showed no signs of rust — leading Washington to a resounding 38-26 victory over the Vikings. For the day, Griffin completed 17 of 22 passes for 182 yards, with one touchdown, one interception and a QB rating of 97.2. He also tied a career high in rushing attempts (13) and set a career high with 138 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Of course, one of those rushing touchdowns came when his team needed it most — with Griffin busting free for a 76-yard touchdown run on 3rd-and-6 from his own 24-yard line with just under three minutes remaining in regulation.
At first it appeared that Griffin was simply going to scramble for the first down, but once he turned the corner and got to the sidelines, RGIII decided to turn on the jets and showcase his world-class speed. According to at least one media member, it took RGIII just 4.0 seconds to sprint the final 40 yards, which is simply ridiculous for a quarterback.
“He saw a hole and he took off and the rest is history,” said Shanahan. “Great job by him looking at the front and seeing that rushing lane and taking advantage of it.”
Oh, by the way, that touchdown run was the longest by an NFL quarterback in 16 years.
“I got to enjoy the moment a little bit,” Griffin said. “It was pretty fun to hear the crowd and see my teammates on the sideline celebrating as I got the touchdown.”
Griffin had time to look over at his teammates during the run because he was clearly the fastest player on the field, and there was zero chance anyone in a purple jersey was going to catch him once he hit his top speed.
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