RGIII After Redskins Win: 'God's on Our Side'
After leading his team to victory over the defending Super Bowl champions in his first ever Monday Night Football appearance, Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III jokingly suggested one fortunate fumble-turned-touchdown may have been the result of some divine intervention.
During the second quarter of last night's game, in which the Redskins (6-6) defeated the New York Giants (7-5) by a score of 17-16, Griffin was hit by Giants safety Stevie Brown and fumbled while attempting to run the ball himself. In a bizarre twist, however, the ball flew right into the hands of Redskins receiver Josh Morgan, who carried the ball into the end zone for a touchdown.
Several reporters in the post-game press conference asked Griffin about the play, and he responded by saying the incident was intentional.
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"We didn't run it in practice because we wanted to save it for the game. So I just knew he was going to be there ready for it," he said.
"It was a pitch to Josh. I knew he was going to be there, so I'm going to stay with that story," he later added, laughing after making the statement.
The play in question was not the only one of its kind for the Redskins this season. Another happened when Pierre Garcon, Redskins wide receiver, recovered a fumble coughed up by the rookie quarterback during a game on Sept. 30. In both instances the Redskins won by less than a touchdown.
"God's on our side," Griffin said in the press conference Monday night. "That's what I told them. But once again, the play to Josh was a pitch."
The 22-year-old quarterback's statistics for the night were less than miraculous – 13-21 on pass attempts for 163 yards, one passing touchdown and 72 rushing yards – but the fortunate fumble wasn't the only great play he was a part of during the game.
With just over three minutes left in the third quarter, when the Redskins were down by six points, Griffin led his team on an 86-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by an eight-yard pass to Garcon.
The Redskins now sit at .500 for the season after having won three consecutive games, keeping their hopes of making the playoffs alive. After their last loss to the Carolina Panthers in week nine, Griffin says, his team underwent a shift in mindset, and each player is now trying to be more dominant in their individual positions.
"Each individual guy, you have to go out and dominate your position. If every guy on your team dominates the guy in front of him, or dominates the guy he's supposed to dominate, then you should never lose," he said.
Although they've only won half of their games this year, Griffin has already reached a personal goal of his – helping the Redskins win more games than they won last season.
"It feels good, but we got more goals that we want to accomplish," said Griffin. "So you can put a check by that one, but there's a lot more goals that this team is stretching for and striving for, and I know we can definitely achieve them."
The Redskins play the Baltimore Ravens (9-3) at home on Sunday, and wrap up their season with away games against the Cleveland Browns (4-8) and Philadelphia Eagles (3-9) before playing in a final home showdown against the Dallas Cowboys (6-6).
