THE HIT THAT NEVER LANDS
The game has reached the point where every yard feels heavier. Washington trails Baltimore late in the fourth quarter, Robert Griffin III has the ball in his hands again, and the Ravens know exactly what that means. He has already spent the afternoon forcing edge defenders to hesitate and linebackers to chase angles that disappear before they can finish them. Griffin leaves the pocket and turns upfield. Haloti Ngata closes from inside, a 340-pound defender arriving at the moment Griffin has to decide whether to cut for more yardage or end the play. In the history everyone knows, Griffin tries to keep going, Ngata catches his right leg, and the knee bends underneath the weight of the tackle. Here, Griffin sees him a fraction earlier. He gives up the extra yard. He turns toward the sideline, lowers himself before Ngata can wrap the leg, and absorbs the contact across his upper body instead. The two players slide across the turf. Griffin rolls to his knees, gets up, hands the ball to the official and looks toward Washington's sideline for the next call. No trainer runs onto the field. There is no limp to study between snaps and no brace waiting for him later in December. The possession continues, and the stadium treats the moment as another hard tackle in a game full of them. That is the divergence. The importance of it will not be measured in the yards Griffin gains on the play. It will be measured in everything that does not follow: the sprained LCL, the compromised knee, the playoff game against Seattle played on a leg that is getting worse by the series, the reconstructive surgery, and the offseason spent rehabilitating instead of learning the position. For the moment, none of that exists. Griffin is still a rookie quarterback in the middle of a playoff race, and Washington still has a game to finish.
A ROOKIE STILL STANDING
Washington closes the regular season with the same belief that had been building for months. Griffin is completing passes at an elite rate, Alfred Morris is pounding inside zone behind a line that understands exactly how the Shanahans want the run game blocked, and every backside defender has to honor the quarterback keep. The offense is not built around trickery. It is built around forcing one defender to be wrong no matter which decision he makes. The difference appears when Seattle comes to Washington in the Wild Card round. In the real game, Washington jumped ahead before Griffin's damaged knee progressively removed the movement that made the offense difficult to defend. This time the Seahawks have to deal with that movement for four quarters. Pete Carroll's defense is already fast, disciplined and violent. Bobby Wagner tracks Griffin through the mesh point. The secondary challenges Washington's receivers at the line. Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson keep Seattle from ever letting the game become comfortable. But every time the Seahawks begin squeezing the field, Griffin makes them defend one more possibility. Washington wins 27-24. The reward is a trip to Atlanta, where the Falcons have Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez and the confidence of a team that spent the season near the top of the NFC. Washington does not ask Griffin to outthrow Ryan for sixty minutes. Morris keeps Atlanta occupied between the tackles, the option package slows backside pursuit, and Griffin uses play action to create throwing lanes behind linebackers who have been forced to step toward the run. Washington wins 31-27 and reaches the NFC Championship Game. San Francisco is waiting with another young quarterback whose legs have become a national discussion. Colin Kaepernick has Frank Gore behind him, Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis in the passing game, and a roster that is deeper than Washington's at several positions. The advantage shows late, but not before the quarterbacks turn the game into one of the defining nights of the postseason. Kaepernick breaks contain and Washington answers. Griffin converts third down with his legs and San Francisco answers. Gore runs through a light box. Morris responds inside. Crabtree wins on an intermediate route, then Griffin finds Pierre Garçon after extending the play. Washington gets the ball late with a chance to steal it. Griffin moves the offense across midfield before San Francisco finally gets the stop it needs. The 49ers win 38-34. Griffin walks off disappointed, exhausted and healthy. His rookie season has ended one game short of the Super Bowl, but his next offseason is about becoming a better quarterback rather than becoming physically capable of playing quarterback again.
THE LEAGUE GETS A SECOND LOOKPREMIUM
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View MembershipWASHINGTON FINALLY BUILDS AROUND HIMPREMIUM
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2014: THE OFFENSE OPENSPREMIUM
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JANUARY BECOMES HIS STAGEPREMIUM
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THE FIRST INTERRUPTIONPREMIUM
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COUSINS KEEPS THE WINDOW OPENPREMIUM
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THE POCKET VERSIONPREMIUM
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2017: COMPLETEPREMIUM
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THE DEFENSE TAKES OVERPREMIUM
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2018: WINNING WITHOUT HIMPREMIUM
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MATHIEU'S NIGHTPREMIUM
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THE COST OF STAYING GREATPREMIUM
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KYLE TAKES THE KEYSPREMIUM
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ONE MORE RELOADPREMIUM
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2020: THE BALL COMES OUTPREMIUM
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THE FINAL RUN TO FEBRUARYPREMIUM
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EIGHT SACKSPREMIUM
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THE LONG LAST ACTPREMIUM
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CHICAGOPREMIUM
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CANTONPREMIUM
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THE DISCUSSION
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