Festive Footrace: Redskins - Cowboys tilt to decide NFC East
For Jason Garrett and Mike Shanahan, the Christmas festivities were a clouded affair. With a division deciding matchup looming on the penultimate evening of 2012, it would appear that one coach's New Year will start significantly more positively than the other's.
On the face of it, Washington would seem to have the slight advantage: Not only did they win last week in Philadelphia, but the victory over Andy Reid's team stretched their winning streak to six games, making them one of the hottest teams in the NFL. The timely return of Robert Griffin III last week allowed the rookie out of Baylor to find his feet again before the Thanksgiving rematch, and considering how ordinary he made the Dallas secondary look at Cowboys Stadium five weeks ago, Redskins fans will be eager to see what he can do to their rivals on his home field. The one worry for Mike Shanahan is perhaps how ready his quarterback is to run with the ball, despite avoiding the prospect of the second overall pick picking up a season ending injury.
After the game against the Ravens at Fed Ex Field, there were concerns that Griffin III had suffered the same fate as the Pittsburgh Tight End Heath Miller, who went on to tear his ACL (and MCL) in Week 16. Having experienced such an injury during his college playing time, concerns over the state of the Redskins Quarterback's knee were immediately raised.
In a press conference following the game, Griffin said 'I know what an ACL feels like, and it doesn't feel like that to me. Hopefully we will be able to get some positive things out of the MRI - the X-ray was good - and hopefully things will be alright'.
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| Shaken Up: Griffin III is helped off the field in Week 14 |
He went on to express some partial concern over the situation: 'I'm not too nervous at the moment, but I will definitely be praying during the MRI'.
Mike Shanahan later confirmed that Griffin was 'day to day with a mild sprain'. He added that he had a Grade one sprain to his lateral collateral ligament, with 'no structural damage to the rest of the knee'.
Despite the immediate relief following the situation, and the impressive performance of fourth round pick Kirk Cousins in Griffin's absence, questions still remain over the threat of RG3 as a runner. The Redskins game plan against the Eagles saw a noticeable drop in carries for the rookie, and fans will look to see if such a strategy continues on Sunday against a vulnerable rush defense, that also struggled to deal with the presence of Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas out of the backfield last week. Alfred Morris, the other half of the rookie tandem, may feature even more heavily than usual if Griffin is limited in this way. The sixth round pick out of Florida Atlantic, who has rushed 302 times for 1413 yards and 10 touchdowns, and also dispelled the rotation policy implemented by the head coach last year, has been a huge part of the Redskins playoff push. A matchup against the team that allowed inconsistent runner Mark Ingram to find the end zone at an average of over 5 yards per carry is surely a favourable one this week, and Morris' production here could have a distinctive say in his team's plans for the NFC East.
However, the selection of the first year Redskins Quarterback for the Pro Bowl this past week has surely boosted the rookie's confidence, and, whether he will be a large factor running the ball or not in the final game, the amount of success he has achieved this season will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Despite all the positives emanating from this Washington offensive unit, however, it is plausible to suggest that they are not the favorites for this decider. A team that has won its last six games, you would think, must be the most in-form team in the league, and perhaps that is partly true, but the win-loss record of a team doesn't always present the whole picture.
In the way of the Griffin-Morris partnership stands possibly the two hottest offensive weapons in the National Football League. Despite needing what would be season ending surgery to his finger, Dez Bryant has vowed to put off his health concerns until the Cowboys are eliminated from their run to the Superbowl, and his quarterback Tony Romo could not be more thankful of this decision. Not only did Bryant shred the Redskins in their Thanksgiving bout, but last week he ran up 225 yards through the air, connecting with Romo for two touchdowns. Washington's pass defense leaves a lot to be desired, ranking them 30th in the league and this is not a statistic Redskins fans will want to hear, as their team faces a quarterback who threw for over 400 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Saints last Sunday.
Much like the Redskins however, the Cowboys stars are not all 100%, and one of the key game time decisions facing head coach Jason Garrett is the statues of linebacker Demarcus Ware, who, along with tight end Jason Witten was recently voted to the Pro Bowl. Witten, who broke the tight end receptions in a single season record against the Saints, overtaking the ex-Kansas City Chief Tony Gonzalez with 103 grabs, has been a key figure for Romo to look for, especially in the latter stages of tight contests. Despite injuries plaguing his opening two games, Witten exploded for 167 yards in week eight against the New York Giants, catching a staggering 18 balls from Romo.
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| Wits about him: Jason Witten on his way to a single season record for tight end receptions |
Ware, on the other hand, has had more recent injury issues. Jason Garrett noted this week that ' Demarcus has been dealing with various injuries throughout the year, he's had a hamstring, an elbow and a shoulder. He's one of those guys who keeps his mouth shut and gets on with things, and we anticipate him working hard and doing everything he can to be out there playing Sunday'.
With so much on the line, this game stands out as the contest to watch this weekend. The game this Sunday will no doubt be leaving one coach with a playoff resolution in 2013.
