Giants to Face Diminished RGIII

Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The last time the Giants saw Robert Griffin III, on December 3, 2012 at FedEX Field, he led an unstoppable read-option attack to 207 rush yards en route to an NFC East crown. The current brace-donning version of RGIII doesn’t remotely resemble the dynamic force the Giants saw that evening. San Francisco linebacker Ahmad Brooks went as far to say that Griffin “shouldn’t be playing“.

Everything the Redskins did successfully last season was built off the threat of the option. Whether it was allowing powerful back Alfred Morris to get a head of steam towards the second level, get RGIII one-on-one with an edge rusher in space, or setup a quick strike in the passing game — it all clicked, taking the league by storm in the process.

The 2013 Washington offensive product has been forced to operate differently with their hobbled quarterback orchestrating the show. Morris is having a big time year carrying the football (970 yards), but he’s not a “gamebreaker”. Because Griffin is no longer a lethal running threat, defenses will allow Morris to chip away while linebackers maintain depth in the pass game. When those quick read passes weren’t available on Monday night against the 49ers, Griffin struggled mightily: according to Pro Football Focus, when he held onto the football for more than 2.6 seconds, he completed 1 of 7 passes for a 0.0 NFL QB Rating and was sacked four times.

Washington has a solid pass blocking offensive line, but Griffin isn’t reading the field when his wideouts aren’t running in space. He completed 17 passes for just 127 yards — and this dreadfully poor interception.

GIF Credit: NFL Game Rewind