Whoever ended up making the call to start RG3 on Sunday, they apparently knew what they were doing. Washington’s third-year quarterback made his first start and his first appearance since Week 2, an effective effort for 251 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But effective wasn’t enough. The Vikings went on to earn a 29-26 win.
3 things we learned in the Vikings’ 29-26 win over RG3 and Washington
RG3 was back and mostly played well, but not well enough to prevent a Vikings win.
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Griffin completed his first pass of the game, an 11-yard shot to Pierre Garcon, and engineered a 13-play, 62-yard drive that gave Washington an early lead with a field goal. On his next possession, the quarterback made his way back onto the highlight reel when he and DeSean Jackson connected for a 45-yard pass down the deep right side of the field.
An interception late in the second quarter got the Vikings on the board with a touchdown on the resulting drive. Minnesota pulled ahead in the second half, but RG3 threw his first touchdown pass of the season, a beautiful 13-yard dart to Jackson, to put Washington back on top.
The two teams traded leads throughout the second half.
It was reported prior to the game that the decision to start RG3 this week came from higher up the food chain than head coach Jay Gruden, from general manager Bruce Allen and owner Dan Snyder. It seemed a little strange at the time considering Washington has a bye in Week 10 and the team’s history with rushing Griffin back into action. But he played well enough and stayed relatively healthy after taken a few shots from the Vikings defense.
Here are three things from Week 9 in Minnesota:
1) RG3 is back ... kind of. Sorry, Joe Theismann, Griffin is still the best quarterback on Washington's roster, as long as he's healthy. And he looked (mostly) healthy this week. His throws were sharp, and the connection with DeSean Jackson produced the kind of big plays Washington envisioned when it signed the former Eagles receiver this spring. It may all be forgotten, however, after he one-hopped an ugly pass on fourth-and-6 with a minute left to kill a drive that Washington needed to win or tie the game.
Minnesota’s defense did manage to put some big hits on RG3, including back-to-back sacks in the third quarter, that had fans holding their breath. Griffin was sacked five times, with four of those coming in the second half.
Still, RG3 did it with his legs too, keeping plays alive and helping ignite the running game. Alfred Morris benefited, scoring twice and accumulating 92 yards on 19 carries.
The question now is whether Griffin did enough in this game to throw cold water on the dumb reports about his status in the team’s locker room. Probably not.
2) The Vikings' offense is terrible. This may or may not have something to do with a certain running back being out of the lineup, but there's more to it than that. Cordarrelle Patterson isn't bringing much to the table as a receiver. Greg Jennings is their de facto No. 1, which is a problem. A healthy Kyle Rudolph would probably help Teddy Bridgewater, but not as much as Matt Kalil remembering how to block.
3) Washington might be good enough to be entertaining. Its defense is mostly awful and missing its best pass rusher. However, with RG3 playing well and with a loaded offense at the skill positions, it just might be enough to keep Washington hovering around .500 for the season. The team has a bye next week to rest, and a home game with the Buccaneers after that.
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