EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The old Robert Griffin III was back. The play showed it: Griffin turned the corner, made a dash for the end zone and his gamble at the end of the half had paid off. Until replay officials got a hold of it -- and made a call that changed the game.
Instead of a touchdown and a situation where Griffin would be praised for his gamble, the Washington Redskins lost a touchdown, a chance for a field goal and set themselves up for disaster to open the second half.
On the play, as Griffin runs inside the 5-yard line, New York’s Jason Pierre-Paul grabs his leg and the ball comes free just as the quarterback is about to cross the goal line. But Griffin regained control of the ball as he fell into the end zone as time expired. However, the officials ruled that Griffin needed to maintain possession until falling through to the ground, much like a receiver would have to on a catch. Once he lost control, it altered the way officials viewed him crossing the goal line.
It led to a loss of points and, instead of a 17-7 halftime lead -- and receiving the second-half kickoff -- the Redskins led by three. After the play was reversed, the Redskins received two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, costing them 30 yards on the second half kickoff. That led to a successful onside kick and three points by the Giants.
“In those situations you have to trust your gut,” Griffin said, “and my gut was telling me I could get in and I did. When there is eight seconds left in the half and you scramble, it either has to be a sure bet getting into the end zone or not and it’s a blessing I was able to get in. In the future, you would just maybe throw the ball away to ensure those three points. But it didn’t come to pass in that situation because I did get in, even though it was taken back.”
Ah, he might have gotten in but the points did not count. The Redskins were arguing with the officials as they left the field to end the half, Santana Moss in particular. Moss was then ejected while fellow receiver Pierre Garcon had to be calmed by teammates.
“It was deflating,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “We had a good momentum going in there and worst case scenario we go in with a field goal and Robert scrambled out of there and tried to get a touchdown and he thought he had it. Then we lose 30 yards in penalties because of it. It was unfortunate. We’ve got to keep our composure. Referees, I hear, got it right so it was unfortunate but we should have at least got a field goal there, no question.”
Moss called his frustration a 10-year buildup. No doubt it’s the result of yet another last-place finish, the Redskins' fifth in sixth years. There’s a chance they’ll finish with 13 losses for a second consecutive season as well.
“I was wrong for what I did, honestly,” Moss said. “When it comes to how far I went, I don’t think I went that far. I did say something. I did point at the ref. The ref put his hands on me first and I just moved his hands. It was wrong so I take full responsibility for that.
“But we’re fighting and I don’t want to have to fight against the refs. I want to fight against the team we’re fighting against and if they deny us I can live with that. When the refs deny something I can see visually it’s hard for me to take.”
Gruden did not learn that Moss had been ejected until he was told by Fox analyst Tony Siragusa in a halftime interview. Moss said he learned from teammate Leonard Hankerson that he’d been tossed.
“I regret it but I don’t take nothing back,” Moss said.
Turnarounds like that are a big reason Washington now is 3-11. And it started with Griffin and Pierre-Paul both trying to make a play.
“I was just trying to not let him score,” Pierre-Paul said. “And I guess I knocked the ball out of there.”
In doing so, he changed the game.
