Robert Griffin III went after the errant snap on the shoddy FedEx Field turf, the Washington Redskins' season slipping away. His knee buckled. The Seattle Seahawks recovered the ball.
This was every Redskins fan's biggest fear.
Griffin left Sunday's 24-14 wild-card loss to the Seattle Seahawks midway through the fourth quarter after re-injuring his right knee. Griffin hobbled for much of the day on his sprained LCL, but the Redskins chose not to turn to Kirk Cousins despite Griffin's ineffective play.
"I don't feel like me being out there hurt the team in any way," Griffin said after the game.
Griffin is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday. One Redskins player who talked to the quarterback told NFL.com's Jeff Darlington that Griffin believed he did not suffer a serious tear. Griffin didn't sound as sure in his postgame press conference.
"Coming off the field, I thought it was the same thing (LCL)," Griffin said. "Right now ... we'll see."
Griffin was able to walk the field under his own power after the injury, putting his arm around Redskins coach Mike Shanahan on his way to the locker room. The team quickly announced Griffin would not return, although he did return to the sideline under his own power to watch the game.
Griffin first re-injured the knee during the first quarter while planting on a throw on the run, but he believed he could continue playing at a high level.
"I'm the quarterback of this team," Griffin said. "My job is to be out there if I can play. ... I'm the best option for this team. That's why I'm the starter."
On NFL Network
NFL Replay will re-air the
Seattle Seahawks' 24-14 win over the
Washington Redskins from Wild Card Weekend on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET.
It isn't like no one saw this coming. Dr. James Andrews, who has been watching Griffin from the Redskins' sideline this season, has been a "nervous wreck" watching the rookie play at times while coming off an injury. Andrews denied a report that he cleared Griffin to play during a Dec. 9 game when the quarterback initially suffered a knee injury.
It appears Andrews' concerns were justified, and Griffin now has plenty of time to get healthier. The Redskins' season officially was over just minutes after Griffin left the game.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
