Some fools have given up on the Washington Redskins' playoff chances, but Robert Griffin III still believes.
"I think the playoffs are a realistic goal for us," Griffin said Wednesday, via WJFK-FM.
Things certainly look better than they did when the Redskins last played. The New York Giants have lost in a row to come back to the NFC East pack at 6-4. The Redskins are just two behind in the loss column with five division games left. They probably would have to go 4-1 in those games to have any chance to make the playoffs, but it's not inconceivable that a 9-7 team could win the division. Griffin just needs his defense to make some stops.
RG3 is a newly minted captain because the Redskins voted for new captains after the bye. It's the first time that coach Mike Shanahan can remember a rookie winning the honor.
Any potential playoff contention has to start Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Griffin remembers meeting with Eagles coach Andy Reid in the buildup to the draft.
"I met with the Eagles, and Coach Reid told me they were very interested in me and you never know what can happen," Griffin said Wednesday, via the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Eagles didn't have the ammo to move up that high in the draft. Instead, they wound up taking Nick Foles in the third round. The two rookie quarterbacks face off in a matchup of two teams given up for dead, looking for a spark before the final stretch of the season.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.