Apparently gaining a total of 77 net passing yards in a NFL game isn’t enough to get a quarterback benched. Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden announced on Monday that the team is going to stick with Robert Griffin III at quarterback for their game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Jay Gruden says RG3 will start Sunday at Indy.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 24, 2014
Washington fell to the San Francisco 49ers 17-13 this past Sunday, as RGIII completed 10-of-19 passes for 106 yards without an interception or a touchdown. He was under consistent pressure throughout the afternoon, going down a total of five times.
But when RGIII had a clean pocket, he simply couldn’t make the throws down the field. It even got to the point that San Francisco was throwing nine men in the box on first downs throughout the afternoon. Without a threat to move the ball through the air, Washington’s offense stood no chance against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
While the decision to start RGIII might not be surprising, Gruden’s criticism of the embattled quarterback and recent reports suggesting that a benching could be looming, led some to believe that the first-year head coach was prepared to move on from RGIII.
Now over the course of his last eight starts, RGIII boasts a 1-7 record and has thrown a total of four touchdowns. In games that he has finished during that span, the Redskins are averaging just 12.3 points per outing.
Though, the idea of running Colt McCoy out there for the remainder of the season probably didn’t sit well with Gruden. Whether you like it or not, RGIII will continue to be given the opportunity to prove that he can turn this thing around. The Redskins are invested in him too much at this point.
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