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Rich Tandler, CSNwashington.com- Best Seat Contributor
This time they got it done.
After a 47-yard Connor Barth field goal gave the Bucs a 22-21 lead with 1:42 left to play, Griffin moved the Redskins 56 yards in seven plays. That was close enough for Billy Cundiff, who had missed his first three field goal attempts, to boot the game winner, a 41-yarder that stayed true long enough to slip on the good side of the left upright and give the Redskins a 24-22 win.
For Griffin, it was the first of what the Redskins and their fans hope will be many two-minute comebacks.
After Barth’s field goal, the Redskins took over on their own 20. Griffin threw to Santana Moss for 15 yards and then to Fred Davis for 20 to get into Bucs territory at the 45. Two plays later he scrambled to his right, cut back to the middle of the field and rolled all the way to the Bucs 26.
That put the Redskins into field goal range but a false start penalty pushed it back to where it would have been a 48-yard attempt. But Griffin calmly dropped back and fired over the middle to Moss for seven yards. The Redskins used their final timeout and Cundiff came in and booted the game winner.
“It felt great,” said Griffin. He then revealed that during the final drive they faced an obstacle in addition to a Bucs defense that had held the Redskins scoreless in the second half.
“The headset went out,” Griffin revealed. Fortunately, they always practice for this eventuality during the week. Griffin got the plays called by running over to the sideline to get the play when he had time and calling the plays himself when he couldn’t.
On the day Griffin completed 26 of 35 passes for 323 yards. He did not throw and interception and he has thrown only one in his first four NFL games.
He also ran seven times for 43 yards and a touchdown. He almost had a second touchdown but he fumbled just short of the goal line in the first quarter. Fortunately Pierre Garçon was there to pounce on the ball in the end zone for the Redskins’ first touchdown.
