NFL WEEK 17

Rookies rise, lift Redskins

Griffin, Morris help defeat, deflate Cowboys’ playoff bid

Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris (left) stiff-arms Dallas Cowboys strong safety Eric Frampton during the second half Sunday night in Landover, Md. Morris rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns as the Redskins clinched the NFC East title with a 28-18 victory.
Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris (left) stiff-arms Dallas Cowboys strong safety Eric Frampton during the second half Sunday night in Landover, Md. Morris rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns as the Redskins clinched the NFC East title with a 28-18 victory.

— Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris needed only four months to put the Washington Redskins in a place they haven’t been in over a decade - on top of the NFC East.

Led by two rookies, who were serenaded with chants of “R-G-3!” and “Alfred Morris!,” the Redskins claimed their first division title since 1999, beating the arch rival Dallas Cowboys 28-18 on Sunday night in a winner take-all finale to end the NFL’s regular season.

Griffin, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner drafted second overall from Baylor, ran for 63 yards and a touchdown.

Morris, the out-of-nowhere sixth-rounder from Florida Atlantic, ran for 200 yards and three scores. He set the franchise single-season rushing record for the Redskins (10-6), who revived the season behind their quarterback to win seven consecutive after their bye week. They are the first NFL team to rally from 3-6 and make the playoffs since the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1996.

“I could never imagine coming in here my rookie year and doing what I’ve been able to do,” Morris said. “It’s better than my wildest dreams.”

After the final whistle, Griffin, a rookie who was voted a team captain during the Redskins’ Week 10 bye, walked off the field with a big smile, holding up his left index finger in a No. 1 gesture. He then held his left fist aloft.

“These aren’t ordinary rookies,” cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. “For a guy to win the Heisman Trophy, be the top pick, the savior of the franchise, come in here so humble - from Day 1 he came in here working, that’s why he has that ‘C’ on his chest.”

Washington will host Seattle (11-5) next Sunday.

“I’ve been here for the 4-12, the bad times, almost being the joke of the NFL,” said defensive lineman Kedric Golston, one of the team’s longest-tenured players. “But to do this with this group of guys - the old and the new - it’s good to be here.”

The Cowboys (8-8), meanwhile, will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season, having stumbled in a make-or-break end-of-regular season game for the third time in five years.

“It’s tough, man,” said tight end Jason Witten said. “Really nothing you can say at this point. Obviously, it’s disappointing. Give them credit. We feel like we had a good game plan coming in, and they just outplayed us. I said early in the week, when it gets down to it, it’s about execution.”

Tony Romo threw three interceptions - matching his total from the last eight games combined. A poor throw intended for DeMarco Murray was intercepted by Rob Jackson when the Cowboys had a chance to drive for a winning score in the final minutes.

“I think they sent a rusher inside that was going to break our protection, and I thought the safe throw was to throw it to DeMarco,” Romo said. “ ... That’s very disappointing. We had done a very good job in the final 5 to 10 minutes this year to give ourselves a chance to win a lot of football games. It just hurts a lot right now, and it’s hard to think about and talk about.”

Romo almost became the first Dallas quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, but his career is instead further tainted by post-Christmas disappointments. He also had Week 17 losses to the Philadelphia Eagles (44-6) in 2008 and the New York Giants (31-14) last year, as well as his 1-3 record in playoff games.

Morris finished with a franchise-best 1,613 yards, topping Clinton Portis’ 1,516 in 2005. He was especially dominant in the Redskins’ go-ahead drive in the third quarter, when six plays were runs by Morris and the other three involved fake hand offs to him. The touchdown came when Griffin faked to Morris - one of several times linebacker DeMarcus Ware was fooled by deception in the backfield - and ran 10 yards around the left end. It put Washington ahead 14-7 in the third quarter.

The Cowboys answered with a field goal early in the fourth, but Morris’ 32-yard run gave the Redskins a 21-10 cushion with 10:32 to play.

Trying to play catch-up, Dallas pulled within 21-18 on a 10-yard pass to Kevin Ogletree and a 2-point conversion with 5:50 to play. But Morris’ third touchdown, a 1-yard run with 1:09 left, sealed the win.

Playing against a defense missing its five best run defenders, the Redskins didn’t need Griffin to throw much. He completed 9 of 18 passes for 100 yards.

The Redskins were calling designed runs for Griffin as a regular part of the game plan for the first time since he sprained his right knee four weeks ago. He lacked the explosiveness he showed earlier in the season, perhaps hampered by his big brace, but he was still a running threat.

Romo completed 20 of 31 passes for 218 yards.

The Cowboys also dealt with in-game injuries to receivers Miles Austin (left ankle) and Dez Bryant (back). Bryant, who had a torrid second half of the season despite breaking his left index finger, had four catches for 71 yards.

Washington’s slow start this season prompted coach Mike Shanahan to dismiss playoff hopes and declare the remaining seven games would determine which players would be on his team “for years to come.”

Griffin and his teammates had other plans, and the coach quickly changed his tune. Now the Redskins are in the postseason for the first time since a wild-card berth under Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs in 2007.

“All odds were against us,” Morris said. “But we believed in each other.” Information for this article was contributed by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Sports, Pages 13 on 12/31/2012

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