Redskins alternate history: What if RGIII never got injured?

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LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 01: Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan reacts on the sidelines during an NFL game against the New York Giants at FedExField on December 1, 2013 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

As the Redskins prepare for the 2020 NFL season, reigning Coach of the Year Kyle Shanahan has several key decisions to make.

Fortunately none of them involve his signal caller. Robert Griffin III enters his enters his ninth season looking as strong as ever, ready to lead the Burgundy and Gold on another run toward the Lombardi Trophy…

Yes. You have entered the Twilight Zone. Or the game we sometimes like to play called Alternate History. The ultimate “what ifs”. Today, we are going back to a single moment in time and reversing the greatest coaching malfeasance in Washington Redskins’ history. Today, we imagine what may have happened, had coach Mike Shanahan properly pulled Robert Griffin III from the wild card playoff game against Seattle, on January 6, 2013.

I’ve already written about the play itself, but if you need a recap – RGIII, at the conclusion of one of greatest years a rookie quarterback had ever produced, reinjured his knee on an awkward throw late in the first quarter. He was left in the game despite his obvious inability to play effectively on the weakened knee. The Redskins lost the lead, and in the fourth quarter, they lost their quarterback when Griffin suffered multiple ligament tears. Though they may not have realized it at the time, they also lost their immediate future.

But let’s suppose they hadn’t. What if Shanahan had turned the game over to promising rookie backup Kirk Cousins? Obviously we’ll never know. But we can still dream.

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