Robert Griffin III Stuns in his First Nationally Televised Game

The Washington Redskins defeated the Dallas Cowboys 38-31 in a Thanksgiving Day showdown. It is Washington’s first Thanksgiving Day win since 1973 and the Cowboys’ first loss to a rookie quarterback. It was indeed a team effort, although with a Redskins’ 28 -3 lead at half – Dallas was able to come back and narrow Washington’s lead to only 7 points.

Robert Griffin III had another outstanding game, just 5 days after posting a near perfect game against the Philadelphia Eagles – Griffin went 20 out of 28, for 311 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. He put on a show in his first Nationally televised professional football game.

The return of Pierre Garcon has helped the Redskins’ coaching staff open up the playbook – allowing Griffin to throw a full route tree. Garcon had an excellent reception on one of Griffin’s worst passes of the day, and turned the acrobatic catch into a long 59-yard touchdown. For the first time since week 1, Garcon’s foot looked pretty healthy on that, as he went “zero-to-sixty” in a blink of an eye. Garcon is proving to be that true big time #1 receiver Washington has wanted. With Garcon, Washington is 4-1 – without him, they are 1-5.

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Robert Griffin III showed up and showed out with a ton of pressure weighing on his shoulders. He’s 2 and 1 in the NFC East, and could have been unbeaten had it not been for a defensive breakdown against the Giants.

Stephen Bowen came up with a crucial 2nd half sack. He did a great job creating an uneasy pocket for Dallas’ QB Tony Romo.

Trent Williams officially has his own island when facing the Dallas Cowboys. DeMarcus Ware has yet to record a sack on the Redskins when being blocked by Trent Williams. He’s having a stellar season.

Perry Riley didn’t post major stats, but with London Fletcher on and off the field suffering from an ailing injury, Riley manned the middle and didn’t miss a beat.

Unsung Hero -

DeAngelo Hall had a great game – really two straight outstanding games. A lot is said about his off and on field antics, but today he conducted himself as a true professional. Cowboys’ receiver Dez Bryant tried to rattle DeAngelo early and often – even pretending to punch him. But DeAngelo kept his cool. Then, on the Cowboys’ desperation onside kick with seconds remaining in the game – DeAngelo had a clear touchdown after receiving the ball but opted not to score. He wanted to make sure Washington won the football game. That was an unselfish play, although some may still question him for not scoring a touchdown.