RG3 Earns First Victory as Starter Since Christmas Eve 2016

Earlier this season, Robert Griffin III earned rave reviews from Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in a feature by The Washington Post. Harbaugh called RG3 a “really good quarterback” and professed confidence that the quarterback would get another shot at legit playing time.

In Week 17, we got to see RG3 in extended time, as the team rested Lamar Jackson, and the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner delivered a win for the Ravens despite bad weather and a sloppy field. The victory was Griffin’s first as a starter since December 24th, 2016, when he helped Browns beat the then-San Diego Chargers 20-17 in Cleveland.

Griffin III wasn’t asked to do a ton of throwing, but it wasn’t needed. The Ravens ran away with a 28-10 victory over a tough Pittsburgh team that really needed the victory. RG3 completed 11 passes for 96 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per carry on eight tries. He did throw a pick but the game was already in hand (30 seconds remaining), and it came off a deflection at the line of scrimmage. Up 28-10 at the time, Harbaugh was likely trying to get RG3 as much work as possible heading into the playoffs.

While his 11-for-21 doesn’t look great on paper, it was a super rainy day in Baltimore. For example, Steelers quarterback Devlin Hodges only completed 36 percent of his passes and he also was held to less than 100 yards passing.

RG3 kept the chains moving in Baltimore’s run-heavy attack, converting 7-for-16 on third down and 1-for-2 on fourth down. Overall, the Ravens held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, gaining 223 yards on the ground as a team.

“I wish it wasn’t raining,” Griffin III joked to reporters after the game, “but every time you put the shoulder pads on it’s an opportunity. People say there’s no pressure but there was pressure out there for a lot of guys that hadn’t played.”

“We were able to dominate the Steelers’ defense, especially in the trenches,” he added. “I want to savor this moment because I don’t know when I’ll get an opportunity to start again.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5S7a_spyEQ

Former Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley also had a notable play for the Ravens, doing so in his first-ever NFL game. McSorley ran for a first down in the first quarter, his first play as an NFL quarterback. The rookie was inactive for the first 15 games of the season but served as RG3’s backup in Week 17.

The win gave Baltimore a 14-2 record, the best mark of any team in the NFL.