RG3 Can Get Back on Track vs. Minnesota Vikings

Nov 3, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) runs off the field after the game against the San Diego Chargers at FedEx Field. The Washington Redskins won 30-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Watching the Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, I thought to myself…”How can this team have so many talented players and be so bad?”

Well, the Vikings actually played the Cowboys pretty well, but I think that was about as close as it gets to as good as it gets for them.

As encouraged as I think Vikings fans might be from their close loss to the Cowboys, I think this week presents a completely different challenge with Robert Griffin III and the boys coming to town.

Griffin has been very, very average this whole season. Just one year after his amazing rookie campaign, RG3 has looked like a shell of himself, clearly not fully comfortable after returning from major knee surgery so quickly.

In eight games this season, RG3 has thrown just nine touchdown passes compared to nine interceptions, and he doesn’t have a single rushing touchdown. I’m just assuming here, but if Griffin is limited physically, the offense obviously can’t run through him (literally) and I think that’s been a huge problem for the Redskins this year.

Washington is 3-5 this season, and miraculously still very well in the division race of the NFC East. If you think it could be worse, it could. Just ask Christian Ponder, who has only three touchdown passes this season for the Vikings, who are 1-7 and well on their way to another top five draft pick.

I think Thursday night football in prime time, RG3 will get a shot to prove that he is ready to lead this Washington team back to the playoffs. He has been just short of awful this year, and a bounce back game is absolutely needed to ignite a fire under this Redskins team.

Washington got an overtime win last week against the Chargers, and they need to continue to build on that by beating a Vikings team that they should beat. I think this is a game that RG3 can get on a little bit of a hot streak. The Vikings’ defense is better than you might think, but their secondary can be torched and is the clear weakness of the unit. If there was a week where Griffin was going to get his passing game going, it would be this one. The Vikings are 29th in the NFL against the pass, and 10th in the league vs. the run.

Washington will most assuredly try to establish a ground game as they usually do, but this might also be a game where Mike Shanahan decides to try and put away an inferior opponent early, getting RG3 into a much needed rhythm and boost his confidence for a second half playoff run.