LANDOVER, Md. - After a long and winding road paved with injury, poor play, benchings, emergency starts, public insults from his coach, and a personal ban from social media, Robert Griffin will once again captain the good ship Redskins when they host the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.
Griffin will get the nod as his replacement Colt McCoy was added to the injured-reserve list after aggravating the neck injury he acquired two Sundays ago.
McCoy gave Washington their last victory, an Oct. 27 overtime contest in Dallas, though since then the 'Skins have dropped six in a row and 19 of 22, their worst stretch in nearly fifty years.
Griffin has seen the field seven times this season for the Redskins (3-11), tossing three touchdowns and three interceptions. He has been sacked 28 times, including seven at the Giants last week.
His only victory came in Week 2 over Jacksonville, the game in which he dislocated his ankle.
"He's got every chance this week against the Eagles to take this position and run with it," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said of Griffin, of whom he has spoken unglowingly in recent weeks. "And I'd like to see him have some urgency about him and play well, and hopefully there won't be much of a debate if he does well."
Gruden benched Griffin after being sacked 16 times and throwing two scores and three picks in what became a three-game skid. Washington had a two-game winning streak with McCoy under center until then after dropping four straight with Kirk Cousins.
All statistics the Eagles care to disregard.
"If you sleep on that guy, trust me, you'll be sitting here after the game going, 'Boy, he ran for 100 yards against you, how'd that happen?'" Chip Kelly said of Griffin Wednesday. "That kid's athletic as heck, and he can run really, really well. We have to understand where he is on every single play."
"We've got to be really sharp on our contain when we rush the quarterback, because he's a different element than we've seen except for Russell Wilson," Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said this week.
Two weeks ago found Wilson scamper for a 26 yard touchdown in Philadelphia, fleeing untouched around left end after a fake handoff on the inside had Trent Cole fooled.
Griffin has 146 yards rushing on 27 attempts in his brief campaign.
"We expect to get his best," Jenkins said of Griffin. "This is his opportunity at the end of the year to put some good tape out there."
Good tape has been hard to come by for Chip Kelly's Eagles recently.
Philadelphia (9-5) lost control of their postseason destinies after losing two straight games, to Seattle and a rematch with Dallas, their first two defeats at home this season.
To sneak into January football, the Eagles need to win their final two games Saturday and at the Giants, and for the Cowboys to fall to the Colts on Sunday or the Redskins next week. Seattle, Green Bay, or Detroit will have to lose both their final games for Philly to contend.
"I don't know if playing a scenario out in your head makes you feel better or whatever; I don't know how that helps you," coach Kelly said. "It's about one thing we can do and that's go out and play against Washington on Saturday."
Their 34 turnovers are the most in football, three more than any other club. Of their 15 fumbles, five have come from quarterbacks and Mark Sanchez has 9 of the team's 19 interceptions.
"That's what's been hurting us," Sanchez said. "We need better ball security and that starts with me."
He tossed two interceptions and no touchdowns in the Eagles' 38-27 loss to the Cowboys that gave their arch-rival the division lead. A game in which, after surrendering a 21-0 burst answered with 24 straight points for a brief lead.
"I need to clean up some mistakes and attack this thing like I do every week. That's with a positive attitude, learning from the previous week, learning from this game and being ready to play."
The interceptions number one more than Chicago, this season's benchmark for turnover football and their fumbles number one more than the league's second-worst Colts and Giants.
Philadelphia has also allowed a league-high 109 points off turnovers this season.
"We keep coaching not turning the ball over," Eagles offensive coach Pat Shurmur said this week mournfully. "We keep and keep coaching ball security."
Should the Eagles cough up the football on Saturday, their defensive front may bail them out. The Redskins' protectors have allowed the second-most sacks in football (53) and the Eagles have recorded the second most (47), behind Connor Barwin, who ranks third behind J.J. Watt with 14 1/2.
Though the Eagles will be without linebacker Trent Cole after he had surgery on a broken hand sustained in the team's loss to the Cowboys six days ago.
Both rivals met in Philadelphia Sept. 21, a three-point win for the Eagles. Kirk Cousins quarterbacked the Redskins to 427 yards in a nail-biter that found he and Nick Foles both throw three touchdowns. DeSean Jackson hauled in an 81 yard score in his first rematch with his former side.
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