Robert Griffin III injured his knee in Sunday's Wild Card loss against the Seattle Seahawks and will need surgery to repair the damage, according to ESPN.com.
Griffin will need total reconstructive surgery of his right knee and will have the operation done on Wednesday. The injury is not expected to keep him from playing in the opening game for the Redskins in 2013, although that is still a possibility, according to team sources familiar with the determination made by orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews.
The main injury occurred late in the game when Griffin was stretching to reach a bad shotgun snap. His knee buckled and twisted on the turf, which was horrible according to the coaches and players, knocking him out of the game. He injured his knee earlier in the season against the Ravens and clearly was not 100 percent during the game against the Seahawks.
Following the injury, Griffin was able to walk on his own, but he never came back in and was replaced by fellow rookie Kirk Cousins. Griffin threw for 84 yards on 10-of-19 passes with two touchdowns in the loss.
Griffin tore his ACL, which was diagnosed as a complete tear of the patella graft that was used to repair Griffin's torn ACL suffered at Baylor in 2009. According to ESPN, a team source said Andrews likely will use a patella graft from Griffin's left knee to repair the most recent tear.
The Associated Press, citing a source, reported that Wednesday's surgery is expected to last two hours. The recovery time for an injury of that magnitude and the accompanying surgery is expected to be about six to eight months, allowing Griffin to possibly be ready for the 2013 season as long as there are no setbacks. According to ESPN.com, "the reconstruction of the LCL is considered a complication, but sources said Andrews informed the Redskins it should rehab well during the same six-to-eight-month time frame as the ACL injury."
Griffin tweeted about the upcoming surgery and thanked fans for all the support as he prepares to go under the knife.
"Thank you for your prayers and support. I love God, my family, my team, the fans, & I love this game. See you guys next season," he wrote.
Griffin was the most dynamic player for the Redskins this season and helped the team win the NFC East for the first time since 1999. Griffin showed poise in the pocket and leadership ability while passing for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns while also rushing for 815 yards and seven scores. He also helped lead the team back from a 3-6 record, winning seven straight games to finish the year.
The Redskins made the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and reached 10 wins for the first time since 2005. Griffin showed amazing speed and athleticism this season, but the injury and surgery now raises the question about whether he will be the same player again.
Adrian Peterson has shown that players can come back stronger and better following successful knee surgery, but he may be the exception and not the rule. Heading into the 2012 NFL draft many felt that Andrew Luck was the safer pick over Griffin due to the possibility of injuries. That idea is playing out in real time right now.
In the short term Griffin is the more dynamic quarterback and the likely winner of the Offensive Rookie of the Year, but it is Luck who is nearly guaranteed a long career due to his style of play. Griffin missed one game this season already with an injury, which was a precursor to the latest problem on Sunday.
Following the loss to the Seahawks, many in the media questioned why Griffin was playing at all, putting some criticism towards head coach Mike Shanahan.
"Many may question, criticize & think they have all the right answers. But few have been in the line of fire in battle," Griffin wrote on Twitter following the game.
Griffin struggled early in the game and also threw a deep interception to Earl Thomas, but Shanahan kept him in the game. Even if he did take him out, Griffin likely would have refused.
"I probably would been right back out there on the field," Griffin said. "You respect authority, and I respect Coach Shanahan. But at the same time, you have to step up and be a man, sometimes. There was no way I was coming out of that game."
The idea that Griffin could miss time next season is a tough prospect for the Redskins, but fellow rookie Kirk Cousins showed that he is a capable NFL starter after winning his lone start for the Redskins following Griffin's injury. Many thought that Cousins would be a hot trade candidate this offseason, but the injury to Griffin throws some water on that fire.
The surgery is set for Wednesday and will be the first step for Griffin as he tries to comeback in 2013 as the same player.
