We have a leader in the clubhouse for bonehead play of the year, and this one may stand up for the whole season.
With the Washington Redskins trailing the St. Louis Rams 31-28, the Skins were driving toward a potential tying field goal, or go-ahead touchdown. The Rams had done what the Rams do — leaving the Skins in the game by fumbling at the Washington 37 with 2:40 left. Seeing a chance to add to his budding legend, Robert Griffin III guided the Skins into scoring territory. Facing 3rd-and-8 at the St. Louis 36, Griffin hit Josh Morgan with a 7-yard pass to the 29, where Morgan decided the moment had come to try to show up Rams pest-in-chief Cortland Finnegan, who probably had it coming, but still. The resulting unsportsmanlike penalty forced the Skins back to the 44-yard line, and from there, Billy Cundiff's 61-yard field goal fell harmlessly short.
The penalty, part of a general late-game meltdown by players who lost their composure and replacement refs who lost control of the proceedings, marred RG3's latest heroics. Griffin finished 20-of-29 passing for 206 yards and a touchdown and added 82 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He's the most electric rookie since, well, 2011, when a guy named Cam Newton was pulling off similar feats, and suffering similarly frustrating losses.
Kudos to Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, though, who passed for 310 yards and three touchdowns in giving the 'stache, Jeff Fisher, his first win in St. Louis.
Elsewhere...
• Okay, Chris Johnson's lack of production has gone from a concern to a four-alarm crisis. Through two games, Johnson has 19 carries for 23 yards. His Titans were never in their game with the Chargers, who struck early and often in a 38-10 drubbing.
• Sorry, Jets and Cowboys fans — your Week 1 successes were apparently a mirage. The Cowboys' special teams were especially horrendous, surrendering an early 10-0 lead to the Seahawks on the way to a shocking 27-7 Seattle win, as rookie Russell Wilson outdueled Tony Romo. And the Jets returned to their preseason ways, mustering only 10 points a week after putting 48 on Buffalo. Mark Sanchez was a tidy 10-for-27 in the Steelers' 27-10 win, for a hellish passer rating of 66.6. I thought Tim Tebow was the Jets quarterback who couldn't pass.
