Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins kept their playoff hopes alive with an important 17-16 victory over NFC East rivals, the New York Giants.

RGIII led the Redskins completing 13-of-21 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown. He also contributed on the ground with five carries for 72 yards. The Redskins took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, after RGIII fumbled and the ball landed directly into wide receiver, Joshua Morgan’s, hands and he burst into the end-zone.

Wide Receiver, Pierre Garcon, hauled in an 8 yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to put the Redskins ahead 17-16. Garcon caught eight passes for 106 yards along with his touchdown.

Rookie running back, Alfred Morris, continued his dominance over the Giants’ defense in Monday night’s match-up. Morris carried the ball 22 times for 124 yards. In both games against the Giants this season, Morris ran for a combined 224 yards.

As for the Giants, they were led by quarterback Eli Manning. Manning completed 20-of-33 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown. His lone touchdown pass came in the second quarter to tight-end Martellus Bennett.

Wide-out Victor Cruz contributed with 5 receptions for 104 but was unable to get into the end- zone. Running back, Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball 24 times for 103 yards, eclipsing the 100 yard mark for the third time this season.

Unfortunately, the Giants were unable to capitalize and settled for three-field goals. In addition, the Giants finished the game with nine penalties, accumulating 73 yards. Costly penalties down the stretch helped the Redskins hold onto the victory.

With the victory, the Redskins are now 6-6 and in the playoff mix. The Skins are tied with NFC East Rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, at 6-6, both just a game away from becoming closer to the top of the NFC East division.  The Redskins will have a tough match-up next week at home against the Baltimore Ravens. Also, before the end of the season they have two crucial match-ups against the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

The Giants are hanging onto the division lead by a thread and also face tough competition in the ensuing weeks. The Giants will welcome the Saints to MetLife next Sunday. The Giants still need to travel to Atlanta and Baltimore before they end the season against the Eagles.

Image Courtesy : Washington Redskins

The article Robert Griffin III Leads Redskins Past Giants appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The National Football League Draft is one of the most highly anticipated events on the sporting calendar as the 32 NFL franchises select the best young American Football players from the collegiate leagues to replenish their ranks. Predictably, a large portion of players who go on to become stars in the NFL are selected in the first round, where selections can make or break teams for years to come.

Names such as Ryan Leaf, Tony Mandarich and JaMarcus Russell should serve as cautionary tales to NFL General Managers, but the sheer amount of quality available in the Draft arguably makes it easier to hit, rather than miss, on a player in the first round.

On the flip side, for every Leaf or Russell, there is a Tom Brady or Kurt Warner, players who fall to the later rounds of the Draft or even fail to get drafted at all, but who go on to have stellar careers within the NFL.

With that in mind, we have examined which current NFL rookies (non-first and second rounders) have the potential to stand in the lofty heights created by the likes of Brady and Warner.

1) Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks.

Wilson was selected in the third round by the Seahawks, presumably to learn from the duo vying for the starting jersey, Matt Flynn and Tavaris Jackson. Not even the most optimistic of Seahawks’ fans would have predicted that their young rookie would oust the highly paid acquisition that was Flynn, but he did just that.

Wilson has thrown for 2,051 yards and 17 touchdowns so far this season, despite playing behind an inexperienced offensive line and without an elite receiving corps. With a few decent additions to Seattle over the coming years, Wilson could, and perhaps should, develop into an elite quarterback.

2) Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins.

Understandably, headlines were focused on another Redskins pick at the start of the season, a certain Robert Griffin III but fast forward a few months and, well, they’re still focused on RG3, but running back Morris is also earning some time in the spotlight.

Selected in the sixth round, Morris has perhaps offered more value for money than any other rookie currently in the NFL. Morris has 982 rushing yards (fifth in the NFL), with an average of 4.7 yards-per-carry, further proving that excellent running back prospects can be found towards the end of the draft (honorable mentions also to Daryl Richardson and Bryce Brown).

3) Vontaze Burfict, LB, Cincinnati Bengals.

The former Arizona State University player went undrafted this year, despite entering the 2011 NCAA season as one of the most highly rated prospects in the country. A poor combine workout, personality concerns and testing positive for marijuana all ensured that Burfict slipped off of most teams’ radars.

He has already collected 76 combined tackles this season and would perhaps have more if he had not been moved from inside to outside linebacker. More importantly, Burfict is repaying the faith shown in him by Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis by training hard, playing well and avoiding any off-field controversies. Providing he can continue in this vein, we could well be witnessing the first few steps of the next Ray Lewis.

4) Alfonzo Dennard, CB, New England Patriots.

There was little fanfare in New England when Dennard was selected in the seventh round. Fans were far more focused on defensive counterparts Chandler Jones and Don’t’a Hightower, both of whom were selected in the first round, whilst the secondary was also strengthened in the second and sixth rounds with the acquisitions of Tavon Wilson and Nate Ebner. Although it was safe to say Dennard flew in under the radar, there is nothing under the radar about his play since.

Dennard has three interceptions — one of which was returned for an 87-yard touchdown — in just seven games and already looks at home in the Patriot’s defense. His form has also allowed for Devin McCourty to move back to safety, with a potentially dominant secondary forming among the young defensive backs for New England.

5) Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens were faced with a conundrum at the beginning of the season: stick with veteran kicker Billy Cundiff or roll the dice on the undrafted Justin Tucker? Tucker eventually won the battle in preseason and neither Tucker nor the Ravens have looked back since.

The kicker has missed just two of his field goal attempts, has 100 percent success rate on extra point attempts and has broken the franchise record with a 56-yard field goal. Although Baltimore was criticized by some for going with the rookie at the start of the season, they have proved their critics wrong as Tucker has arguably outshone all the kickers drafted above him, with perhaps the exception of Greg Zuerlein.

Image Courtesy : Seattle Seahawks

The article NFL: Late-Round Picks Make Names for Themselves appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The New York Giants were able to hold off divisional rivals the Washington Redskins, and their impressive running attack, 27-23 to earn their first divisional win of the season.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning waited till the end of the game to show how elite he truly is. After the Redskins pulled ahead 23-20 thanks to quarterback Robert Griffin III connecting with veteran wideout Santana Moss, Eli Manning and the New York Giants had one last opportunity.

Manning and the Giants offense started their drive on their own 23 yard-line. Manning started off the drive  with an incomplete pass to running back Ahmad Bradshaw. On 2nd and 10, in Shotgun Manning dropped back and connected with wideout Victor Cruz down the middle of the field for a 77 yard touchdown to regain the lead.

On the ensuing drive, with just over a minute left, the Redskins began their final drive of the game on their own 20 yard-line. Robert Griffin III, RGIII, connected with wideout Josh Morgan, who fumbled and recovered the ball for a 12 yard gain. RGIII looked over the middle for Moss but they couldn’t connect. On 2nd and 10 from their own 32 yard-line, RGIII hit Moss over the middle but Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn forced a fumble and it was recovered by cornerback Jayron Hosley. The Giants offense kneeled their way to a much needed divisional victory.

Manning finished the game, completing 26-of-40 completions for 337 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw struggled running the ball, compiling only 43 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown. Back-up running back Andre Brown also had one touchdown on five carries for 17 yards.

RGIII competed 20-of-28 passes for 258 yards two touchdowns and one interception. RGIII  also ran nine times for 89 yards. Redskins running back, Alfred Morris ran the ball 22 times for 120 yards. Morris has ran for over 100 yards in three of the last four games. Back-up tight-end Logan Paulsen had four receptions for 76 yards. Paulsen entered the game after starting tight-end Fred Davis left the game with an apparent achilles injury. Wideout Santana Moss was the recipient to both of RGIII’s touchdown passes.

The Redskins struggled protecting the ball on offense. The Redskins turned the ball over four times; meanwhile, they turned the ball over five times all season prior to this game. Safety Stevie Brown had one interception; defensive tackle Linval Joseph, cornerback Jayron Hosley and linebacker Michael Boley all recovered fumbles for the Giants.

The Giants will be back in action next week against divisional rivals the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. The Giants are atop of the NFC East Division and their remaining schedule will continue to get tougher as the season progresses.

Image Courtesy of  Washington Redskins

The article Giants Hold Off Divisional Rivals Washington Redskins appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Robert Griffin III led the Washington Redskins on their first victory at FedEx Field, 38-26 over the Minnesota Vikings, to end an eight-game home losing streak.

RGIII was questionably well enough to play the Vikings, after suffering a concussion last week against the undefeated Atlanta Falcons. RGIII showed no signs of having suffered the concussion with his efficient performance through the air and on the ground. He completed 17 of 22 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His lone touchdown pass came in the second quarter to fullback Darrel Young, for his first touchdown of the season.

Wideout Santana Moss led the Redskins with four receptions for 46 yards. In addition, tight-end Fred Davis caught three passes for 46 yards.

The Redskins’ running game was led by RGIII carrying the ball 13 times for 138 yards, and with two touchdowns. His electrifying 76-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter put the finishing touches on the Vikings and solidified the victory. RGIII is now atop the NFL, with six rushing touchdowns. Running back Alfred Morris had 47 yards on 16 carries for a touchdown.

This loss for the Vikings may solely be based on their offense’s inability to convert in the red-zone early. On the Vikings’ first three possessions, they had to settle for three field goals, all three less than 30 yards out.

Quarterback Christian Ponder completed 32 of 52 passes for 352 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and one fumble. This was Ponder’s second career game throwing over 350 yards, and first game this season exceeding 300 yards in the air. Ponder’s 52 pass attempts were also a career high for the two-year quarterback.

Percy Harvin led the Vikings’ receiving core with 11 receptions for 133 yards. Harvin’s 133 yards is a season high, and it is also Harvin’s second consecutive week with 100+ receiving yards.

Harvin has already surpassed last years’ two total 100+ receiving yards game with three, just six weeks in. Tight-end Kyle Rudolph and wideout Michael Jenkins caught touchdown passes.

Adrian Peterson continues to run hard for the Vikings, compiling 79 yards on 17 carries. Peterson also caught seven passes for 50 yards. He had compiled 100 total yards in four consecutive games.

The 4-2 Vikings are in second place in the NFC North Division, behind the Chicago Bears, who had their bye week. The Vikings will be back in action Sunday, October 21 against the Arizona Cardinals. As for the Washington Redskins, they will be heading to MetLife Stadium to take on divisional rivals the New York Giants.

Image Courtesy of  Keith Allison

The article RGIII Excels Over Vikings appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.