UPDATED 8 p.m.: Redskins announce Robert Griffin III's MRI reveals a right knee sprain (X-ray clear). Head coach Mike Shanahan will discuss further in his Monday press conference. Watch the press conference live on Redskins.com at 3 p.m.
Sunday's victory over the Baltimore Ravens could prove costly as Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was knocked out of the game with an apparent knee injury in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
The play occurred with the Redskins driving at the Washington 27-yard line and 1:56 remaining in the game. On 2nd-and-19, Griffin III scrambled out of the pocket to the left, before cutting back to the middle of the field.
As he dove forward, he absorbed a viscious hit from Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata, which forced him out of the game several plays later.
"I was trying to make a play," he said after the game. "I got outside and turned inside, and once I turned it inside I said, 'Oh lord, here we go,' and got down."
Too late. Ngata hit Griffin III with 330 pounds at full speed, bouncing him awkwardly off the turf.
"I got hit in the back. I protected myself in that regard," he said. "When I came out after that play with my leg, I told them I was going back in [the game]. I just wanted them to know I wanted to go back in."
And Griffin III did, relieving Kirk Cousins after one play, completing two-of-four passes for 37 yards. Trying to hustle up to the line of scrimmage, the pain overcame him again, forcing Cousins back in the game.
"I knew I needed to get out at that point. I couldn't move," he explained. "At some point, you have to do what's right for the team. If I would have played for the rest of the game, I probably would have hurt myself even more."
Cousins proved to be a more-than-capable replacement, completing both passes for 26 yards and the game-tying touchdown.
The first person to congratulate Cousins on the sideline was Griffin III, who hugged his teammate before being assessed by the training staff.
"You just need to trust those guys and trust yourself when you know enough is enough," Griffin III said. "When I first came on, I didn't think enough was enough. After being out there for a few plays and realizing that I couldn't do too much, I had to get out."
The game would ultimately go into overtime, where the defense held the Ravens to a three and out, before punt returner Richard Crawford returned a punt 64 yards into field goal range.
Kai Forbath's third field goal of the day was the margin of victory.
The Redskins will know more about Griffin III's status for next Sunday after he takes an MRI tonight or tomorrow.
Head coach Mike Shanahan was hopeful that the injury would not be serious, but was cautious not to speak too soon.
"I really don't know," he said of the severity of the injury. "It's sore right now. He wanted to go back in the game, which is a good sign. That was a positive, but I won't know until we have an MRI.
Griffin III tore his right ACL as a sophomore at Baylor, but assured the media that it did not feel like the same kind of pain.
"I am not a doctor, but I know what an ACL [injury] feels like and it doesn't feel like an ACL. Hopefully, we can have some positive things that come out of the MRI. We took an X-ray and it was a very good X-ray.
"I feel the positive vibes coming my way and hopefully everything will be alright."
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