ES Coverage & Interactive Game Day Thread: 2012 Redskins vs Seahawks (Final)

It's crazy what a difference a week makes.

If you had talked to me a week ago, right after the Redskins beat the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football to clench the NFC East and earn a spot in the playoffs, I would have told you that everything else this season is gravy. I would have said we're playing with house money at this point.

After being in last place in the division last year, the fact that the RGIII era saw the Redskins go on a seven game win streak to finish 10-6, earing their first NFC East title since 1999 and their first playoff since 2007 is a feat in and of itself. They don't really have anything else to prove.

And yet, now that the game is upon us, I don't feel that way at all. Having a week to sit around and think about it all, I've gotten greedy. I want this. I want the Redskins to beat down the Seahawks. I want them to slap the Starbucks coffees out of their entitled little hands and walk away with a surprise victory and a ticket to the next round of the playoffs.

I want these Redskins to avenge the last two playoff losses this franchise has suffered at the hands of Seattle. I want Robert Griffin III to outshine Russell Wilson head to head on a national stage to definitively end any Rookie of the Year debates happening right now. I want all of the so-called "experts" who are picking the Seahawks to eat their words.

I want this more than I've wanted anything in a long time. This has been an absolutely magical ride and frankly I'm just not ready for it to end. I love the energy in this town right now. I love the vibe at the stadium these days. I love the stand up group of guys Mike Shanahan and company have assembled.

I'm packed in tight on the bandwagon, Kool-aid in hand. I've been waiting for this game for a very long time and I'm so very excited to see how it turns out. Pay no attention to that Joel from a week ago who said this game is a bonus. I want a win.

Inactives

Redskins Inactives

QB Rex Grossman

WR Brandon Banks

WR Dezmon Briscoe

LB Roddrick Muckelroy

LB Vic So’oto

T Tom Compton

G Adam Gettis

Seahawks Inactives

WR Deon Butler

SS Winston Guy

CB DeShawn Shead

LB Allen Bradford

G Rishaw Johnson

T Mike Person

DT Jaye Howard

4:38 PM - The Internet connection in the press box is abysmal right now. I'm doing my best to make it work though.

4:42 PM - First run of the game and things are already a bit chippy. Could be an ugly game.

4:47 PM - Kory Lichtensteiger is already shaken up.

4:50 PM - Honestly, I don't know why this team ever deferred. With an offense this explosive, why not strike first? Nine plays, 80 yards, five minutes and three seconds. It ends with a four-yard touchdown pass from Robert Griffin III to Evan Royster. 7-0

4:55 PM - The Seahawks go for broke on their first play of the game, but Russell Wilson overthrows his receiver.

4:57 PM - London Fletcher and Stephen Bowen sack Russell Wilson to force a three-and-out on the Seahawks. Round one of the rookie battle goes to RGIII.

5:05 PM - The Seahawks look unprepared for this game. It's like they spent the week thinking about what to pack for Atlanta instead of studying film.

5:08 PM - Logan Paulsen is wide open on that four-yard touchdown pass from RGIII. The Seahawks sneak in a cheap shot on Griffin after he releases the ball, which they get flagged for. 11 plays, 54 yards, five minutes and 58 seconds. 14-0

5:14 PM - Perry Riley with a sack this time. Which team has the highly touted defense again?

END OF FIRST QUARTER

14-0

5:19 PM - It's a good thing the two teams switch sides each quarter. Otherwise, I might not actually see a touchdown in this endzone.

5:27 PM - After a delay of game penalty set them up with a third-and-12, the Seahawks are forced to settle for a field goal. 12 plays, 66 yards, five minutes and 21 seconds. 14-3

5:42 PM - Russell Wilson with a four-yard touchdown pass to Michael Robinson. Eight plays, 73 yards, five minutes and eight seconds. A big chunk of those yards came from Marshawn Lynch picking up Russell Wilson's fumble for a 20-yard run. 14-10

5:48 PM - The Redskins take a shot deep, but RGIII underthrows Pierre Garcon, who is double covered. The Seahawks recover on their own 24.

5:59 PM - The Seahawks capitalize on the turnover with a field goal by the injured Steven Hauschka. 10 plays, 63 yards, three minutes and 36 seconds. 14-13

HALFTIME

14-13

6:10 PM - Time to see what halftime adjustments the Redskins have made.

6:18 PM - The word huge doesn't even begin to describe Barry Cofield forcing a Marshawn Lynch fumble on the two-yard line. Nice recovery by Jarvis Jenkins. Up until that point, the Seahawks had all of the momentum and looked to take their first lead of the day.

6:35 PM - The Redskins continue to struggle on offense, but their D is keeping them in the game right now. Josh Wilson comes up with a sack that takes Seattle out of field goal range and forces them to punt.

END OF THIRD QUARTER

14-13

6:47 PM - Reed Doughty with a sack on third down. The defense is playing lights out right now.

6:49 PM - Even hobbled, Griffin runs for eight yards.

6:52 PM - I've waited as long as humanely possible to say this - but I think they do have to put in Kirk Cousins.

6:54 PM - Today's announced attendance is 84,325. That's the largest postseason attendance in Redskins history.

7:00 PM - The defense held them off as long as they could, but Marshawn Lynch breaks through with a 27-yard touchdown run to give the Seahawks their first lead of the day. The Seahawks convert for two. Eight plays, 79 yards, three minutes and 45 seconds. 14-21

7:08 PM - And every Redskins' fans worst nightmare plays out as RGIII crumbles after twisting his knee attempting to pick up a fumble. He somehow walks off the field on his own though.

7:13 PM - Four plays, one yard, 47 seconds. Seattle increases their lead with a field goal. 24-14

To see ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE

To listen to comments from Lorenzo Alexander click HERE

To listen to comments from Stephen Bowen click HERE

To listen to comments from Kirk Cousins click HERE

To listen to comments from Reed Doughty click HERE

To listen to comments from Pierre Garcon click HERE

To listen to comments from Ryan Kerrigan click HERE

To listen to comments from Will Montgomery click HERE

To listen to comments from Alfred Morris click HERE

To listen to comments from Perry Riley click HERE

To listen to comments from Trent Williams click HERE

To listen to comments from Josh Wilson click HERE

To listen to comments from Darrel Young click HERE

Inevitably, the lasting image in most Redskins fans minds will be Robert Griffin III bending down to scoop up a loose fumble, then crumbling to the ground after twisting his knee the wrong way.

That one moment was essentially the end of the game and the end of what had become an incredibly special season. The Redskins far exceeded every expectation fans and pundits had for them this year, going on a seven game winning streak to win the NFC East and to give them their first playoff berth since 2007 (and first home playoff game since 1999). Ever since RGIII lead the team to an impressive victory over the New Orleans Saints, it's been a fantastic ride this season. And yet, it ends with Griffin on the ground as the Seahawks scoop up the ball in the red zone to secure a victory. It's an absolutely heartbreaking way to see it all end.

And while it will come as little solace in the days and weeks to follow, there are a lot of positives to take away from all of this.

For starters, there was that first quarter of this game. After one quarter, the Redskins lead 14-0. The 'Skins had 129 yards of total offense, while the Seahawks had just nine. Washington held the ball for 11 minutes and one second. Alfred Morris had eight carries for 49 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Griffin was six of nine for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Marshawn Lynch had two carries for five yards and Russell Wilson was two of three for 20 yards, with two sacks.

Watching that first quarter, it was easy to see what this Redskins team is capable of. With a healthy RGIII, they could have easily steamrolled over a Seahawks team that came out the gate utterly unprepared for them. Instead, Griffin seemed to struggle after that first quarter, noticeably limping and seeming incapable of planting his foot to throw the ball accurately. But even with Griffin on one leg and an offense that suddenly was incapable of moving the ball, the Redskins still held onto a 14-13 lead for three quarters. The defense had a great game (particularly Reed Doughty, who had seven solo tackles, five assists and a career high two sacks), doing all they could to keep the offense in the game. All the team needed was a spark on offense to push the game over the edge. Instead, RGIII reinjured himself and the team failed to capitalize on their early lead.

There will be a lot of second guessing of Mike Shanahan's decision to leave Griffin in the game. In the post game press conference, Shanahan said that at halftime RGIII convinced him that he could keep playing. Griffin told the coach that he was hurt, but not injured. And, according to Shanahan, Griffin basically made the case that he deserved to play.

It's easy to second guess Shanahan now seeing how it all played out. But honestly, I can't even imagine looking into Griffin's eyes as he tells you he deserves to play and that he's not injured and telling him to take the bench. That's a much easier call to make when you are at home on your couch or watching the game from the stands. In the moment, you want to trust your quarterback, especially when he's been capable of pulling off amazing feats this entire season.

Maybe the Redskins would have won this game with Kirk Cousins. Maybe they wouldn't have. Perhaps Cousins would have been eaten alive by Seattle's defense, throwing picks and getting sacked repeatedly. We'll never know. And wondering "what if" won't make this loss easier to stomach.

So while it while take a while to shake the imagine of an injured RGIII out of our minds and to wash down the bad taste of another loss against Seattle in the playoff out of our mouths, stay strong. Be happy that this team was able to put together such an impressive win steak. And be content knowing that this isn't a year where they go into the offseason blowing up the entire team and rebuilding once again. The pieces are there. This team is set to do amazing things. It only gets better from here.

Can't sleep !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can we fast forward 16 hours?!?!

NLC can't sleep either....starting the game day thread just after midnight.

I wish we played at 1 today. That would save us all another 3/12 hours of this waiting crap! Hail!

Paloffs iz NOW!

Headed out to FedEx in about an hour.

Paloffs iz NOW!

Headed out to FedEx in about an hour.

Hey TK...give us a sample of your take on tomorrow's game?

Cill my landlord...i mean the seasquawks

---------- Post added January-5th-2013 at 10:21 PM ----------

Paloffs iz NOW!

Headed out to FedEx in about an hour.

Drink up, Shriner! :pfft:

(but only responsibly )

Seahawks have scored 28+ points 5 times this season. Once on the road at Buffalo. The Seahawks have scored below their season avg. 10 times.

The Redskins have scored 28+ points 9 times this season. They've scored 28+ points at home 5 of their 8 games. The Redskins have scored at or above their season average of points 10 times.

Average scoring defenses the Redskins have played at home: 15.3

Average scoring defenses the Seahawks have played on road: 13.3

17.6 is the average rank of scoring offenses the Redskins have played at home.

20.8 is the average rank of scoring offenses the Seahawks have played on road.

Average rank of scoring offenses of Redskins opponents: 15th.

Average rank of scoring offenses of Seahawks opponents: 19th.

I can not wait until Washington wins this game.

See you all at FedEx! Lets show those Seahags what the 12th man of a 3-time Superbowl campion sounds like!

I cant sleep either. All Ive heard all week is how we cant win, how Seattle has this elite defense, how RG3 has a gimpy leg and cant run. I cant wait until we beat these fools and are at Atlanta next week, all the talk about how well we did and how Seattle played poorly.....Im sure we wouldnt even get that credit after a win either!

On a different note- I have an 8 year old son who lives with me 24/7. The first game I took him 2 was dallas week in 2007 where we made the playoffs . In his lifetime the Redskins have only made 2 short runs into the playoffs. Im originally from VA but do to circumstances have had to move to Texas. Although we are in TX I have made it a point to take my son to the games every time Washington comes to Dallas, We rep our gear from head to toe...after all these years of being called inappropriate names and have lost year in and year out and all the outside influences being a redskins fan, my son is still a fan, right there with me.

Long story short....Im proud to see us make this run that has been a long time comming....these are the reasons Im a fan and Im glad we have the character players on this team to demonstrate the importance to my son to ride things out, even when at times it seems hopeless!

Now lets beat Seattle and continue to "catch our dream:///"no pressure, no diamonds" we all believe!

:seahawksu

HTTR!

Kyle feels good about his plan

4 more. This team is ready to show the world! Hail victory!!

Is it 4:30 yet???

Looking at the OP's picture... I miss the burgundy pants.

ATTN: Fans at Fedex:

BE LOUDDDDD!

Come on Skins!!! Kick dat ass!!!!!

We are going to take it to those Seahawks today.

GO REDSKINS!!!! :logo:

Can you feel it in the air? HTTR !!!! ::point2sky:point2sky:point2sky:point2sky:point2sky

#10 and #46.......1+0+4+6 = 11 Straight wins puts us in the SB

Hail!

:seahawksu

Jus woken up out here in Florida where I am for a company meeting. One of my co-workers is from Seattle and we had a 'friendly' bet on the game after a bit of mild trash talking at the bar last night. I now have money at stake - this just got serious :evilg:

As a "younger" fan who doesn't remember the glory days, I have never in my life wanted a game as bad as this one. I want the Seattle smack-talkers to firmly shut their mouths, except when they are in awe of AlMo trucking their defensive brethren into next season. I want them to look at RG3 and count their lucky stars that "we aren't in THAT guy's division." I want that plane ride back to Seattle to be long, and miserable, and I want the airline to have run out of peanuts and Coke. LET's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Cill my landlord...i mean the seasquawks

Still one of SNL's (and Eddie's) best moments. Got no reason, what the heck?! Cill the Seahawks...C-I-L-L the Seahawks!

Can't sleep !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I live in Italy and have to wait until 2230hrs local time Europe to kick this thing off

Checking in! Up with the kids making breakfast. Gonna get a lift and a run in around 1000 and then leave my house at noon-ish to get up to the Big Package with plenty of time to spare.

I can't wait... it's been the longest week of all time. I mean... I feel we haven't played a game since last year