EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The outfit was different, but the bottom line was not. For the first time this season Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was active; for the sixth straight game he did not see any game action.
But Griffin, who has not taken any questions from the media since he lost the starting job in August, did talk to reporters for a minute after the Redskins' 34-20 loss to the New York Jets.
He knew that he wasn't going to play and that he was active because of the heavy amount of injuries. All seven of Washington's inactive players were injured and couldn't play. That enabled Griffin to be in full uniform for the first time this season. But he knew that playing wasn't going to happen, barring injuries to starter Kirk Cousins and backup Colt McCoy.
"That's not my call," Griffin said. "I was not expecting it. You obviously come in here and expect to win, so I wasn't expecting it at all."
The Redskins' offense didn't exactly have a terrific day. Cousins completed 25 of 43 passes for 196 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Redskins were playing without left tackle Trent Williams, center Kory Lichtensteiger, receiver DeSean Jackson and tight end Jordan Reed. It hurt the run game as much as the passing attack, as Washington rushed for only 34 yards on 17 carries.
For Griffin, Sunday was not the time to address his own situation.
"I'm not going to talk about myself," he said. "We need to win next week. That's all we're focused on. I'm not focused on what I've had to go through or anything like that. We're just focused on Tampa Bay for next week. We have to get a win before the bye."