New team captain, rookie QB Robert Griffin III, acted very much like a team captain and more.  In fact, with a passer rating of 158.3, Griffin was nearly perfect.  He threw one completion all day, completing 14 of 15 attempts, had an impressive 13.3 yards per attempt, and added four TD tosses to a great day.  On top of all that, Griffin rushed for 84 yards.  Griffin's effort were rewarded by a Redskins defense that did not allow a single Philly TD.  As RGIII stated, the Redskins are not out of the playoff hunt, but probably need to win out.  A 31-6 thrashing of the Eagles at home is a damn good way to start.  Let's see whatthe media pundits have to say on the Monday after. 

ESPN, Last Call, John Clayton

As if Eagles coach Andy Reid didn't have enough problems, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan taught him the proper way to use a rookie quarterback. Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan, Mike's son and the Redskins' offensive coordinator, understand one of the keys to having rookie quarterbacks succeed is to minimize the number of throws in a game. The more a rookie quarterback throws, the greater chance he has of losing. The 2012 class of rookie quarterbacks is 5-21 in games in which they attempt 31 or more passes.

CBS Sports, Judgements, Clark Judge

RG3 vs. Philadelphia. Not only did he produce a perfect passer rating (158.3); he missed only one of 15 passes for a 93.3 completion percentage and had four touchdowns. It was the best percentage for a quarterback with four TDs since Steve Young did it in 1994.

CNNSI, Monday Morning Quarterback, Peter King

Robert Griffin III just had a game for the ages. Anyone notice?

Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington. The best game of a precocious rookie season: 14 of 15, 200 yards passing, four touchdowns, no picks; 12 rushes, 84 yards, in the 31-6 rout of the Eagles. I talked to a long-time NFC East executive Sunday night, and he said: "I am not happy this guy's in our division for the next 15 years. In fact, I'm pissed." And this from Santana Moss, who made one of the touchdown catches, a spectacular one: "Robert's going to go out there and keep being special. He ignites our fire.''

CNNSI, Don Banks, Snap Judgements

Robert Griffin III could play another 15 years in the NFL and never have a crisper game than the one he turned in against Philadelphia. Griffin had just one pass hit the ground, going 14 of 15 for 200 yards, with four touchdowns -- nicely spacing them one in each quarter.  I think it's safe to say Griffin came out of Washington's bye week refreshed and ready to go. No sign of hitting the dreaded rookie wall just yet.

THUMBS UP

ROBERT GRIFFIN III -- It's an obvious choice, but no less deserved for that fact. Griffin was almost flawless today, completing 14 of 15 passes for 200 yards [13.3 yards per attempt], with 4 TD, zero turnovers and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. Griffin also ran for 84 yards, with several runs coming on amazing scrambles that left multiple Eagles defenders grasping at air and the young signal-caller slipped loped away for a big first down. At times it seemed as if the only thing working properly on the offense today was RG3, which seems strange to consider since the team scored 31 points, but anyone who saw the game would realize the truth. The offensive line and even tailback Alfred Morris committed multiple motion penalties and once in the third quarter the Redskins had to take a timeout because nobody could figure out which personnel was supposed to be on the field. It was a real mess. RG3 bailed the Skins out on that drive by running for a first down on a third down scramble and then launching a 61-yard TD pass to WR Santana Moss, who beat two larger defenders to catch the ball. That drive was a metaphor for the offense today -- mistake-filled and often ugly, but ultimately successful because of the athleticism and skill of the rookie quarterback. When a desperate Redskins team need him the most, RG3 delivered with perhaps the best game of his young NFL career. 

PERRY RILEY -- Few have noticed that ILB Perry Riley has been the team's best linebacker this season and maybe the team's best defensive player. Riley had six tackles today, including three tackles for loss. He also had a beautiful sack on a great stunt blitz call by Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett, who sent the inside 'backer out wide to rush the passer. Riley also had two QB hits and knocked down a pass. The only blemish on an otherwise nearly-perfect performance was the roughing the passer penalty Riley drew in the fourth quarter. It wasn't an egregious foul by Riley, though, so I don't hold it against him too much. 

Honorable Mention: FB Darrel Young continues to be a quietly fantastic player. He touched the ball only once today, but made it count by slipping out into the flat for an easy 6-yard TD reception on Washington's second offensive play from scrimmage. The score gave Washington a lead it never gave up. Apart from that, Young just continued to be a fantastic blocker, both for Alfred Morris and RG3. You can see why Young is a favorite of the Shanahans -- he does what he is supposed to do and he almost always does it very well. 

THUMBS DOWN

PENALTIES -- Only one thumbs down today on an otherwise terrific performance by the Redskins today, but it is a big one. Washington committed 13 penalties for almost 100 yards two weeks ago, in their loss to the Panthers, just before the bye week. Today demonstrated the Redskins have done nothing to fix this glaring problem. The offensive line and tailback had constant problems with motion penalties and those were particularly frustrating because they are so preventable. The Redskins are the most penalized team in the NFL this year and the embattled coaching staff bears responsibility for this travesty. Is anyone being held responsible for these mistakes? Are punishments being handed out? Why do the same players -- I'm looking at you, LG Kory Lichtensteiger -- continue to make the same mistakes and there appears to be no consequences for this incompetence. Washington had 25 penalties for about 170 yards in their last two games. That's completely unacceptable. I know it. You know it. But do the players know it? If not, why not. If so, why does it keep happening. 

IT WAS OVER WHEN... Redskins QB Robert Griffin III dropped back to pass and, as the pocket closed around him, he calmly fired a frozen rope of a pass to the outside shoulder of TE Logan Paulsen, who hauled the ball in and twisted in the defender's arms into the end zone. The extra point put the Redskins up 31-6 with 10:35 left in the game. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING... Both rookie quarterbacks today threw for about 200 yards [200 for RG3, 204 for Nick Foles], but Robert Griffin III was far more efficient in doing so. Foles completed 21 of 46 passes [46%], threw two interceptions and averaged a mere 4.4 yards per pass for a passer rating of 40.5. RG3 threw only 15 passes, completed 14 of them, 4 for touchdowns and averaged 13.3 yards per pass for a perfect passer rating of 158.3. In addition to having almost literally a perfect passing day, RG3 also ran the ball 12 times for 84 yards [7.0 per carry], which includes a kneel-down at the end of regulation. 

Griffin completed 14 passes to nine different receivers and no receiver had more than three catches. All four touchdown passes were thrown to receivers who did not catch another pass all day. RG3 has no  go-to receiver because with TE Fred Davis lost for the season, no receiver on the team is good enough to merit that status. Understanding this, RG3 spreads the ball around, looking not for a reliable receiver, but just for anyone who might get open on the play. I believe this is improving Griffin's decision-making ability and should serve him well in coming seasons.

I LIKED THAT... The much-and-correctly-maligned defense did not give up a touchdown today. True, they were facing a rookie quarterback in his first start, but the Redskins defense has failed eight straight games against rookie signal-callers. Not today. The defense tackled well, adjusted to Philly's early success with the screen pass and did not allow dangerous deep wideouts Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin to do what they've often done against the Redskins -- get open deep for big plays in the passing game. 

The Redskins defense was hitting hard today, particularly SS Brandon Meriweather, ILB Perry Riley and F/SS DeJon Gomes. Meriweather had a very strong game before injuring his right knee to continue his cursed 2012 season. Riley, who has been Washington's best linebacker this year, had six tackles, a sack a pass defensed and three tackles for loss. If he hadn't gotten flagged for roughing the passer, Riley might have had a perfect game, too. 

RG3 was virtually perfect today. When the Skins needed him the most, Griffin may have played the best game of his young career. Not only was he mostly careful with the ball and making big plays in the passing game -- he threw a 49-yard TD pass to WR Aldrick Robinson and a 61-yard TD pass to WR Santana Moss -- Griffin repeatedly bailed out Washington's offense with his feet, rushing for 84 yards, including some big first downs. 

I DID NOT LIKE THAT... The Skins continue to be a mistake-prone team, both on offense and defense. They avoided the turnovers this week, which is good, but again they committed one stupid, careless penalty after another. Two weeks ago, in their last game before the bye, the Redskins committed 13 penalties for almost 100 yards against the Panthers, including two that negated touchdowns. Today, the Redskins committed 12 penalties for 75 yards, with the most egregious being the persistent motion penalties on the offensive line and TB Alfred Morris, who committed two by himself. The Redskins are a sloppy, mistake-prone, careless and undisciplined team and I wonder where the accountability is for all this. Is anyone being punished for all this? The Redskins are the most penalized team in the NFL and that is a terrible reflection upon the coaching staff.

 The Redskins had two chances to get 12 inches and failed both times, turning the ball over on downs at the Eagles' 20-yard line. The first play was a QB sneak that gained nothing and the second was a handoff to TB Alfred Morris that lost a couple of feet due to a complete collapse of the right side of the offensive line. The next time someone tells you the Redskins' offensive line has really played well this year, remember those two plays, when Washington could not get a foot on two chances. 

AND IT ALL MEANS... Eagles head coach Andy Reid feels a lot more heat than Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan -- at least for this week. The Redskins had lost the last three coming into today and the last two games looked very bad. The Redskins had lost eight straight games to rookie quarterbacks and Mike Shanahan had not won with the Redskins after a bye week. All those negative streaks ended. Meanwhile, the Redskins got to bury the Eagles, who lost their sixth straight game and sink to 3-7. 

The Redskins have six games left and four of them are against NFC East opponents. They will have a chance to make something of their season if they play well enough -- and that effort continues in four days on Thanksgiving in Dallas against the hated Cowboys. Washington's playoff hopes are laughably slim, but the notion that the Redskins have nothing to play for but talent evaluation -- an opinion impolitically offered by Mike Shanahan two weeks ago after the loss to Carolina -- is dead for now. The Redskins have something to play for in 2012 and it isn't pride or the future. Games still matter for the Redskins. That's the good news. 

The other good news: RG3 just gets better and better. If Washington can't build a championship team around this young man and his enormous talent, then... I don't know how to finish that sentence. Griffin has champion written all over him. Now he needs a team around him. 

It was a great opportunity for Washington to pickup their first win of the season, but Utah handed the Wizards their eighth loss of the 2012-'13 campaign by a 83-76 count.

The Jazz were playing back to back nights, but used 21 points from center Al Jefferson to hold on for the win. The Wizards continue to play without injured stars John Wall and Nene.

"That's not an excuse," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "We've got enough here to win games, and we do -- and we've got to believe that. I've got to help them believe in themselves right now. We're low on confidence right now from an offensive standpoint."

Jordan Crawford led the Wizards with 20 points while Trevor Ariza was the only other in double figures with 16.

Fans seem more interested in a promotion late in the game and were rewarded with free sandwiches from Chick Fil-A.

The Wizards return to action tomorrow night against the Indiana Pacers at the Verizon Center.

Here are your Redskins inactives against the Eagles.  WR Pierre Garçon and S Brandon Meriweather are not among them.  It has been confirmed that both players will indeed start today.  For Meriweather, he will be making his Redskins debut.

QB Rex Grossman

WR Dez BRiscoe

LB Mario Addison 

CB Richard Crawford

OG Maurice Hurt

OG Adam Gettis

DT Doug Worthington

Adam Schefter of ESPN  just announced on the air that both WR Pierre Garcon and SS Brandon Meriweather are both expected to play today when the Redskins host the Philadelphia Eagles. Schefter said it isn't clear how much Garcon will actually play and I expect very little from him due to chronic foot pain that could very easily cut his once-promising career very short. Hopefully, I'm wrong about that. 

WHO: Philadelphia Eagles [3-6] at Washington Redskins [3-6]
WHAT: Week 11 of the 2012 NFL season
WHEN: Sunday, 18 November 2012 at 1 PM
WHERE: FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland
WHY: It's football and football is good.

WATCH: FOX TV or Livestream on NFL Sunday Ticket

LISTEN: SIRIUS 85

SPREAD: Washington -1.5

OVER/UNDER: 46

A weekly feature in which we update the performances of the locked-out Caps players.

(Due to the international break, there was no update last week)

Nicklas Bäckström: Swedish center Nicklas Bäckström, who turns 25 later this month, has continued the strong start to his KHL career in the wake of the international break. After changing his jersey number from #99 to #69, Bäckström appeared in two games since our last update, tallying three goals (by way of a hat-trick) and one assist. He was also +4. Through seven games with Dynamo Moscow so far, the Swede has four goals, three assists, and +3.

Jason Chimera: Jason Chimera became the latest cap to sign in Europe this past week, joining the Czech Extraliga’s HC Chomutov. He is expected to debut this weekend.

Joey Crabb: The only locked-out Cap not affected by the European international break, Alaska Aces (ECHL) winger Joey Crabb dramatically improved in the last couple of weeks. Crabb appeared in six games and scored three goals and four assists. He was +5. Crabb, who has much to prove, is playing well during the lockout, and so far has six goals and eight assists and is +3 in 14 games.

Marcus Johansson: It has been a rocky ride so far for young Swede Marcus Johansson. Mojo appeared in only two games this past week, the first of which saw him score one goal and one assist, and the second of which saw him go pointless, -3, and 0/6 on facoeffs. In his four-game BIK Karlskoga career, Johansson has two goals, one assist, and is -6.

Brooks Laich: It was a slow week for Caps center Brooks Laich and his Kloten Flyers. Laich appeared in only one game since our last update, and did not factor onto the scoresheet. Whether Laich is injured or not is unclear. Through 15 games, Laich has six goals, eight assists, and +8.

Michal Neuvirth: Michal Neuvirth has, more than any other Caps player, struggled since his arrival with Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga, but he was actually very good in the last two weeks. Neuvirth started two games for Sparta, and won both. In 3-2 wins over Skoda Plzen HC and PSG Zlin, Neuvy recorded a 2.00 goals against average and .946 save percentage. Impressive, considering Neuvy has won just three of 12 games, and has a total 3.24 GAA and .914 save percentage.

Alex Ovechkin: After recovering from bronchitis, Alex Ovechkin returned to action this week and was once again solid in limited appearances. In two games, the Caps captain notched two assists to add to his season tally. Through 16 games with his hometown Dynamo Moscow, Ovechkin now has six goals and 10 assists for a perfect point-per-game pace. He is also +5.

Wojtek Wolski: Did not play.

Stanislav Galiev, Braden Holtby, Tomas Kundratek, Dmitry Orlov, and Mattias Sjögren will play for the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

Karl Alzner, Jay Beagle, Troy Brouwer, John Carlson, John Erskine, Mike Green, Roman Hamrlik, Matt Hendricks, Jack Hillen, Mathieu Perreault, Mike Ribeiro, Jeff Schultz, and Joel Ward have yet to sign.

Tom Poti is injured.

Check out the old uniform and the guy in the Utah  uniform who is now in a Brooklyn uniform. It was that long ago.

In a move that could be interpreted as shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, the Washington Wizards cut backup PG Jannero Pargo and signed backup PG Shaun Livingston, who was recently released by the Houston Rockets. 

I'm in favor of this move because I never wanted Pargo on the roster in the first place -- I would have kept Shelvin Mack instead -- and I think a healthy Shaun Livingston does have some value for an NBA team, particularly one as desperate as Washington is right now. Livingston is barely above a replacement player level, but that's considerably better than Pargo, who was mind-boggling awful during his brief-but-not-brief-enough stint with the Wizards. Because he doesn't distribute the ball or penetrate the way you'd like a point guard to do, Pargo is only useful if he's hitting outside shots, which he was  not doing. [Pargo shot 25% from the field with the Wizards, 39% for his career.] 

You may recall Livingston from his 2009-10 stint with the Wiz:

During those previous 26 games in Washington, Livingston made 18 starts and averaged 9.2 points, 4.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds. In seven seasons with six squads, the 27-year old holds career averages of 6.8 points, 3.5 assists and 2.6 rebounds. Last season in 58 games with Milwaukee, Livingston averaged 5.5 points, 2.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per contest. He spent the 2012-13 preseason with Houston, appearing in four games and averaging 2.5 points and 3.3 assists in 13.8 minutes.

The question I have is why was this move made now instead of a month ago. The Wizards would have still been a bad team with Livingston on the roster, but they would not be winless -- his presence on the court late in games would have gotten the team at least one win. Pargo has been a disaster off the bench and AJ Price not much better in the starting lineup. Livingston was available and should have been starting all along until John Wall gets back.

This is just the dreadful Ernie Grunfeld doing what he always does -- trying to fix a mistake he made that could have very easily been avoided in the first place. I can't wait for the Wizards press release announcing Grunfeld's release, but I won't hold my breath on that one. Owner Ted Leonsis, as I wrote before, is in some sort of mutually-assured-destruction suicide pact with Grunfeld. 

Rich Tandler points out that RT Jammal Brown, who doesn't actually play NFL games, didn't actually practice yesterday due to soreness in his hip. Look, we can go on and on and on with this, if that's what the Redskins want. Head Coach Mike Shanahan gave up valuable draft picks to obtain Brown and so he is desperate to prove he got something in that trade instead of just getting fleeced the way he did in the deal with the Eagles for Donovan McNabb. But by now it should be clear that Jammal Brown is a broken man. His body is broken. It doens't work the way it has to work for him to play in the NFL. The sooner everyone accepts that and gets on with the rest of their lives, the better. 

Another Redskins player who is essentially a cripple right now is WR Pierre Garcon, the team's hugely expensive free agent acquisition. He's practicing, but just barely, and is a shadow of the person the Redskins thought they were getting when they gave him over $20 million in guaranteed money. It wouldn't surprise me if Garcon plays this week, but because I think the Skins have decided that additional rest won't help Garcon much so they might as well try to get something out of him before he does the inevitable and finishes the season on injured reserve. 

Per John Keim: 

Safety Brandon Meriweather was limited in practice, but Shanahan said he was feeling better about his chances to play vs. Philadelphia on Sunday.

“[Wednesday] it was a little sore, but he pushed through it and he had a good practice today,” Shanahan said. “I’m hoping there’s no setback [Friday].”

Keim has a fascinating article on how Philadelphia's unusual defensive alingment along their front four will alter the Washington running attack. 

"They crash the O-line every play whether it's a run or pass," Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. "It's hard to get outside on it. It can be a tough defense to run on. It can be a real tough defense to drop back and throw on."

The Eagles' defensive ends line up one to two yards outside the offensive tackles. Other teams have used this alignment vs. Washington -- St. Louis, for example. But the Rams played it differently. Their ends read the play, then reacted. The Eagles' ends align in a four-point stance with one goal in mind: get to the quarterback.

"Everything changes when you play a team that uses this technique," Redskins tight end Logan Paulsen said. "You can't take your normal footwork. You have to block for where they end up."

The Redskins like to run outside the tackles in their zone stretch scheme. But in two games against the Eagles last season -- when they first started using this defensive line technique -- they ran outside only seven times combined (for 14 yards) compared with 28 times between the tackles. In the second game they ran between the tackles on inside zones 19 times for 118 yards. With better vision and subsequent cuts, the Redskins could have gained more yards.

There were times last season when the Eagles had five defenders on the Redskins' side of the ball after the snap. But Washington still was able to gain positive yards. The Redskins ran a couple draws but often solved the issue with a fullback/tight end in the backfield blocking to the other side of the play. Or the tackles or tight ends would head to the outside linebacker, with the fullback cutting the end.

"Penetration scares a back. It can disrupt things," Redskins rookie running back Alfred Morris said. "But as a runner you have to adjust and adapt on the fly. A lot of games we get penetration, and a lot of times I make a cut and just keep running. It's not like I get shocked and freeze up in the backfield."

The tricky part could be running the zone read option. Philadelphia has yet to play Carolina, which also uses the zone read, to know how it might be impacted by this tactic.

"We'll run it a couple times and find out Sunday," Shanahan said. "It'll be interesting to see."

ESPN bloggers discuss the rookie QB competition between Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson.

The Redskins play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The Eagles fired their defensive coordinator, Juan Castillo, last week and replaced him with former Redskins safety Todd Bowles, who has been coaching the defense through three games. The comparisons between the defense under Castillo and under Bowles do not augur well for Bowles. 

♦ Opposing teams are converting third downs at a nearly 50% rate over the last three games. They were under 30% for the first half-dozen games.

♦ Bowles' defense (6.01) is allowing nearly a full yard more per play than Castillo's defense did (5.13).

♦ The last three QBs have completed 75% of their passes (62-82). That goes a long way to contributing to the 7.53 net-yard-per-plass-play number they have put up.

♦ Bowles' defense has as many sacks (7) in three games as Castillo's did in six games ...

♦ ... But Bowles Boys have yet to record an interception. Castillo's Cubbies had seven, although they bundled four of them in the Game 1 escape against the Browns.

There is more stuff from the Philly Inquirer so check it out. 

Redskins CB DeAngelo Hall was fined $30,000 by the NFL for his tirade against an NFL official near the end of Washington's loss last month to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Interesting that Hall was not suspended and the fine is, all things considered, relatively mild. It makes me think maybe Hall was telling the truth when he said the official he was screaming at was also screaming obscenities back at him. Hall didn't want to talk about it, though, when the subject was going to come up yesterday: 

As he came off the field following Thursday’s practice, reporters approached Hall regarding the fine, and he said, “Back up off me, bro,” and didn’t break a stride.

Football analyst and former NFL general manager Mike Lombardi went on the HTTR 24-7 podcast and ripped Redskins Head Coach Mike Shanahan a new one. Well, actually, he ripped Redskins GM Mike Shanahan a new one. I'm going to have more on this later today, but check it out for yourself right now. 

Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett hopes his bye week meetings with defensive players pay off this Sunday. I'm not counting on it. 

The Redskins face a rookie QB in Nick Foles making his first start this Sunday. Seems ideal for the defense, right? Just as likely it is idea for Foles, considering the Skins have strugged againt rookie passers and just don't have a very good defense anyway.

Washington has surrendered 301.7 passing yards per game, which is on pace to break the NFL record of 299.8 set last season by Green Bay. The Redskins have given up eight passing plays of at least 40 yards; only Tampa Bay has surrendered more.

Rich Campbell asks five pretty good questions about the upcoming Redskins-Eagles games. My favorites are whether or not the Skins can generate a pass rush with Philly missing starting center Jason Kelce and RT Todd Herremans, and whether or not the Skins defense can start forcing turnovers again. Philly has committed 21 turnovers this year -- second to the KC Chiefs -- but Washington hasn't forced a turnover in the last two games.