After reviewing the film of the Redskins-Ravens week 14 game several times, I hand out the following class grades to the Redskins offense. 

LT Trent Williams was almost unstoppable last Sunday. [Photo - US Presswire]

HEAD OF THE CLASS

Trent Williams. It was an odd day for the Redskins offensive line, with great run blocking, but poor pass blocking. That wasn't the case for Williams, though. He was solid against the pass, as he almost alway is, and completely dominant in the run game, consistently moving aside his man and getting to the second level to clear a path for Alfred Morris. Like all the offensive linemen, Williams stayed away from penalties and was strong in the running game -- though Williams was the best of the bunch -- but he also did a good job protecting the quarterbacks. He did give up three hurries and he wasn't perfect, but it is clear Williams is playing at a very high level through the pain of his deep thigh bruise. Though he will probably be passed over by Pro Bowl voters, Williams is as good as any left tackle in the NFL right now. 

A-STUDENTS

Chris Chester. He gave up a sack and a hurry, but was otherwise quite strong in pass protection, the only lineman apart from Williams to do a decent job protecting the quarterback. In the running game he was fantastic, perhaps even better than Williams in that regard. The Redskins ran five times for 30 yards [6.0] over Chester and when the Skins ran between Chester and Montgomery they gained 48 yards on 5 carries [9.8]. That's fantastic production running behind Chester and a major reason why he had such a good game. 

Kirk Cousins. He was very productive in limited action and with almost no warmup time. Cousins threw three passes and each was successful. His first pass yielded a first down due to defensive pass interference. His second pass was a 15-yard completion to Leonard Hankerson in the middle of the field that set the ball up on the 11 yard line. His third pass was an 11-yard TD to Pierre Garcon. On his one running play, Cousins snuck up the middle and scored two points to tie the game with less than 30 seconds to play. Cousins was not asked to win the game in overtime -- that was left to the special teams -- but what he did do he did flawlessly. 

Robert Griffin III. He didn't have his best game, but he did play very well, avoided turnovers and negative plays, and threw another TD pass. He showed his toughness by trying to play through a knee injury. Griffin was under pressure much of the day, but he actually had a higher passer rating under pressure than when he had plenty of time, though he as effective in those situations, too. As usual, Griffin was extremely accurate and effective when throwing the ball over the middle. 

Alfred Morris. Another big day for Morris, who rushed for 122 yards on 23 carries [5.3]. Even more impressive is that he gained over 76% of those yards after contact, demonstrating yet again what a tough runner he is. He made 7 tacklers miss and was particularly effective in shaking defenders when running up the middle. The one bad mark on Morris' report card this week is the same as last weekk -- a costly fumble. If Morris can conquer his fumbling issues -- and he is working on it now -- there will be almost no holes in his game. 

PASS

OG Kory Lichtensteiger, WR Pierre Garcon, C Will Montgomery, WR Joshua Morgan, FB Darrel Young

MUST DO BETTER

Tyler Polumbus. Did a nice job blocking for the run -- as did every lineman on Sunday. He gave up a sack and five hurries, the most of any lineman. He got beaten badly to the outside by Paul Kruger, which led to the sack and he seemed to have trouble most of the day. 

Santana Moss. He had a beautiful 60-yard pass from RG3 bounce off his shoulder pads. Not acceptable.

FAIL 

Logan Paulsen. His run blocking was fine, but he committed another penalty, dropped a pass and gave up three QB hurries. The offense would really take off with a good tight end like Fred Davis. 

Andy Pollin and Steve Czaban, the two hosts of ESPN 980 radio's afternoon "Sports Reporters" program were suspended, perhaps for two days, for an on-air homophobic rant against a transgender college basketball player, Gabrielle Ludwig, recently profiled in a USA Today story. 

You can listen to the entire segement, which included college basketball analyst Chris Knoche, at the bottom of this article. If you're not inclined to listen to the segment, which took place last week, I'll summarize. 

Pollin, Czaban and Knoche mocked Ludwig for her appearance, said transgender people should not be playing competitive sports and referred to Ludwig as "it." 

ESPN 980, as the name implies, is an affiliate of ESPN, but not owned by the company. The radio station is actually owned by Red Zebra Broadcasting, which is owned in part by Washington Redskins majority owner Dan Snyder. Nevertheless, ESPN moved quickly to dis-associate itself from Pollin and Czaban, releasing this statement: 

“The two are not employees of ESPN and made the comments on an affiliated radio station that controls its own local content. The offensive commentary goes completely against ESPN’s company culture and values.  We have expressed our significant dissatisfaction to the station’s management.”

ESPN 980's VP of Programming, Chuck Sapienza, released this statement: 

“We strongly believe two of our employees crossed the line when they referred to Ms. Ludwig as “it” on their program last Thursday. Such intolerance and insensitivity will never be tolerated by this company. This situation was handled swiftly and internally. Due to the nature of their contracts, we are not at liberty to publicly discuss any actions that were taken.”

Looks like the punishment is a two-day suspension, which began today. 

Pollin began Monday's show with an apology for the homophobic comments, saying nobody should be called an "It." 

I'm sure many defenders of Pollin and Czaban will say this is political correctness run amok. Actually, it's nastiness and bad manners being punished properly. It's fine with me if Pollin and Czaban oppose permitting transgender people from playing in competitive sports. I don't necessarily agree with that viewpoint, but it's a legitimate position to hold if you can justify the need for discrimination -- which is not and should not be easy. But the mockery of Ludwig's appearance and dehumanizing her by denying her a proper pronoun, was callous and rude. This isn't about political correctness, it's about good manners and respect for other human beings. 

It's also about capitalism. Gay men, lesbians and transgender people have money and many of them follow sports and spend their disposable income on sports. It is quite obviously in the interest of a sports radio station to attract as many listeners as possible, the largest audience they can. On-air employees who alienate that part of their audience -- and the part of the audience that is not gay, lesbian or transgender, but, like me, believe all people deserve to be treated with respect -- are usually in line for some sort of discipline. It used to be there was money to be made in bigotry and intolerance. Now, happily, it seems there is more money to be made in tolerance, decency and respect. If you have a problem with that, you have a problem with the free market. That's your prerogative, of course, but don't be surprised if you find that the invisible hand has given you a not-so-invisible middle finger. 

The recovery of Robert Griffin III is the biggest news in Washington, bigger even than the looming "Fiscal Cliff". RG3 suffering a mild, or Grade 1, sprain of the lateral collateral ligament located on the outside of the knee, during the Redskins win over Baltimore on Sunday.

Buffalo running back Fred Jackson suffered a similar injury early this season and missed two weeks. Independent doctors have indicated that playing Griffin too soon could be a big mistake.

Fortunately for the Redskins they have Kirk Cousins. The Redskins next two games are on the road, in Cleveland and in Philadelphia. Without a doubt, coach Mike Shanahan will give every indication that RG3 "may" play against the Browns and Eagles, but that is mainly to make the opponents prepare for both quarterbacks.

"Both of them will have a game plan," Shanahan said Monday.

Speed and agility is a major part of Griffin's game and bringing him back too early may risk the long term in favor of the short term. Don't be surprised if the franchise isn't back before the Dallas season ending game at Fed Ex Field.

UPDATE: Griffin's father tells USA Today this afternoon that his son will start on Sunday in Cleveland.

"He's doing great,'' Robert Griffin II told USA TODAY Sports. "He definitely said he plans to start. I haven't seen him (the last two days). But he told me (today) everything has gone well.''

Earlier today on ESPN Sportscenter, receiver Pierre Garcon was Live on the set and said Kirk Cousins would be under center in Cleveland.

December

• 15: Most players that signed new contracts this offseason (on or before September 15th) can be traded.

January

• 5: Teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts.
• 10: Players on non-guaranteed contracts have their contracts guaranteed for the remainder of the season. Players must clear waivers by this date to avoid having their deals guaranteed.
• 15: Players with Bird or Early Bird rights that re-signed with their own over-the-cap team (on or before October 15th) and received at least at 20% raise can be traded.
• 15: Last day teams can apply for disabled player exceptions.

February

• 21: Trade deadline.

March

• 1: Players released after this date are ineligible for the postseason if they sign with a new team.
• 10: Disabled player exceptions expire.

April

• 17: Last day of regular season. Last day players can sign contracts for 2012/13. Luxury tax figures are determined using team salary on this day.

Redskins TB Alfred Morris is a candidate for Rookie of the Week. I don't think he has much of a chance -- David Wilson of the Giants should have a lock on it, I'd think -- but go vote for Morris anyway. You can be sure New York/Jersey will turn out for Wilson.

Where do the Redskins rank among the 32 NFL teams? Find out by reading The World's Most Prestigious Power Poll: Week 15, which ranks all the teams, without fear or favor, from first to worst.

As we told you yesterday, RG3 has a "mild sprain" of his LCL ligament in his right knee. Head coach Mike Shanahan calls it a "class 1" sprain of the knee. 

How does Robert Griffin III stack up with all the other rookie quarterbacks? Find out by reading our week 14 edition of Tracking the Rookie Quarterbacks.

Tom Brady gets a few laughs by comparing himself to RG3.

WR Pierre Garcon was on ESPN earlier this morning and said backup QB Kirk Cousins would be starting against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. I don't know if that's true or not or if Garcon is in a position to know such a thing right now, but him saying so won't sit well with Mike Shanahan. As Rick Snider notes: 

It's the best part of your week -- the return of The World's Most Prestigious Power Poll! With less than one month to go in the regular season and the playoff picture up in the air, who can explain what's going on to the huddled masses yearning for comprehension? Only The World's Most Prestigious Power Poll. Read and be enlightened...

01. New England Patriots [10-3]: The AFC still belongs to them until someone proves different. [+1]

02. Denver Broncos [10-3]: 8 straight wins. Any Broncos fans out there still pining for Tim Tebow? [+1]

03. Houston Texans [11-2]: Very good on Sunday, but quite literally not ready for prime time. [-2]

04. San Francisco 49ers [9-3-1]: Went to Miami for business, not pleasure -- but got both. [+1]

05. Atlanta Falcons [11-2]: I've called them poseurs and getting dominated by the Panthers doesn't convince me I'm wrong. [-1]

06. New York Giants [8-5]: You never know which Giants team you will see from week to week. The rest of the NFL better hope the Giants team they saw on Sunday doesn't stick around for long. [NC]

07. Green Bay Packers [9-4]: A win over the Bears in Chicago should sew up the division. [NC]

08. Seattle Seahawks [8-5]: 'bout time the east coast media discovered this rapidly-rising team. [NC]

09. Washington Redskins [7-6]: Who else has 2 rookies at QB -- and can win with either one? [+4] 

10. Baltimore Ravens [9-4]: Defense gave up 31 points to 2 rookie quarterbacks so they fired the offensive coordinator. Getting healthy will help. [+2]

AP PHOTO

11. Chicago Bears [8-5]: Last week I wrote: Fail every big test they face. Will that continue? Answer: Yes. They've lost 4 of 5. [-2]

12. Pittsburgh Steelers [7-6]: Have now lost to the Raiders, Titans & Chargers. You'll find those teams near the bottom of this list. [-2]

13. Dallas Cowboys [7-6]: A week of tragedy ends with a come-from-behind win on the road. In trouble if they lose Dez. [+2]

14. Indianapolis Colts [9-4]: Numbers rarely look good but they keep winning -- usually with help from their opponent. [+2]

15. Cincinnati Bengals [7-6]: Cannot lose at home with a 9-point lead in the 4th quarter. [-3]

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [6-7]: Built record on beating bad teams. Now they can't even do that. [-2]

17. New Orleans Saints [5-8]: Season-long experiment playing without defense or special teams officially a failure. [NC] 

18. St. Louis Rams [6-6-1]: Still clinging to playoff hope thanks to good division & conference record. [NC]

19. Cleveland Browns [5-8]: Young team has won 3 in a row & now gets a shot at another young team -- the Redskins. [+1]

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images North America

20. San Diego Chargers [5-8]: It's December & the Chargers are out of the playoff race. Which means they start playing their best ball. [+1]

21. Minnesota Vikings [7-6]: Adrian Peterson has more rushing  yards in last 7 weeks than Christian Ponder has passing yards. That's because A.P is great and Ponder is... not. [+1] 

22. Miami Dolphins [5-8]: Have now lost 5 of their last 6. [-3]

23. Carolina Panthers [4-9]: Lost to the worst team last week [Chiefs], beat one of the best this week [Falcons]. Panthers are weird. [+3]

24. Detroit Lions [4-9]: Will anyone be held accountable for this fiasco of a season? [NC]

25. New York Jets [6-7]: Debut of new no-QB offense a success against Jaguars, but how will it fare against an NFL team? [NC]

26. Buffalo Bills [5-8]: Ryan Fitzpatrick finally isn't awful and they lose anyway. [-3]

27. Philadelphia Eagles [4-9]: Congats to Nick Foles, who led a very gutsy come-from-behind win in Tampa. [NC]

28. Tennessee Titans [4-9]: Choking rats had the Colts down and let it slip away. Couldn't even figure out down & distance. [NC]

29. Jacksonville Jaguars [2-11]: Need a new quarterback -- and A LOT of other stuff. [NC] 

30. Oakland Raiders [3-10]: Defensive game plan against Broncos relied on Peyton Manning voodoo dolls. [NC]

31. Kansas City Chiefs [2-11]: I have one piece of good news for the Chiefs: At least you're not the... [+1]

32. Arizona Cardinals [4-9]: Owner should fire everyone -- including himself. [-1]

The presence of Robert Griffin III on the football field, both as a passer and runner, is incredible.  We have seen countless articles sounding the view that RGIII is changing the NFL.  QB Tom Brady has even begun talking about RGIII in post game comments. 

“I don’t run too often so I’ve got to show them I can still do it a little bit,” Brady said. “All the people out there, the opposing defenses that say I can’t run, at least they saw. I’m not a big threat, I’m not RG3 or anything, but I can make a first down.”

Below is our week 14 evaluation of all the rookie quarterbacks starting in the NFL this season. Below that is how we have evaluated all the rookie quarterbacks over the course of the 2012 season. We have a surprise winner of the weekly award and the season-to-date order has been shuffled a bit for the first time in weeks. 

Week 12

Nick Foles -- It's fitting that Foles had his best day statistically on the day he finally won an NFL game as a starting QB. Foles was calm as he led a furious, literally last-second comeback, throwing two TD passes in the final four minutes, including the winner as time expired. Foles also ran for a TD and was his team's leading rusher in the game. And he did this against a Tampa Bay team in the thick of a playoff race, with plenty of incentive to win the game. A truly superb performance from Foles. 

Robert Griffin III -- It wasn't RG3's best day, but he still had the highest passer rating of any rookie QB this week, 102.4. That shows you how high the bar for success is set for RG3. He set it himself. Griffin was in the midst of leading a 4th quarter comeback when he sprained his right knee while being tackled after a run of 13 yards. Griffin threw a TD pass and, as usual, didn't turn the ball over. Having a quarterback who consistently makes plays and almost never commits a turnover is what has kept the Redskins in the playoff hunt despite having a mediocre defense and only one playmaking receiver, Pierre Garcon. It's unclear if Griffin will play on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns and fellow rookie QB Brandon Weeden. If he does not, rookie backup Kirk Cousins, who came in in relief of RG3 and threw the game-tying touchdown, will start in his place. 

Ryan Lindley -- His statistics are not included because he did not start the game against the Seahawks, he entered the game late in relief of the horrid John Skelton. Lindley got sacked twice, didn't throw a TD or INT [that last bit is cause for celebration], and was completely ineffective in Arizona's 58-0 loss in Seattle. 

Andrew Luck -- Had the worst statistical performance of any of our rookie starters this week, but managed to come away with a win anyway because his defense scored a touchdown and the Titans mismanaged their offense in the 4th quarter by not knowing down and distance in the middle of a critical drive. He continues to turn the ball over too much [twice more on Sunday], but he and the Colts have feasted on a patsy schedule to the tune of 9 wins and an almost certain wild card berth in the playoffs. 

Ryan Tannehill --  That tough 49ers defense was too much for Tannehill, who performed respectably for a rookie, but really made almost no plays with his arm. The rook avoided turnovers, but his inability to complete passes downfield, a blame which must be shared equally with his receivers, doomed the Dolphins at home. Miami has now lost 5 of their last 6 and Tannehill needs to have a big game to stop the season from turning into a fiasco. 

Brandon Weeden -- Made no mistakes in helping his team win 30-7. The game was basically won by Cleveland's running game, a big punt return for a TD in the second quarter and the general ineptitude of their opponent, the KC Chiefs. Weeden continued his recent play of not doing anything special, but also not doing anything to hurt his team as they've won 3 games -- two against bad teams and once against the Steelers playing without Ben Roethlisberger. 

Russell Wilson -- Threw a TD and a pick in 13 passes, but otherwise did very little. He didn't need to. Their opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, were busy destroying themselves in the worst loss in franchise history -- which is really saying something. It says something about the Seahawks and the Cardinals that Seattle could ask so little of their quarterback and still win 58-0. 

Weekly Winner: Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles

(Photo: AP Photo)

2012 Season To Date

SEASON WINNER TO DATE: Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

2. Russell Wilson [Seahawks]

3. Andrew Luck [Colts]

4. Brandon Weeden [Browns]

5. Ryan Tannehill [Dolphins]

6. Nick Foles [Eagles]

7. Ryan Lindley [Cardinals]

Meeting with the media today, Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said injured starting QB Robert Griffin III suffered a "mild sprain to his LCL" when he was tackled violently by Baltimore Ravens NT Haloti Ngata late in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's 31-28 overtime Redskins victory at FedEx Field. 

Shanahan said the ligament sprain is on the outside of the knee and is a "Grade 1" category of sprain, meaning there is no other structural damage to the knee. Griffin tore the ACL in that same right knee back in 2009k but made a complete recovery and the ACL was undamaged in yesterday's injury. 

Shanahan confirmed there is "mild swelling" of the right knee, but he refused to rule Griffin out of Sunday's game in Cleveland against the surging Browns [5-9], who have won three straight games. "When I looked at it on film I thought it would be worse than it was," Shanahan said of the knee injury. 

The head coach added the health of Griffin's right knee would be monitored "day-by-day." 

The Washington Redskins won their fourth consecutive game to post their first winning record this last in the season since 2008.  The 31-28 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens improved the Redskins to 7-6 on the season.  Here is what the national media pundits had to say about the big Redskins win. 

Clark Judge, Judgements, CBS Sports

It's OK to exhale, Washington. That MRI on RG3 told him what he already suspected -- that he doesn't have a torn knee ligament.

6. Now you know why the Redskins drafted two quarterbacks. Somehow, I can't envision Rex Grossman leading that last-minute comeback.

Weekly Grades, CBS Sports

Not a perfect game from Washington by any stretch, but having Kirk Cousins step in and be clutch as hell after Griffin's leg was whipped by Haloti Ngata was pretty huge. Washington's defense (you really can't stop Anquan Boldin) continues to have problems, but it created enough turnovers to squeak something out on Sunday.

John Clayton, The Last Call, ESPN

Robert Griffin III hurt his knee in the fourth quarter of the Redskins' 31-28 overtime victory against Baltimore. He tried to stay in the game, but finally, after hopping around, came to the sideline for treatment. Rookie Kirk Cousins delivered a touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon and a two-point conversion to tie the score and directed the game-winning field goal drive in overtime.

The Giants are 8-5 and the Redskins and Cowboys are 7-6. Next week, the Cowboys host the Steelers, the Redskins have a winnable game at Cleveland and the Giants have a tough one at Atlanta. One Giant stumble could cause a tie in the NFC East. As for RG3, he says his knee should be fine, but you have to wonder if it's a bone bruise or if there is ligament damage. If the Redskins have RG3, they have a chance at the division. It's fun to watch.

Studs and Duds, ESPN

Alfred Morris

Running back, Washington Redskins

The Redskins have won four straight, and Morris' tough running is among the chief reasons. Morris rushed for 122 yards and a score in Washington's 31-28 overtime victory over Baltimore.

Peter King, Monday Morning Quarterback, CNNSI

RGIII must be Elastic Man. Robert Griffin III's right knee whipped after being hit by a Ravens' defender in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field, and it hyperextended grotesquely. Remarkably, his MRI showed a knee sprain, which is a partial ligament tear, but not major damage. The Redskins know he can't expose himself to as many hits as he does at 218 pounds, but now's not the time for a lecture. If Washington's lucky, Griffin will miss Sunday's game in Cleveland and be back to face the Eagles and Cowboys to end the regular season.