ARLINGTON, Texas — Robert Griffin III said the decision to sit out the Washington Redskins’ game against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday was “a collaborative call” despite having set the game as a goal for his return.
Griffin, who has not played since dislocating his left ankle in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 14, was able to participate in team drills in practice all week but was benched in favor of Colt McCoy.
“An injury like this just takes time,” Griffin said after the game, marking the first time he has taken questions on the subject. “When I’m ready to go, I’ll be back out there. It was a big win we got today against the Cowboys, so things are looking up.”
Coach Jay Gruden maintained after the game that Griffin will be the Redskins’ starting quarterback as soon as he is healthy enough to handle the responsibilities that come with that role.
McCoy, who replaced Kirk Cousins for the start of the second half of the Redskins’ victory over the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 19, completed 25 of 30 passes for 299 yards with an interception on Monday.
“He did a great job,” Griffin said. “We got the win. That’s all that matters. We made enough plays, and our defense came up big for us.”
It’s possible Griffin may be cleared to play in the Redskins’ game at Minnesota on Sunday, but with a bye week looming, he could also sit out until Washington hosts Tampa Bay on Nov. 16.
“You want to start a winning streak, and we’re on that,” Griffin said. “We want to keep it rolling against Minnesota. They’re not going to make it easy for us, but we’ll be ready for them.”
Romo returns after back injury
After missing a good portion of the second half with what coach Jason Garrett said was a back injury, quarterback Tony Romo returned for the final drive of regulation and the Cowboys’ only overtime series.
Romo was leveled on a blitz by Redskins inside linebacker Keenan Robinson with 7:59 remaining in the third quarter and lay on the turf for several minutes before being helped to the sideline.
The quarterback has been experiencing pain in his back despite undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disc last December. He has said recently that it wasn’t until he was able to play in a few regular-season games that he has started to feel completely comfortable.
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“It just caught me pretty good,” Romo said. “Even if I hadn’t had back surgery, I would still probably feel that one pretty good.”
Romo missed two series, then returned for the Cowboys’ final drive of regulation with the score tied at 17 with 1:52 remaining. He finished the game having completed 17 of 28 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown, going 4-for-7 for 26 yards after re-entering the game.
Brandon Weeden, who was signed during the offseason to serve as Romo’s backup, finished 4-for-6 for 69 yards and a touchdown — a 25-yard throw to tight end Jason Witten that tied the score at 17 with 9:27 remaining.
Roberts makes impact with returns
Wide receiver Andre Roberts returned two punts on Monday, including one for 37 yards at the conclusion of the Cowboys’ first drive of the game.
That return tied the longest of the season by Roberts, who also returned a punt 37 yards in the game against Jacksonville.
“Special teams stepped up, man,” Gruden said. “We had some good punts, a good punt return. We covered kicks very well. Hats off to those guys for flying around.”
Clark, Kerrigan banged up
Free safety Ryan Clark said been battling “a little torn bicep” and “a little ankle” injury in recent weeks. He sprained both of his ankles in the loss to Seattle on Oct. 6 and was listed on the injury report as having an unspecified shoulder injury this past week.
Gruden said outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan sprained one of his wrists, and defensive end Jarvis Jenkins left the game for a stretch in the second quarter with an unspecified left foot injury.
Polumbus inactive as Compton starts
In addition to Griffin, right tackle Tyler Polumbus, wide receiver Aldrick Robinson, cornerback Greg Ducre, outside linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat, right guard Spencer Long and defensive end Clifton Geathers were inactive.
Polumbus, who had started 41 of the last 43 games for the Redskins, was replaced by Tom Compton as the starting right tackle this week.
Inside linebacker Perry Riley, who missed the last two games with a sprained MCL in his left knee, made his return, shifting Will Compton back to a reserve role. Outside linebacker Everette Brown, signed on Tuesday when Brian Orakpo was placed on injured reserve, also was active.
Extra points
Alfred Morris, who rushed 18 times for 73 yards, scored his first touchdown since a loss to the New York Giants on Sept. 25. He now has scored seven rushing touchdowns against the Cowboys, which is the most of any active player. … Defensive end Jason Hatcher, who spent his first eight seasons with the Cowboys before joining the Redskins in the offseason, was named a game captain along with fullback Darrel Young and successfully called the coin toss at the start of overtime. The two joined free safety Ryan Clark, left tackle Trent Williams and inside linebacker Adam Hayward as the team’s captains. … Running back Silas Redd played one snap on offense, carrying the ball once for five yards in the second quarter. He fumbled the ball at the end of that run, though he was ruled down on the field — a call that withstood a challenge by Garrett. … Rookie wide receiver Ryan Grant was on the field for the first play of the game to earn his first career start. … The Redskins are now 25-14-1 all-time in overtime games.
• Todd Dybas contributed to this report
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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