Robert Griffin III did not suffer any fractures when he injured his left ankle Sunday, he told media outlets Monday, but a timeline for his return remains unclear.
Griffin told ESPN and the Washington Post that initial exams revealed no break but he was still awaiting a full report from the team’s orthopedic surgeon. Griffin called what he has heard so far “positive news.”
Griffin left the Redskins’ home opener on Sunday, a 41-10 victory over Jacksonville, with what was originally termed a dislocated left ankle. He played only nine snaps, leaving the game just over five minutes into the first quarter.
Kirk Cousins, who entered after Griffin left the game, will take over as the starting quarterback in the meantime.
The injury is the fourth that Griffin has sustained in his three seasons with the Redskins, though it was the first since his rookie year. He sustained a concussion, sprained the LCL in his right knee, and then had greater LCL and ACL damage in Washington’s playoff game that required surgery.
The concern regarding Griffin’s health dampened a victory that snapped a nine-game losing streak, was the first for Jay Gruden as the team’s coach and marked the greatest scoring margin since 2005.
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After faking the handoff to running back Roy Helu with 9:47 left in the first quarter, Griffin rolled out to the right, discarding an attempt at a tackle by Jaguars middle linebacker Paul Posluszny before spotting wide receiver DeSean Jackson open 19 yards downfield.
With outside linebacker LaRoy Reynolds bearing down at the line of scrimmage, Griffin planted on his left leg and muscled a throw across his body to Jackson. His cleat got caught in the grass, and after taking an exaggerated, painful hop off his right foot, he fell to the ground just out of bounds, where he lay splayed out on the sideline until the team’s athletic trainers and medical staff helped him onto a cart and drove him to the locker room.
Cousins then entered the game and completed 22 of 33 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, the first of which was a 20-yard throw to fullback Darrel Young two plays after Griffin was injured.
A fourth-round pick out of Michigan State in 2012, when Griffin was drafted with the No. 2 overall pick, Cousins has played in nine games for the Redskins, making five starts.
His backup will be Colt McCoy, a fifth-year veteran who started 21 games for Cleveland in 2010 and 2011 and was signed by the Redskins in April.
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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