SB Nation DC: All Posts by Pat Johnstonhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48897/dc-fave.png2013-01-06T20:53:51-05:00https://dc.sbnation.com/authors/pat-johnston/rss2013-01-06T20:53:51-05:002013-01-06T20:53:51-05:00RGIII on playing hurt: 'I'm the best option'
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<p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins" class="sbn-auto-link">Washington Redskins</a> rookie quarterback <span>Robert Griffin III</span> took the podium after the team's 24-14 loss to the <a href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Seattle Seahawks</a> on Sunday in the NFC Wild Card game at FedEx Field to discuss playing through his knee injury.</p>
<p>Griffin had come into the game less than 100 percent due to a lingering knee injury. Wearing a heavy brace, Griffin guided the Redskins to two first quarter touchdowns and a 14-0 lead on his touchdown passes. Griffin also took hits during the drives and needed treatment from trainers. In the fourth quarter, and he was forced to leave the game when he tried to recover a bad snap on the chewed up turf at FedEx Field and re-injured his knee.</p>
<p>After the game, Griffin said he didn't believe that playing through injury was detrimental to the team. Griffin <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/granthpaulsen/status/288094558531768320">said, </a>"I'm the best option for this team. That's why I'm the starter." Griffin's backup, <span>Kirk Cousins</span>, was just 3-of-10 passing for 31 yards in the game after he replaced the injured Griffin.</p>
<p>Griffin did admit a certain amount of risk trying to play through the injury. Griffin <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Rich_Campbell/status/288094703692427264">said</a>, "I think I did put myself at more risk being out there." Ultimately, it was not a Seahawks player, but the horrendous condition of the FedEx Field turf at gametime which was the biggest risk to Griffin. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his injured knee on Monday.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2013/1/6/3844500/robert-griffin-iii-injury-redskins-qb-risk-mriPat Johnston2013-01-06T20:34:26-05:002013-01-06T20:34:26-05:00Heat defeat Wizards, 99-71
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<figcaption>Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Wizards fell on the road to the Miami Heat, 99-71, on Sunday.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Washington Wizards</a> were defeated by the <a href="https://www.hothothoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Heat</a>, 99-71, on Sunday at American Airlines Arena.</p>
<p>The Wizards have just four wins on the season and only one on the road. The Wizards took the first game of the season series from the Heat back on Dec. 4 at the Verizon Center, but Miami has made Washington pay in the two games since the first meeting. The Heat won 102-72 on Dec. 15 before Sunday's result. The final game of the season series will be at Verizon Center on April 10.</p>
<p>Miami, which was in control by the end of the first quarter, was never in any real danger on Sunday and really pushed the game out of reach with a 30-point fourth quarter. Miami's <span>LeBron James</span> led all scorers with 24 points. Dwyane Wade, <span>Chris Bosh</span> and <span>Ray Allen</span> all reached double-figures in scoring for the Heat. Wizards guard Garrett Temple tied James for a game-high seven assists, but Temple was 0-for-7 shooting from the field and finished with zero points. Kevin Seraphin lead the Wizards with 14 points.</p>
<p>The Wizards next game will be on Monday at the Verizon Center against the <a href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oklahoma City Thunder</a>.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2013/1/6/3844406/wizards-vs-heat-final-scorePat Johnston2013-01-06T20:15:11-05:002013-01-06T20:15:11-05:00RGIII asked Mike Shanahan to keep playing
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Washington Redskins</a> quarterback <span>Robert Griffin III</span> was knocked out of the team's 24-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks late in the fourth quarter on Sunday's NFC Wild Card game with a knee injury. Griffin had been recovering from a knee injury coming into the game and had gotten knocked around in the first half and received treatment. On the play that took him out of the game, Griffin's knee buckled on the badly chewed up turf at FedEx Field as he tried to pick up a bad snap.</p>
<p>After the game, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan told media members <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeJonesWaPo/status/288084980389801985" target="_blank">that Griffin said he was "hurting but not injured</a>." Shanahan also said that he considered taking Griffin out of the game at halftime but that his star rookie quarterback <a href="https://twitter.com/granthpaulsen/status/288085260158238720" target="_blank">asked him to keep playing</a>. Shanahan also said that the team conferred with doctors, including Dr. James Andrews, and that Griffin was cleared to play.</p>
<p>Griffin had thrown two touchdowns in the first quarter but was largely ineffective afterwards before he was finally pulled from the game. Griffin is scheduled to have an MRI on the injured knee on Monday.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2013/1/6/3844352/rgiii-injury-mike-shanahan-says-griffin-asked-him-to-playPat Johnston2013-01-06T19:37:06-05:002013-01-06T19:37:06-05:00Redskins lose RGIII, fall to Seahawks, 24-14
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/">Seattle Seahawks</a> defeated the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Washington Redskins</a>, 24-14, on Sunday in the NFC Wild Card game at FedEx Field.</p>
<p>The Redskins got off to a hot start with a 14-0 on two <span>Robert Griffin III</span> touchdown passes in the first quarter. The Seahawks would go on to score the next 24 unanswered points in the victory. Seattle was able to get 13 points in the second quarter but were prevented from taking their first lead until <span>Marshawn Lynch</span> broke a 24-yard run (aided by a downfield block by quarterback <span>Russell Wilson</span>) for a touchdown with 7:08 to play. The Seahawks added to a two-point conversion to that score and a field goal following the bad snap turnover that injured Griffin's knee as he tried to recover the ball. With Griffin ruled out of the game with 6:19 to play, <span>Kirk Cousins</span> had to take over at quarterback for Washington. Cousins was not able to spark a comeback and finished the game just 3-of-10 passing for 31 yards. Cousins also had to recover his fumble caused by another bad snap.</p>
<p>Griffin was 10-of-19 passing for 84 yards passing for two touchdowns and one interception. Griffin only rushed five times for 21 yards due to the knee injury he was battling through coming into the game. Marshawn Lynch led all rushers with 131 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Russell Wilson was 15-of-26 passing for 187 yards and a touchdown. Wilson added 68 yards rushing on seven carries. <span>Logan Paulsen</span> and <span>Evan Royster</span> caught touchdowns for the Redskins.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2013/1/6/3844156/seahawks-vs-redskins-final-scorePat Johnston2013-01-06T19:16:58-05:002013-01-06T19:16:58-05:00RGIII leaves game in 4th quarter with knee injury
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Washington Redskins</a> rookie quarterback <span>Robert Griffin III</span> injured his knee trying to recover a bad snap with 6:25 to play in the fourth quarter against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/">Seattle Seahawks</a> in the NFC Wild Card game at FedEx Field. Griffin, who was already not 100 percent healthy for the game, had his knee bend the wrong way as he tried to recover the snap. Griffin fell to the turf and the Seahawks recovered the loose ball at the Washington 5-yard line and eventually got a field goal to increase their lead to 24-14.</p>
<p>Griffin was helped up off the turf and labored off the field flanked by team trainers as he walked to the sideline. Griffin had already been given treatment by team trainers in the first half of the game after taking several shots in the half. Griffin <a href="https://twitter.com/Rich_Campbell/status/288075627012165633" target="_blank">has reportedly been ruled out for the rest of the game</a> and his backup <span>Kirk Cousins</span> will take over at quarterback.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2013/1/6/3844120/robert-griffin-iii-injury-redskins-qb-leaves-game-with-knee-injuryPat Johnston2013-01-06T18:46:08-05:002013-01-06T18:46:08-05:00Redskins lead Seahawks, 14-13, after third quarter
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<p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins" class="sbn-auto-link">Washington Redskins</a> lead the <a href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Seattle Seahawks</a>, 14-13, after the third quarter of the NFC Wild Card game on Sunday at FedEx Field.</p>
<p>The Seahawks threatened to take the lead but were denied at the goal line when running back <span>Marshawn Lynch</span> fumbled the ball away when <span>London Fletcher</span> was able to punch it out. <span>Jarvis Jenkins</span> recovered the fumble for Washington with 10:31 remaining. Despite not being able to move the ball much during the quarter on offense, the Redskins defense bent but did not break and kept the Seahawks off the scoreboard.</p>
<p>Seattle has taken over the time of possession battle, 24:23 to 20:37, as the game moves into the fourth quarter. The Seahawks will have the ball at their own 40-yard line to begin the quarter. Marshawn Lynch, who has 79 yards rushing in the game, rushed three yards to the 40 on the final play of the the third quarter.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2013/1/6/3843950/seahawks-vs-redskins-score-update-third-quarterPat Johnston2013-01-06T18:00:53-05:002013-01-06T18:00:53-05:00Redskins lead Seahawks, 14-13, at halftime
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Washington Redskins</a> lead the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/">Seattle Seahawks</a>, 14-13 at halftime in the NFC Wild Card game at FedEx Field on Sunday.</p>
<p>The first quarter belonged to the Redskins with advantages in total yards of offense, time of possession and on the scoreboard with a 14-0 lead as the quarter ended. The second quarter belonged to the Seahawks. Seattle outscored Washington 13-0 in the quarter. </p>
<p>Redskins dynamic rookie quarterback <span>Robert Griffin III</span> was 6-of-11 for 68 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the first half. Griffin rushed three times for 12 yards in the half. Griffin's fellow rookie <span>Russell Wilson</span> was 8-of-13 passing for 118 yards and a touchdown for the Seahawks. Wilson added 35 yards on the ground on four carries.</p>
<p>Washington's <span>Alfred Morris</span> led all rushers with 60 yards on 11 carries. <span>Logan Paulsen</span> and <span>Evan Royster</span> caught short touchdown passes for the Redskins while <span>Michael Robinson</span> caught Seattle's touchdown.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2013/1/6/3843866/seahawks-vs-redskins-score-update-halftimePat Johnston2013-01-06T17:20:35-05:002013-01-06T17:20:35-05:00Redskins lead Seahawks, 14-0, after first quarter
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<p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins" class="sbn-auto-link">Washington Redskins</a> lead the <a href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Seattle Seahawks</a>, 14-0, after the first quarter of play at FedEx Field on Sunday in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game between the teams.</p>
<p><span>Robert Griffin III</span> provided two touchdown passes during the quarter but was clearly less than 100 percent healthy and needed to get assistance from trainers after absorbing several hits. Griffin was 6-of-9 passing for 68 yards and the two touchdowns. He also rushed three times for 12 yards. <span>Logan Paulsen</span> and <span>Evan Royster</span> caught touchdowns for the Redskins in the redzone. <span>Alfred Morris</span> had 49 yards rushing on eight carries.</p>
<p>The Seahawks only had the ball for 3:59 of the quarter and put up just nine total yards of offense. Griffin's rookie counterpart <span>Russell Wilson</span> was 2-of-3 passing for 20 yards. Wilson was sacked by two times. <span>Perry Riley</span> had one sack and <span>Stephen Bowen</span> (0.5 sack) and <span>London Fletcher</span> (0.5 sack) shared the other sack during the quarter.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2013/1/6/3843712/seahawks-vs-redskins-first-quarter-score-updatePat Johnston2012-12-31T10:00:20-05:002012-12-31T10:00:20-05:00Wizards start new year with Mavs, Pacers
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<figcaption>Ronald Martinez</figcaption>
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<p>The Washington Wizards begin 2013 off with games against the Dallas Mavericks and the Indiana Pacers.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Washington Wizards</a> have a pair of games as the new year begins. The Wizards start 2013 off on Jan. 1 by hosting the <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Mavericks</a> at the Verizon Center and then travel to play the <a href="https://www.indycornrows.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Indiana Pacers</a> on Jan. 2.</p>
<p>The Wizards have only defeated the <a href="https://www.blazersedge.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Portland Trail Blazers</a>, <a href="https://www.hothothoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Heat</a>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/new-orleans-hornets" class="sbn-auto-link">New Orleans Hornets</a> and <a href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Orlando Magic</a> this season and will be hoping for more success in the new year. Washington's first opponent in 2013, Dallas, has had a disappointing start to the season themselves and have dearly missed forward <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> who has only appeared in Dallas' last three games. <span>O.J. Mayo</span> lead Dallas in scoring this season.</p>
<p>The Pacers lead the Central Division and have enjoyed a strong nucleus with <span>David West</span>, <span>Paul George</span>, <span>Roy Hibbert</span> and <span>George Hill</span> starting all 30 games this season. West leads the team with 17.7 points per game while Hibbert leads the team in rebounds (8.2 per game) and blocks (2.7 per game). George Hill has a team-high 5.1 assists per game and Paul George leads the team in steals (1.4 per game).</p>
<p><b>Wizards Leaders</b>:</p>
<p><b>Points</b>: <span>Jordan Crawford</span>, 16.0</p>
<p><b>Rebounds</b>: <span>Emeka Okafor</span>: 6.9</p>
<p><b>Assists</b>: <span>A.J. Price</span>: 4.9</p>
<p><b>Steals</b>: <span>Trevor Ariza</span>: 1.9</p>
<p><b>Blocks</b>: Emeka Okafor: 1.4</p>
<p><b>Season Series Information</b>:</p>
<p>vs. Mavericks (0-1, Dallas won 107-101 on Nov. 14)</p>
<p>vs. Pacers (0-2, Indiana won last meeting 96-89 on Nov. 19)</p>
<p>For a <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/schedules/weekly/today/?xid=sbnation" target="_blank">complete NBA weekly schedule</a>, visit Sports Illustrated's schedule page.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2012/12/31/3818978/2012-nba-schedule-washington-wizardsPat Johnston2012-12-16T19:39:41-05:002012-12-16T19:39:41-05:00Alex Ovechkin, Russia win Channel One Cup
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<figcaption>Martin Rose</figcaption>
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<p>Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin helped Team Russia to a Channel One Cup victory over Finland.</p> <p><a href="https://www.japersrink.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Washington Capitals</a> winger <span>Alex Ovechkin</span> and Team Russia defeated Finland, 3-1, to <a target="_blank" href="http://rt.com/sport/hockey/russia-perfect-channel-cup-152/">win the 2012 Channel One Cup</a>. Russia remained undefeated in Euro Hockey Tour play with the victory.</p>
<p>Ovechkin helped set up <span>Evgeni Malkin's</span> powerplay goal that gave Russia a 2-0 lead in the contest. Malkin's goal would prove to be the game-winning goal after Mikko Maenpaa scored for Finland late in the second period. <span>Ilya Kovalchuk</span> put the game out of reach with a goal early in the third period.</p>
<p>Russia defeated the Czech Republic, 6-0, and Sweden, 5-1, in the Channel One Cup. Ovechkin scored a goal against Sweden and had an assist against the Czech Republic.</p>
<p>Russia is in first place after the first two rounds of the Euro Hockey Tour. The Russian team has lost just one game out of six, a 2-1 overtime defeat in November at the hands of the Czech Republic in a tournament in the Karjala Cup in Finland.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2012/12/16/3774352/alex-ovechkin-russia-2012-channel-one-cupPat Johnston