The Washington Redskins play the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday in Week 3 of the 2014 NFL preseason. The latest chapter of the Battle of the Beltway kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET. Listen to the live radio broadcast below.
Seemingly despite his best efforts, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III cannot get out of the spotlight. He's one full year removed from ACL surgery, but the signal caller hasn't shined in his limited preseason snaps. The media directed its latest bout of criticism at him for his failure to slide several times last week against the Cleveland Browns, who landed three hits on him during one run.
Griffin, who'll likely play into the second half Saturday night, tweeted fans his assurances that he would protect himself better in the future.
On the other side of the ball, Washington's defense - one of the league's worst units last season - will have its hands full stopping Baltimore's running game, which has averaged 4.9 yards per carry this year.
"(Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett) has stressed to us to stop the run, stop the run, stop the run," Redskins linebacker Keenan Robinson said, via the team website. "Before you stop the pass, you stop the run, because if they can run the ball on you, they can do whatever they want."
Although Washington's defense was Swiss cheese last season in the passing game, they weren't horrible at stopping the run. The Redskins' stinginess upfront has carried over into the preseason, where they've given up an average of only 69 rushing yards per game.
"It's exciting for us because we try to hang our hat on a run-first defense, stopping the run and then allowing us to get to the quarterback," Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan said. "It is exciting to play against (Baltimore) - they've got a really good offensive line, and Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce are a couple of the more physical running backs in the league."
