Redskins

Get ready for another week of guesswork. Coach Mike Shanahan said Monday that he's still waiting for a thumbs-up from the doctors before declaring that Robert Griffin III can return to game action. The rookie quarterback sprained the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee in a Dec. 9 win over the Baltimore Ravens and missed Sunday's 38-21 victory over the Cleveland Browns. "We're going to play Robert when he's 100 percent," Shanahan said. "When that ligament's fine, when the doctors feel there's no chance for injury that he can go out there and perform at that level in a game situation without injury, we're going to go with our starter.

WASHINGTON Redskins tackle Jordan Black was suspended Monday without pay for four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, the team's sixth drugs-related suspension in less than two seasons. Black's suspension began immediately and will include postseason games if the Redskins advance to the playoffs. Washington left tackle Trent Williams, tight end Fred Davis and cornerback Phillip Buchanon all received four-game suspensions from the league last year.

CLEVELAND - The Redskins decided one game without Robert Griffin III couldn't hurt. RG3 disagreed, but after another rookie, Kirk Cousins, kept Washington's winning streak and playoff hopes intact, Griffin understood. First place has him feeling better. Cousins threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns filling in for the injured Griffin, leading Washington to its fifth straight win, 38-21, over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Cousins connected with Leonard Hankerson for both TDs in his first career start and the Redskins (8-6)

CLEVELAND - Robert Griffin III watched as the Redskins' other rookie quarterback again won. Rookie Kirk Cousins threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns filling in on Sunday for an injured Griffin to lead Washington to its fifth straight win, a 38-21 pasting of the Cleveland Browns. Cousins connected with Leonard Hankerson for both touchdowns in his first career start as the Redskins, who'll meet the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, barely missed a beat without the talented and multi-dimensional RGIII, who sat out with a sprained knee.

LANDOVER, Md. - Robert Griffin III walked gingerly through the Washington Redskins locker room Sunday, his sprained right knee in a big black brace. Teammates stood at their lockers, mixing the emotions of a 31-28 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens (9-4) with the fear that their franchise player could be seriously hurt. Griffin went down on Washington's final drive of regulation, with his team trailing by eight. Fellow rookie Kirk Cousins, who had played in only one other game, stepped in and hit Pierre Garcon for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 29 seconds left, then ran the quarterback draw for the two-point conversion.

Giants at Redskins 8:30 p.m., ESPN. Line: Giants by 3. The skinny: Daniel Snyder likes his team in the spotlight, but his largely unsuccessful 13 years as Redskins owner have been a Monday night wipeout. Washington has lost 10 straight home Monday night games, nine of them with Snyder as owner. Now, at last, the Redskins have a leader suited for the big show. If anyone can end what tight end Chris Cooley jokingly referred to as "the Monday night curse," it's rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. The stakes could hardly be bigger for this season's Redskins (5-6)

  Forward / Inquirer Southeastern Pa. Player of the Year Megan Schafer, Neshaminy She was an offensive force as soon as her high school career began, and it was no different for Schafer during her junior season, as she had a part in 50 of the goals the Redskins scored this year, with a team-leading 27 goals and 23 assists. The Penn State recruit helped her team to the state semifinals for the first time in program history, after the Redskins went undefeated in the Suburban One League National Division and finished third in the District 1 Class AAA playoffs.

Nick Foles entered Sunday's game as the Eagles' greatest hope to save this season. In the end, those expectations were far too unrealistic and Foles performed simply like a rookie QB playing on the road behind a leaky offensive line in his first NFL start. Two things were learned from Foles' debut as a starter: He needs a lot of work. Michael Vick was not the primary reason for the Eagles' woes on offense this season. He was just one of the many problems created by Andy Reid's decisions, Marty Mornhinweg's play-calling, and Howie Roseman's evaluations.

Up-Down Drill   Jeffrey Lurie His offseason decisions to retain coach Andy Reid and give general manager Howie Roseman more authority have backfired. Lurie will have to fire Reid to pacify an angry fan base. It will be the right move - but can the owner be trusted to hire a replacement?   Andy Reid We were about done picking on Big Red at this point, but then he had LeSean McCoy carrying the football while down 25 points with less than two minutes left in the game.

Here are some observations and ruminations about Sunday's Eagles-Redskins game: It's like a bad rerun. The Eagles gave up another long touchdown after there was an obvious breakdown in the secondary. It was difficult to say for certain who blew his coverage during a second-quarter touchdown. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was closest to the play, but he looked like he was playing a quarter zone. Safety Nate Allen, meanwhile, appeared to have made a bad read and left Aldrick Robinson all alone in the end zone.