Here’s a play you don’t see very often in the NFL: The Redskins ran a triple option on Monday night against the Giants, and scored a touchdown when quarterback Robert Griffin III fumbled just as he was going to the ground, then batted the ball into the hands of Joshua Morgan, who grabbed the ball at the 13-yard line and ran into the end zone for a touchdown.
The play started at the 28-yard line, with Griffin having the option to hand off to running back Alfred Morris up the middle. Griffin decided to keep the ball, and rolled out to his left with Morgan outside as the pitch man.
Griffin didn’t pitch the ball and instead kept it himself, and he appeared to be sliding to avoid Giants strong safety Stevie Brown, who was bearing down on him. But just as Brown reached Griffin, the ball came loose, Griffin knocked it up into the air, and Morgan took it and did the rest.
The officials ruled on the field that Griffin had fumbled, and they confirmed that ruling on replay. If Griffin had thrown the ball to Morgan intentionally it would have been called back as an illegal forward pass because Griffin had crossed the line of scrimmage. And if Griffin had fumbled and then batted the ball to Morgan intentionally, it would have been called back as an illegally batted a loose ball. But the officials called it a Griffin run, a fumble and a Morgan recovery. And a Redskins touchdown.
One of the best touchdowns of the season.