On November 15, 2010, Michael Vick humiliated the Washington Redskins before a national television audience on Monday Night Football. The big news right before kickoff was that the ‘Skins had signed former Eagle QB Donovan McNabb to a five-year, $78 million contract extension, an ironic note that wouldn’t be lost on observers as McNabb’s replacement, Vick, put together one of the greatest all-around quarterbacking performances in NFL history:
| Date | Tm | Opp | Result | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rate | Sk | SkYd | ANYPA | Rush | R_Yds | R_TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/15/2010 | PHI | @ | WAS | W 59-28 | 20 | 28 | 71.4% | 333 | 4 | 0 | 150.7 | 1 | 1 | 14.2 | 8 | 80 | 2 |
McNabb, on the other hand, was mediocre, going 17-31 with 295 yards and 2 TDs, but also 3 picks. More damning, Washington’s offense produced zero points until the Redskins were in a 35-0 hole and the game was essentially over.
Fast-forward 735 days, though, and the Redskins got their payback. An injured Vick was on the shelf, the Eagles entered the game on a 5-game losing streak, and electrifying rookie Robert Griffin III extended it to six with a brilliant performance of his own:
| Date | Tm | Opp | Result | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rate | Sk | SkYd | ANYPA | Rush | R_Yds | R_TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/18/2012 | WAS | PHI | W 31-6 | 14 | 15 | 93.3% | 200 | 4 | 0 | 158.3 | 2 | 8 | 16.0 | 12 | 84 | 0 |
So, which performance was better, Vick’s original or RGIII’s remix? Vick threw for 133 more yards, rushed for practically the same amount as Griffin (on 4 fewer carries), and produced more total TDs. Then again, Griffin completed 93% of his passes and put together the vaunted 158.3 “perfect” QB rating. It’s a tough call.
Sound off with your opinion below!