RG III takes battering from Panthers to get extra yards

• Both quarterbacks played well enough, with an 82-yard Newton bomb separating his performance from Griffin's
• Newton, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft, cut down on the poor decisions
• One of the biggest cheers came when Griffin, concussed once this season, slid in timely fashion on a nine-yard scramble

LANDOVER, Md. – What on earth was Robert Griffin III thinking when he sprinted downfield on fourth down, down by two scores late in the fourth quarter, and leapt into a crowd of Carolina Panthers defenders?

The same thing he was thinking when he fought for the goal line in a Week 5 loss to the Falcons, sustaining his second concussion in less than a year when he slid a moment too late.

Get the yards.

In this case, says Griffin, "Get the first down. That's the bottom line."

Griffin spun like a top when two Panthers struck him in the air on fourth down. He landed, and a half-empty stadium, bored with an eventual loss, held its breath.

The rookie got the first down by four yards on a scoring drive that ended up being irrelevant to the outcome -- a 21-13 Panthers victory. But Griffin believes every play is relevant, with the eyes of his teammates on him.

"Guys see that," he says. "They see the quarterback out there putting it on the line every single play, and it makes everyone put it on the line every single play. It's more about inspiring guys to go out, no matter what the score is, no matter what the down and distance is. We can make it happen because we're the ones that are out there."

That's providing Griffin can stay out there -- an iffy proposition considering his occasionally reckless style. He underwent x-rays due to a hit on a first-quarter dropback, but never left the game. Sometime later, he slid at the end of a scramble, avoiding a hit and earning cheers.

Then the Redskins (3-6) stalled a few times with penalties, miscues, drops and overthrows in Panthers territory. Carolina (2-6) took a 21-6 fourth-quarter lead, and Griffin saw a leap into tacklers as a necessary risk.

"We've just got to punch it in. That's the bottom line," he says. "We get down there we work hard to get down there, we've got to come away with seven points, not three points. Everybody understands that. The past few weeks we haven't been able to do it. But after the bye, I think you'll see a different team."

Coach Mike Shanahan says Griffin is going to learn how to handle situations in which his team is trailing as he gets more experience.

"It's good to put him in those situations," Shanahan says. "You don't get it very much. He'll keep on getting better and better. He's so talented he made a lot of off schedule plays in that last drive and found a way to get in the end zone."

Whether Washington rebounds this season from a three-loss slump preceding the upcoming Sunday off is perhaps not as important as Griffin's health. He's not Cam Newton, his opposing quarterback Sunday who stands 6-5, 245-pounds.

The two played evenly in a matchup pitting two of the most dynamic passers in the league. Griffin completed 23 of 39 passes for 215 yards without a touchdown or an interception, rushing for a hard-earned 53 yards on 11 carries. Newton completed 13 of 23 for 201 yards, a touchdown pass to Steve Smith and eight rushes for 37 yards.

An 82-yard Newton bomb to Armanti Edwards separated his performance from Griffin's. Another big difference: The Panthers sacked Griffin four times, and the Redskins – missing injured defensive starters Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker – didn't earn one sack.

The big-bodied Newton plowed home a one-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run to earn a double-digit lead. Griffin is a comparatively slight 6-2, 215. He's trying to compensate for a banged-up, last place pass defense, and finding it very difficult.

Newton knows what that's like. The two shared a moment after the game, exchanging kind words and phone numbers. Griffin's rookie season has closely mirrored Newton's 2011 in that both have put up eye-popping numbers on losing teams.

"I'm a big RG3 fan," Newton said. "His skill set and what he brings to this football game is very rare. I know it, you know it, everybody knows it. I just told him in a synopsis to keep going, to keep fighting because it's a long season and with his skill set he can have a long career."

Shanahan says Griffin has a few sore ribs. Griffin says he'll be fine, and ready to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 18 -- a team that knows a thing or two about the thrills and travails of head-first quarterback play.

"I'll be ready to go," Griffin says. "No one is ever going to question the fight that I have inside myself to be the greatest, and to help lead this team to victory. I'll make sure that I continue to help lead my team to wins."