Redskins bench Griffin for McCoy

Nov 26, 2014 - 6:03 PM Ashburn, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Colt McCoy will return to the starting quarterback role for the Washington Redskins.

Redskins coach Jay Gruden confirmed Wednesday the benching of Robert Griffin III, who had started the past three games after recovering from a dislocated ankle suffered in Week 2.

"Colt's going to start this week," Gruden told reporters on a conference call Wednesday. "He's done some good things. I felt like he deserved a bit of a promotion."

The Redskins have lost all three games since Griffin's return, falling to 3-8. Griffin has been sacked 16 times in losses to Minnesota, Tampa Bay and San Francisco, and last Sunday against the 49ers completed 11-of-19 passes for just 106 yards with a lost fumble in the 17-13 setback.

"I'm not putting the blame all on Robert, it seems that way when you make a change at that position," Gruden added. "Robert has done some good things. I think he needs a little more time in this system and needs to take a step back and learn. Right now, I felt like Colt would give us a better chance this week."

McCoy led the Redskins to each of their last two victories. He replaced an ineffective Kirk Cousins in the second half of the Redskins' Week 7 matchup against Tennessee and rallied the team to a 19-17 decision, then led the way in an overtime road upset of Dallas a week later.

In his limited action, McCoy has connected on 36-of-42 throws for 427 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He finished 25-of-30 for 299 yards in the 20-17 win at Dallas in Week 8.

Griffin has completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 869 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in his five starts this season. He has also been sacked 20 times, and has run for 100 yards on 22 carries.

"He's not happy, nor did I expect him to be," Gruden said when asked how Griffin reacted to the decision.

Griffin's future with the Redskins could also become a topic of consideration, as the team must decide during the offseason whether to exercise an option to extend his contract through 2016.