Redskins vs. Giants: Breakdown of How Big Blue Can Isolate RG3

Robert Griffin III has been ripping defenses apart in 2012.

Staring across the line in Week 7 are the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, who are coming off a bulldozing victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

It will be RG3's toughest challenge yet, because the Giants are playing as well as anyone in pro football right now. Plus, the game takes place in the Meadowlands and is the first NFC East matchup for the Washington Redskins this season.

Needless to say, the stakes are rather high for this rivalry game and the winner will have a strong grasp of the division lead as we close in on November. Ahead, we look at how Big Blue can minimize the overall production of Griffin—he is Mike Shanahan's offense, after all.

Earlier this month, Washington hosted the Atlanta Falcons and fell, 24-17. The Dirty Birds are the last perfect team standing and it's in large part due to the isolation of RG3.

For the game, Griffin went just 10-of-15 passing for 91 yards with no touchdowns (sacked twice) and carried the rock only once for seven yards. It was the second sack that knocked him out of the game. Atlanta, though, simply did an excellent job of containing him while trusting the coverage to lock down.

Because the Giants have similar capabilities—albeit greater, thanks to a stellar pass rush—New York's 4-3 defensive front can completely limit Griffin's impact. That said, let's take a look at how the Falcons exploited the rookie quarterback, something that Big Blue will need to replicate.

Note: All screencaps are courtesy of NFL.com's Game Rewind.

Disguising the Blitz Will Pay Off

Here we see the Redskins come out in a traditional I-formation with two receivers split out up top and a tight end connected to the line at the bottom.

One thing to notice is that Dunta Robinson walked up closer to the outer edge of the box. Even as a non-blitzer, every cornerback must show this because there is no point in remaining out wide with the tight end as the nearest receiving threat.

Unfortunately for RG3, he never notices the disguise, as he never looks for it pre-snap. In addition, it's not surprising that he's counting on the tight end and play-action running back to pass-protect.

However, Robinson's sole purpose on this play is to attack RG3 because the two unblocked linebackers are responsible for stopping the run. So to some extent, Robinson literally has a free shot on the quarterback.

Well, the sack happens because neither Griffin, the backs nor the tight end recognizes or acknowledges Robinson on the outside.

Had this occurred, the blocking scheme could have shifted left, while the backs could have then become responsible for anything leaking up the middle. Alfred Morris just sees it too late, and Robinson makes the play.

In short, the Giants can call simple blitzes with the typical line twists and stunts. New York's front four is too good not to get pressure, but calling a blitz on first down will:

A. Stop the run even more consistently.

B. Get RG3 under duress early to force mistakes later on.

As we saw against San Francisco, New York's ceiling of assignment discipline against the pass is unlimited.

Linebacker Spy with Four-Man Rush

The second sack of RG3 came more from containment, courtesy of the front four paired with a linebacker spy and a coverage shield across the end zone.

Despite Washington's best efforts to create some traffic with a bunch receiver set, Atlanta remained disciplined and forced a 4th-and-goal.

While surveying the field, Griffin has a nice pocket set up to keep reading through his progressions. Had he remained in the pocket, Griffin would have seen two receivers briefly open in the end zone.

But because of the gradual collapse, RG3 hesitates, darts out of the pocket, hesitates again and then ultimately takes off before failing to convert the third down. It appears that RG3 has the outside if he first takes off, but there are four Falcons defenders with solid angles to prevent him from scoring.

You can see the spy linebacker waiting patiently, and the coverage never opens up once he leaves the pocket. Also, the rest of Atlanta's defense closes off any cutback lanes for Griffin to make a play.

If anything, this is all that New York needs to do. Let the defensive ends bull-rush and contain, which can sometimes also draw a holding penalty. Add in a 'backer spying over the middle and Big Blue's coverage is locked down enough to completely blanket Washington's receivers.

There's no magical defensive scheme for limiting anything Griffin does.

Remaining physical with underneath coverage and not giving up the outside will force him to make plays with his arm. After all, RG3 dominating on the ground against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6 is the last thing any opponent wants.

Because if so, the rest of the Redskins offense becomes virtually unstoppable.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter.