

Quarterback Colt McCoy is sacked for the sixth time by a St. Louis Ram, this time defensive end William Hayes for a 12-yard loss late in the fourth quarter. McCoy left the game after this play. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

After undergoing a battery of tests Sunday night and Monday morning, Colt McCoy told reporters at midday that he wasn’t yet sure what was wrong with his neck.

But if he’s medically cleared to play and is confident he won’t risk further injury, McCoy said in an interview afterward, he expects to start Sunday’s game at the New York Giants.

“Yeah, I would expect that,” said McCoy, 28, whose record as a starter stands at 1-2 following Sunday’s 24-0 loss to the St. Louis Rams at FedEx Field.

McCoy appeared uncomfortable turning his head to either side in fielding questions from the reporters who surrounded him in the locker room. And he offered few details about the pain or nature of the injury, other than to firmly say there was no concern about a potential concussion.

But he was crystal clear about the moment it occurred: On the fifth of the six sacks he took in the loss, on a play that was doomed from the start.

Center Kory Lichtensteiger appeared to snap the ball early, catching McCoy and the offensive line by surprise. Left tackle Trent Williams never moved, enabling Rams defensive end Robert Quinn to charge unimpeded at McCoy, whose back was turned as he dropped back to throw. Quinn’s right arm came down like a karate chop over McCoy’s right shoulder, making contact at the base of the quarterback’s neck.



Robert Quinn, right, brings his arm down on Colt McCoy during a sack. (Nick Wass/Associated Press)

“I still played a few more snaps, but I just knew something wasn’t right,” McCoy said. Sacked a sixth time, McCoy was finally pulled, and Coach Jay Gruden sent in Robert Griffin III in relief at the two-minute mark.

McCoy finished the game 20 of 32 for 199 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and six sacks, which equated to a passer rating of 54.0.

“It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever been shut out,” said McCoy, who won more games for Texas (45) than any quarterback in Longhorns’ history. “I’m sure it’s the same for a lot of guys on this team. I’m very disappointed.”

McCoy acknowledged that he needed to play better but said that extended to every player on the team.

“I think we need to get our run game going,” McCoy said. “Our protection failed a lot yesterday. I certainly have to play better, too.”

Washington ran the ball just 12 times against Rams, gaining 2.3 yards per run. While the Rams’ third-quarter scoring outburst forced Washington into a passing offense, the game was still well in hand throughout the first half, with St. Louis leading 6-0 at the break. Yet Gruden called for only eight runs in the first half.

Asked about reports that Gruden could be fired after his first season, McCoy said that the team’s poor record wasn’t the coach’s fault.

“It’s not Jay’s fault at all,” McCoy said. “I think each person individually on this team assume the responsibility. I certainly feel like Jay puts us in the best position to be successful.”

McCoy pointed to the strength of the Rams’ defense, which has now pitched back-to-back shutouts.

“We did some good things, but when you look collectively as a unit, we couldn’t run the football, we stayed in third-and-longs, we had bad field position to start the game and we couldn’t overcome those things,” McCoy said. “We’ve got to figure that out.”

E-mail a Redskins question to mike.jones@washpost.com, with the subject “Mailbag question,” and it might be answered Tuesday in the Mailbag.

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