RG3 has mild sprain, might play Sunday

WASHINGTON coach Mike Shanahan said Monday that Robert Griffin III has a mild sprain of a ligament in the right knee and hasn't been ruled out for Sunday's game against Cleveland.

Shanahan said the injury is a Grade 1 sprain of the lateral collateral ligament on the outside of the knee, caused when the rookie quarterback was hit at the end of a scramble late in regulation in the Redskins' 31-28 overtime win Sunday over the Baltimore Ravens.

Shanahan says Griffin has mild swelling and is receiving treatment multiple times a day.

"He's definitely not ruled out for the Cleveland game," Shanahan said.

The LCL is one of four ligaments in the knee. A Grade 1 sprain typically means the ligament is stretched or has some minor tears.

The most severe knee injury usually associated with sports is a season-ending torn ACL, the anterior cruciate ligament. Griffin tore the ACL in his right knee while playing for Baylor in 2009, but Shanahan said Griffin's reconstructed ACL "looks great" and that there's "no problem there."

Fellow rookie Kirk Cousins will start if Griffin can't. Cousins threw a touchdown pass with 29 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and ran in the game-tying two-point conversion after Griffin was hurt.

"Both of them will have a game plan," Shanahan said. "And obviously Robert can do some things in the running game that Kirk can't."

The Redskins (7-6) have won four straight and trail the New York Giants by one game in the NFC East.

Cam Cameron was fired as offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, who have lost two straight and are still striving for consistency in the running and passing game. Former Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, who was hired as quarterbacks coach before the season, will assume Cameron's duties.

* Dallas nose tackle Jay Ratliff yelled at Jerry Jones and had to be separated from the Cowboys' owner after the Dec. 2 win over the Eagles, ESPN reported. Sources said that in the locker room after the game, Jones attempted to encourage the four-time Pro Bowler to return from a groin injury, which prompted Ratliff to yell at him before teammates stepped in. Ratliff stormed out of the locker room after dressing quickly. Ratliff's agent declined comment.

Also, Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant has a fractured left index finger, ESPN reported, and could be out for the season if he needs surgery.

* Oakland reinstated linebacker Rolando McClain from the suspended list and cut starting cornerback Ron Bartell. The Raiders (3-10) also cut backup fullback Owen Schmitt and promoted cornerback Chimdi Chekwa from the practice squad. McClain was suspended for two games for conduct detrimental to the team after a practice run-in with coach Dennis Allen.

* San Francisco suspended running back Brandon Jacobs for the final three games following a series of posts on social media sites addressing his lack of playing time, including one during the weekend saying he was "on this team rotting away." The 49ers provided no explanation for why Jacobs had been disciplined.

* Former commissioner Paul Tagliabue will rule Tuesday afternoon on the latest round of player appeals in the NFL's bounty probe, a source told the Associated Press.

* Jacksonville coach Mike Mularkey was briefly hospitalized after feeling ill upon arriving at the team's facility a day after the Jaguars' loss to the Jets. The team offered no details.

* Arizona president Michael Bidwill said a decision on whether Ken Whisenhunt remains as coach will be made after the season. Bidwill called the 4-9 team's 58-0 loss at Seattle on Sunday "unacceptable" and said he has been evaluating the situation on a week-to-week basis as the losing streak has grown to nine games.

* The 49ers-Seahawks game that could decide the NFC West is moving to prime time. The NFL said that San Francisco's matchup with Seattle on Dec. 23 would be on NBC's "Sunday Night Football." The Chargers-Jets game moves to 1 p.m. on CBS. Another matchup with major playoff implications that day, Giants-Ravens, shifts to 4:25 p.m. on Fox.

* The Atlanta Falcons are a step closer to getting a new downtown stadium. The state agency that owns the 20-year-old Georgia Dome approved the framework for a deal with the Falcons to build a roughly $1 billion stadium with a retractable roof. The deal calls for the Falcons to pay about 70 percent of the total cost.

* Buffalo running back Fred Jackson will miss the remainder of the season with a sprained ligament in his right knee.

* Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler says he expects to play this week against Green Bay. He left Sunday's loss at Minnesota with a sore neck.

* Kansas City's leading receiver Dwayne Bowe, will miss the Oakland game with a rib injury, and coach Romeo Crennel said it's possible he won't return this season.