Sports

Seahawks rally past Redskins, injured Griffin

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LANDOVER, Md. — It doesn’t often work out this way. In fact, it rarely does.

“I’ve had a rookie quarterback before when I was in Oakland,’’ Seahawks tight end Zack Miller last night told The Post, “and things didn’t turn out so good. I like our rookie quarterback here.’’

Miller once had to depend on JaMarcus Russell with the Raiders and, no, it didn’t turn out so good. The sixth-year tight end has seen enough of another rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson, to state the Seahawks have the best one in the league.

Even though he doesn’t stand six-feet tall, Wilson stands tallest among the spectacular NFL rookie class of quarterbacks. He is the last one standing and, as a result, his Seahawks move on after their 24-14 victory over gimpy Robert Griffin III and the Redskins in an NFC wild-card playoff game at FedEx Field.

“It’s a tribute to him, the third-round guy, the guy that gets overlooked by all the other teams,’’ Miller said. “That must feel pretty good to him, I bet.’’

If it feels good to Wilson, he doesn’t let on. Entering hostile territory for his first-ever playoff game, Wilson out-dueled the far more heavily hyped Griffin, who aggravated a right knee injury in the first quarter, limped for most of the game and went down in a heap with 6:19 remaining, bringing a hush to the Redskins’ playoff-record crowd of 84,435.

Shaking off a rough start and an early 14-0 deficit, Wilson showed what the Pacific Northwest already knows, that he’s a pint-sized passing and running demon. On a day when Andrew Luck and the Colts were eliminated and RG3 and the Redskins were sent packing, Wilson and the Seahawks move on.

“People always ask me if I have a chip on my shoulder because I was a third-round draft pick,’’ Wilson said after throwing for one touchdown and rushing for 67 yards. “If I was first overall or picked in the third round where I was, I am blessed to be a Seattle Seahawk.’’

His Seahawks (12-5) advance to face the No. 1 seed Falcons (13-3) Sunday at 1 p.m. inside the Georgia Dome. The Redskins (10-7) had their seven-game winning streak come to an end, completely going south after a rousing first quarter, as Griffin tossed two short touchdown passes and the Seahawks — who had not won a playoff game on the road since 1983 — trailed by 14 points.

“We felt like they hit us with their best shot,’’ Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said. “They got the most out of it, two touchdowns.’’

And they got nothing the rest of the way, as the Seattle defense — which lost top defensive end Chris Clemons, possibly to a torn ACL — held the fort until Wilson and Marshawn Lynch (20-132) got cooking. Wilson’s scoring flip to fullback Michael Robinson cut the deficit to 14-10 and after Griffin was intercepted by safety Earl Thomas on a deep ball intended for Pierre Garcon, the Seahawks pulled within 14-13 at halftime when Steven Hauschka on a balky left calf hit a 29-yard field goal.

Lynch’s 27-yard scoring run with 7:08 left put the Seahawks ahead for good and was highlighted by the frisky Wilson — playing not far from his hometown of Richmond, Va. — aiding his bruising running back as a lead blocker.

“I hate to see him take hits, it really upsets me,’’ Robinson said, “but he’s a tough little man. As he goes, we go.’’

And as RG3 goes, the Redskins go. Griffin, already wearing a black brace to stabilize the sprained right knee he hurt back on Dec. 9 against the Ravens, fell backwards and twisted the knee on a first-quarter rollout pass that fell incomplete.

Clearly hampered, Griffin limped his way to a nine-yard scramble early in the fourth quarter and probably should have been removed from the game.

“There was no way I was coming out of that game,’’ he said.

With 6:19 remaining and the Redskins down 21-14, Griffin reached down to get a low, wide shotgun snap and awkwardly twisted his right knee in what looked to be gruesome fashion. As the ball sat on the grass, RG3 could not move to get it and defensive tackle Clinton McDonald recovered it on the Washington 5-yard line. After a minute or so that must have felt like hours to the Redskins faithful, Griffin eventually was able to walk off under his own power but he didn’t play again.

“It was hard to watch Robert Griffin III,’’ Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “It was hard on him and he was freaking gallant as can be.’’