Robert Griffin III scaled back in return, but effective enough

• Robert Griffin III returned after sitting out last week with an injury, wearing a brace on his knee
• Griffin was 16 for 24 with two touchdowns and one interception, good for a 102.4 passer rating
• Washington is one win away from its first NFC East title since 1999

PHILADELPHIA — Next week will be a different deal, but caution was the plan on Sunday for Robert Griffin III. No quarterback option-keepers. No mad scrambling. No death-defying stunts. They played it safe and scaled back the scheme for the electric Washington Redskins rookie quarterback, who returned to the lineup after missing a game with a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee.

It made sense to limit danger, with Griffin still appearing a bit gimpy.

"We did not do everything that we would normally do," Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said after the 27-20 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles. "I did not want to put that pressure on the LCL."

The plan worked well enough. The Redskins (9-6) got the victory they needed to assure themselves a chance to seize the franchise's first NFC East title since 1999 with a victory against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

And Griffin, whose knee was protected by a black brace, emerged without apparently suffering any additional damage.

"It feels good," he said after the game. "Winning always cures all ills, so it felt good during the game, it feels good now. It's just good to be back out there with the guys."

Griffin completed 16 of 24 passes for 198 yards, with two TDs and an interception and a solid 102.4 pass efficiency rating. His soft, 22-yard rainbow of a touchdown pass to Santana Moss was particularly impressive.

Although Griffin was nimble enough to avoid rushers and buy time with his feet on several passes, he clearly did not represent his total package as he nursed the knee. He rushed for a season-low four yards on two carries. The conservative plan was obvious on his first run of the game, midway through the first quarter, when he scampered around right end and gingerly jogged out of bounds for a five-yard gain without being hit.

"I took what you guys said to heart and made sure I got out of bounds," he joked to reporters. "Five yards is fine on any down, so we just want to get ourselves in a good position so I took the liberty of taking a nice stroll to the sidelines."

Griffin demonstrated that he can be effective enough without running. He completed 67% of his passes by primarily operating from the pocket.

"Anytime you wear a brace…it's going to restrict your motion," he said. "So from that my mobility was down a little bit just because of the brace, but at the same time I was still able to do everything a quarterback is supposed to do. So it didn't necessarily slow me down by any means, and I was able to protect myself out there."

Next week, the circumstances will be different. And with the season on the line, chances are that Griffin and the Redskins will have to be a lot more aggressive.