National Football League

RG3 questionable for Sunday

Published Dec. 14, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Robert Griffin III practiced for the third straight day on his sprained right knee Friday, albeit again on a limited basis, and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns.

''He keeps on improving every day,'' coach Mike Shanahan said. ''He's much better today.''

Shanahan again he said he will wait until Sunday to reveal whether Griffin or fellow rookie Kirk Cousins will start. He said the quarterbacks might be informed of the decision Saturday night.

Griffin, the league's top-rated passer, looked fine during Friday's session as he stretched with his teammates and made a few throws during the 15 minutes reporters were allowed to watch. It would have been difficult to tell he was injured if it weren't already known.

Griffin sprained his lateral collateral ligament when he was hit by defensive tackle Haloti Ngata late in regulation in last week's 31-28 overtime victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

Fourth-round pick Cousins finished the game, throwing a touchdown pass in the final minute and running in the game-tying 2-point conversion. He has appeared in two games this season, completing 7 of 11 passes for 137 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Griffin was gimpy at times when he returned to practice Wednesday, then looked better but was still favoring the leg Thursday. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said this week that the decision on who starts will likely rely less on how well Griffin can move and more on the stability of the knee and the risk of further injury.

The only hint as to a possible Sunday pecking order while the media's cameras were rolling came during a drill Thursday when Griffin pantomimed taking snaps to the side while Cousins and third-stringer Rex Grossman ran a drill with the starting receivers. However, the drill could also have been a ruse to keep the Browns guessing.

Regardless, teammates have been impressed the Griffin has been able to practice as much as he has after sustaining such a scary injury.

''A lot of people think the next step after a hit like that is to IR,'' said left tackle Trent Williams, referring to season-ending injured reserve. ''He's really blessed. Not lucky, but blessed.''