Redskins’ McCoy placed on injured reserve; Griffin to start

Washington Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury on Tuesday, clearing the way for Robert Griffin III to start the final two games of the 2014 season.

McCoy was limited last week after straining his neck in a 24-0 loss to the St. Louis Rams on Dec. 7. McCoy was sacked six times in that game but relieved by Griffin in the fourth quarter.

McCoy was back in the starting lineup last Sunday, but left a 24-13 loss to the Giants in the first quarter after going 4 of 7 for 39 yards.

Griffin was sacked seven times by the Giants. He has been sacked 24 times in the past four games plus two minutes — and one sack — of mop-up duty against the Rams.

Head coach Jay Gruden said he talked to Griffin about getting off the turf with more urgency when he is knocked down.

“I’ll get up — that’s all that matters,” Griffin said, adding that he will not over-analyze “that kind of stuff.”

Gruden said he believes Griffin is in a better place mentally than he was early in the season when he might have tried to do too much.

“I don’t expect perfection from him, I just need to see some progress on a weekly basis,” Gruden said of Griffin.

“The issue is keeping him upright in the pocket. Getting the ball out of his hands … he’s got to avoid those crazy falls if he can. As a starting quarterback you have an obligation to stay healthy for this football team.”

The Redskins also signed linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat off their practice squad. Nose tackle Isaako Aaitui and linebacker Steve Beauharnais were added to the practice squad, while linebacker Justin Jackson was released.