Griffin had little chance and is just not equipped to operate in a situation that demands even faster reads and the ability to feel pressure and slide away. He dropped back to pass eight times and was hit on six of those attempts while being sacked three times. That's what you call a total meltdown and an all-around effort of futility.
The protection needed to be much better. But good quarterback play is about helping yourself as well. Griffin is still learning to handle life in the pocket and that means he'll step into pressure too often, as he did on a couple of occasions. On a second-and-12 in the second quarter, Smith was driven back but there was room for Griffin to slide right. Instead, he took off running into the pressure and was drilled.
