When the St. Louis Rams traded the No. 2 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft—Robert Griffin III, that is—to the Washington Redskins for a basket of future picks, it was rightly seen as a turning point in Redskins history, the moment when they mortgaged their next five years or so to pick up a quarterback on whom the franchise would thrive or fail.
But it might have been an even more important moment for the Rams. With their very future in St. Louis on the line, the Rams bet on Sam Bradford, their own beleaguered franchise quarterback, to pull them back to respectability—instead of replacing him, they applied for reinforcements. In Week 2, Sunday afternoon, the Rams and the Redskins will meet for the first time since they cast their dice.
After one week the Redskins have the advantage on RGIII's remarkable debut, although Bradford's strong fourth quarter in the Rams' loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 1 means that neither team is close to regretting the blockbuster trade yet. But if you hear Griffin's name murmured in the EJD corridors before gametime, you'll know that people are already wondering what the alternate-universe-Rams would be doing at this very moment.