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The division-leading Colts would be 7-9 with RG3 instead of Andrew Luck

(USA TODAY Sports)

(USA TODAY Sports)

Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins travel to Indianapolis to take on Andrew Luck and the Colts on Sunday. The second and first picks in the 2012 draft, Griffin and Luck’s careers have taken decidedly different turns over the course of their first three seasons in the NFL.

Masochistic Redskins fans might ponder what would have happened had Indianapolis decided Griffin was the future and not Luck. In all honesty, it’s a question that applies to nearly every draft class Washington has had since Desmond Howard in 1992.

But we live in the here and now, and here and now, Griffin is in shambles and Luck appears poised to claim the AFC South title for the second consecutive season.

(AP)

(AP)

What might have been if Luck and Griffin switched? Prediction Machine ran the numbers and if you’re a Redskins fan, you might want to look away …

 
If Luck were the starter all season in Washington, the Redskins would be projected to win the NFC East with a 10-6 record. Indianapolis, with RG3 would finish second in the AFC South behind Houston with a projected 7.5 wins.
 
Luck would be projected to throw for 4,529 yards, 34 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in Jay Gruden’s offense. RG3, assuming a full healthy season, would be projected to throw for 2,994 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a Colt.

What Prediction Machine’s analysis doesn’t take into consideration is what would have happened had Griffin stayed healthy, or Luck suffered a debilitating knee injury in his rookie campaign, sat out the last five games of 2013, and dislocated his ankle in 2014.

Injuries and shortcomings aside, it doesn’t take much analysis to know which team came out of the 2012 draft on top.

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