One year ago, the first NFL playoff game with rookie quarterbacks starting for both teams was staged.

The second such matchup figures to be much more highly anticipated.

Led by Robert Griffin III, the Washington Redskins will host a postseason contest for the first time in 13 years when they take on Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

When Cincinnati's Andy Dalton and Houston's T.J. Yates met last season, it was the first time two rookie starting quarterbacks faced off.

Sunday's matchup features record-setting rookies who have electrified their respective cities. The Redskins (10-6) have won seven straight since Griffin was named a team captain to capture the NFC East title, while the Seahawks (11-5) have won five in a row to earn a wild-card spot.

Griffin's 102.4 passer rating is the highest ever by a rookie and the third-best in the NFL this year. He threw 20 touchdowns to five interceptions and set a rookie record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 815.

"The one thing our coaches did was they didn't baby me, they weren't going to make it baby steps, they made me learn on the fly, they were really hard on me in OTAs and training camp and it's paid off," Griffin said.

While Griffin was the No. 2 pick in the draft, Wilson was a third-round selection by Seattle - and the sixth quarterback taken - before he beat out Matt Flynn for the starting job. Wilson has tied Peyton Manning 's record for most touchdown passes by a rookie with 26, and he had 16 touchdowns to two interceptions during Seattle's 7-1 finish to the regular season.

"Did Peyton go to the playoffs his first year? No," Seattle fullback Michael Robinson said. "OK. Then you know who I think is better."

Wilson, who threw for 3,118 yards, finished with a 100.0 passer rating that would have been a rookie record if not for Griffin.

"I really like Russell, he's really got a lot of the intangibles you look for in a quarterback," said Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, who interacted with Wilson while coaching at last year's Senior Bowl. "Really a class act, really handled himself extremely well, really a fun guy to talk to."

Both quarterbacks are aided by top rushing attacks that feature zone blocking schemes.

The Redskins finished with a league-high 2,709 yards on the ground, with rookie Alfred Morris second in the NFL with 1,613. Morris rushed for 200 yards and three scores in last Sunday night's 28-18 division-clinching win over Dallas.

Seattle's Marshawn Lynch gained 1,590 yards to finish third behind Morris as he spearheaded a Seattle rushing attack that was third in the league with 2,579 yards.

"I think everybody's got a little bit different scheme," Shanahan said. "We do have a lot of similarities with the zone blocking scheme and they're running a bit of the zone read as well."

While the offenses are very similar, the Seahawks have a decided edge on defense. Seattle yielded an average of 321.6 yards for the league's fourth-best mark while Washington allowed an average of 390.8 for the NFL's fourth-worst.

It promises to be a festive atmosphere at FedEx Field. The only playoff game to take place there was Washington's 27-13 victory over Detroit after the 1999 season.

The Redskins figure to have the advantage with a 5-3 home mark. While Seattle was unbeaten at home, it went 3-5 on the road.

"If you want to be a good team you definitely got to be able to win on the road," Seattle defensive end Red Bryant said. "You never get a scenario exactly how you want it unless you fortunate enough to be like (No. 1 seed) Atlanta."

The Seahawks could be happy about the late kickoff time Sunday so their normal routine of traveling two days before an Eastern time zone game won't change. Former Seattle cornerback Josh Wilson , who is now with Washington, thinks this is the case.

"This game being at 4:30 actually may help them a little bit," Wilson said. "It's definitely tough when you have that 1 o'clock game. It feels like about 10 o'clock to you. You wake up three hours before the game, so it's about 7 o'clock in your mind."

The Redskins have won six straight regular-season meetings over the Seahawks, but things have changed drastically since Rex Grossman led them to a 23-17 win over a Tarvaris Jackson -led Seattle team last season.

Washington's last two postseasons ended with road losses to Seattle following the 2005 and 2007 seasons.

Redskins left guard Kory Lichtensteiger missed practice with a sprained left ankle Wednesday. Third-round pick Josh LeRibeus will make his first start if Lichtensteiger can't play.

RG3 hurt, Seattle tops Redskins 24-14 in playoffs

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- Russell Wilson raced ahead to throw the final block on Marshawn Lynch 's fourth-quarter, go-ahead touchdown run, doing just enough to get in the way of the Washington Redskins safety near the goal line.

Less than a minute later, Robert Griffin III's knee buckled as he tried to field a bad shotgun snap, the pain so bad that he didn't even try to recover the ball.

The last rookie quarterback standing in the NFL playoffs is Wilson - the third-round pick who teamed with Lynch on Sunday to lead the Seattle Seahawks to a 24-14 victory over Griffin and the Redskins.

"Marshawn always tells me, `Russ, I got your back, no matter what,"' Wilson said. "So I just try to help him out every once in a while."

And the latest debate over the wisdom of keeping an injured franchise player on the field - when he's obviously nowhere near his best - starts with coach Mike Shanahan, who let Griffin keep going until the QB could absolutely go no more.

"I think I did put myself at more risk," Griffin said. "But every time you get on the field, you're putting yourself on the line."

Lynch ran for 132 yards, and Wilson completed 15 of 26 passes for 187 yards and ran eight times for 67 yards as Seahawks overcame a 14-0 first-quarter hole - their biggest deficit of the season - and will visit the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons next Sunday.

Meanwhile, Griffin was headed for an MRI exam to determine the extent of the damage on his re-injured right knee. He was already playing with a big black brace, having sprained the lateral collateral ligament about a month ago against the Baltimore Ravens . He hadn't looked his usual self in the two games he had played since, and he was obviously hobbled after falling awkwardly while throwing an incomplete pass in the first quarter Sunday.

In the fourth quarter, Griffin labored on a 9-yard run that made him look 32 years old instead of 22.

"He said, `Hey, trust me. I want to be in there, and I deserve to be in there,"' Shanahan said. "I couldn't disagree with him."

Shanahan said he'll probably second-guess himself over his decision. He has the entire offseason to do so. And, whatever the injury, Griffin at least has time to recover.

Wilson, on the other hand, will carry on. The day began with three rookie quarterbacks in the playoffs, but No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck was eliminated when Indianapolis lost to Baltimore.

Seattle is riding a six-game winning streak, having left behind any doubts that the team can hold its own outside the Pacific Northwest. The Seahawks were 3-5 on the road in the regular season and had lost eight straight road playoff games, the last win coming in 1983 against the Miami Dolphins .

"It was only two touchdowns, but it's still a big comeback and, in this setting and the crowd, it's a marvelous statement about the guys' resolve and what is going on," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "It's not about how you start but how you finish."

Seattle's defense shut down the Redskins after a rough start. Washington had 129 yards in the first quarter and 74 for the rest of the game. Griffin was 6 for 9 for 68 yards and two touchdowns after 15 minutes; he was 4 for 10 for 16 yards with one interception the rest of the way.

"It was hard to watch RG3 tonight," Carroll said. "It was hard on him. He was freaking gallant."

The numbers were reversed for the Seahawks, who rediscovered Lynch in the second quarter and put together three consecutive scoring drives to pull within a point, 14-13, at halftime.

Steven Hauschka , who injured his left calf during the first half and had to relinquish kickoff duties, nevertheless sandwiched field goals of 32 and 29 yards around a 4-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Michael Robinson . Wilson fumbled on the TD drive, but the ball was fortuitously scooped up by Lynch, who ran for a 19-yard gain.

The Seahawks controlled the second half, but then it was Lynch's turn to fumble - at Washington's 1-yard line. The Redskins recovered this one, and the Seahawks had another drive get to Washington's 28 before a sack forced a punt - rather than a long field goal attempt by an injured kicker.

But the Seahawks kept coming. Wilson led the way for two big change-of-direction runs by Lynch in the game, the second one a 27-yard scoring run with 7:08 remaining.

A 2-point conversion gave the Seahawks a 21-14 lead, and then came the moment that essentially put the outcome to rest.

On the second play of the Redskins' next possession, Griffin's knee bent the wrong way on a second-and-22 at the Washington 12. He lay on the ground as the Seahawks pounced on the ball.

Griffin walked off the field under his own power, but he was done for the night. By the end of the game, he was sitting alone on the white sideline bench, his brace discarded on a bench next to him.

With good field position, the Seahawks kicked a short field goal to give them the insurance they needed. Fellow rookie Kirk Cousins , subbing for Griffin, was unable to rally the Redskins in the final minutes.

"Despite the fact that we have a `nobody' team," Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said, "a team not full of first-rounders and things like that, we have a lot of guys that play at a high level."

NOTES: DE Chris Clemons , Seattle's best pass rusher, hurt his left knee in the third quarter and did not return. He will undergo an MRI. "We're concerned about it," Carroll said. ... Redskins LG Kory Lichtensteiger re-injured his sprained left ankle in the first quarter. ... The playoff meeting between the two teams was the third, but first outside Seattle. The Seahawks won 20-10 in January 2006, and 35-14 in January 2008. Those were the last two postseason games played by the Redskins. ... Redskins LT Trent Williams shoved Sherman in the face as the teams met on the field after the final whistle. "It was a dirty move by Trent Williams ," Sherman said. "I can understand why he's frustrated; it's the end of their season." Williams took responsibility and said he acted in an "immature manner." Later, Sherman tweeted that he received "a very classy text" message from Williams and there's "no ill will either way."

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