So 8 games into the NFL season, the
Washington Redskins stand at 4-3-1 after a 27-27 tie against the
Cincinnati Bengals in London last Sunday. I've been taking the
temperature of those that follow the team and I feel a lot of doom
and gloom surrounding fans, and to be fair its not without merit,
especially after the suspension of offensive tackle Trent Williams.
Outside of that, there are other issues with this team, the defense
can and has been had several times this season with both rushing and
passing. The red zone offense, a strength of the team last season,
has been woefully inconsistent. Special teams kick coverage has been
a tad suspect of late, Dustin Hopkins who is still one of the most
reliable Redskins kickers in recent memory has been inconsistent
lately, and with a real tough stretch of games coming after the bye
week, the Redskins could very well fall apart as this season comes to
a close, leading to much uncertainty going into the offseason.
And yet....is it wrong that I'm not
panicking right now? Yeah I get why some fans are about ready to
write the whole dang season off at this point, maybe because they've
seen this song and dance before, maybe they're just not confident in
the coaching staff...or maybe they're just bitter fans that still
won't let 2012 go and think that the Redskins ran Robert Griffin III
out of town for whatever reason....yeah I don't buy that for a
second. While I certainly don't think the Redskins could run
roughshod over any of the teams left on their schedule, I don't see a
game left on their schedule right now that I would automatically
pencil in as a loss, much the same way fans did with their games
against Carolina and New England a year ago. In short, lets go
through the remaining games on the schedule and see what I mean.
The Remaining Schedule
After the bye week this week, the
Redskins play their next two games at home, certainly a good thing
after going winless their last two games away from FedEx Field.
Nov. 13 vs. Minnesota
This was a game about partway through
the season that looked like could be penciled in as a loss...but then
Halloween night's Monday Night Football game occurred and all of a
sudden, the Vikings don't look like the world beaters that they were
initially thought as after starting the season on a tear. The Vikings
vaunted defense looked ordinary against the lowly Chicago Bears and
Sam Bradford appears to be coming back down to earth after starting
the season strong. I will say that Bradford does have a decent
history against the Redskins so anything can really happen when the
two teams take the field, but I think the Redskins have a decent
enough chance if they put pressure on Bradford (which has been proven
to work if previous games are any indication) to defend home field
against Minnesota.
Nov. 20 vs. Green Bay
A Sunday night game which equals a
rematch of January's Wild Card playoff game that the Packers won
31-15. This year so far, the Packers have been see-sawing between
pretty good to mediocre and its apparent that Aaron Rodgers is not
the sure thing that he has been in years past. Not to say he's bad at
all by any means, but he's not taking over games the way he has done
in the past and that could mean good things for the Redskins. The
nationally televised game however has been a bugaboo for the Redskins
in recent years so there has to be some fortitude for the game that
has been lacking under Jay Gruden, and this could be a big statement
game for the team.
Thanksgiving Day @ Dallas
Though that leads to a short week as
the Redskins have their 8th ever matchup on Turkey day
against their longstanding rivals. The Redskins weren't that far off
a victory in Week 2 against Dallas, losing by 4 points, but the
Cowboys have seemingly looked more impressive as the season has gone
on, led by an impressive set of starts by rookie QB Dak Prescott
filling in for Tony Romo. Even more surprising has been the emergence
of another rookie, the Cowboys' top draft pick Ezekiel Elliott.
Despite all of that, the Cowboys had to take Philadelphia to Overtime
in Week 8 and are dealing with additional injury issues that could
come back to bite them. CB Morris Claiborne and S Barry Church have
already been announced that they will not be ready when the
Thanksgiving game comes around, add to that, possible NFL action
against Elliott because of a domestic violence issue, and the Cowboys
could be more shorthanded than they seem come turkey day. But another
reason to feel confident...the Redskins have won 3 of the last 4 road
games against Dallas, and Jay Gruden has coached his team to two road
victories against the hated Cowboys. They show no fear going into
Dallas and that could be a lift for the boys in Burgundy and gold.
Dec. 4 @ Arizona
After the Thanksgiving day matchup, the
Redskins go out west to play one of the most disappointing team in
the NFL right now. The Cardinals were a popular Super Bowl pick going
into the season, especially with how well they finished out last
year, but it seems as though, that Carson Palmer's magic has started
to fade a little bit. Now thats not to say that they couldn't find
their footing and be the team that so many people thought they would
be when the Redskins come to town, but this is not a game that could
be penciled in as a loss as many thought that it could be when the
schedule was announced. Though defeating the Cardinals will be
difficult given how well RB David Johnson would play against
Washington's defense, but thats another story.
Dec. 11 @ Philadelphia
Finishing a three-game road swing, the
Redskins would go up I-95 to face the Eagles. Probably the team that
Jay Gruden has had the most success against in his short head
coaching career. After a close encounter in their first matchup in
2014 that went the way of the Eagles, the Redskins are undefeated
since, including a 27-20 win this year at FedEx Field that was more
lopsided than the score shows. You probably won't see the Redskins as
dominant as they were in that victory, but the Redskins, much like
how they show no fear playing in Dallas, show no fear going into one
of the NFL's most hostile environments. They CAN win this game, no
two ways about it.
Dec. 19 vs. Carolina
The Monday after that, the Redskins
play host to the defending NFC champions with a national audience
watching. The Redskins were flat out dominated against the Panthers a
year ago, losing 44-16, but this year the Panthers have struggled
mightily. Part of that could be the fact the defense lost CB Josh
Norman, who of course signed WITH the Redskins, but another part of
it is the fact that Panther QB Cam Newton has not recaptured the form
that earned him MVP honors a year ago. However, the Panthers DID play
very well against the Arizona Cardinals in week 8, so maybe they are
starting to turn a corner. Depending on whether or not the Panthers
are in the playoff hunt, this could be a game that the Redskins could
get one over on the Panthers. But it remains to be seen still.
Dec. 24 @ Chicago
Remember how I talked about the Bears
beating the Vikings earlier? Still doesn't change that the Bears are regarded as one of the worst teams in the league this year. Depending on where the Bears are at
this point of the season, the Redskins could get a 2nd win
in as many years at Soldier Field. In addition, the Redskins have not
lost against the Bears since 2003 and have won 14 of the last 17
matchups (including playoff games) against the Bears since 1987.
Recent history looks good, but the Redskins will have to show that
they can keep that trend going on Christmas Eve.
Jan. 1 vs. New York Giants
To kick off 2017, the Redskins conclude
their regular season against the Giants, again this will be purely
dependent on which teams, one, both or none, could be playing for
their playoff lives come Week 17, but the Redskins have the edge
thanks to their 29-27 win against the Giants at MetLife Stadium in
week 3. The rushing attack for the Giants has sputtered and you never
know what you are going to get with Eli Manning, but always beware of
Odell Beckham Jr. who could shred your secondary like cheese the way
he did to the Baltimore Ravens. All things told though, the Redskins
can defend home turf against this team and could find themselves
playing for their playoff lives if circumstances dictate.
What about the suspension to Williams?
Well it certainly means that the offensive line isn't going to be as
strong for the next four games, but Ty Nsekhe, the second year backup, is
someone that the coaches have been high on. If he can be even a
fraction as effective as Williams, the drop-off may not be that
noticeable, but it remains to be seen. We know that Nsekhe does have a
vote of confidence from GM Scot McCloughan when he said in training
camp that Nsekhe could start for half the teams in the NFL, so maybe
this won't hurt as much as we're thinking. What about that tie? Well
at the moment, the tie isn't damaging, but it could become a
liability because now the Redskins will have to beat a team full out
for a playoff spot rather than hoping they would own a few
tiebreakers unless some of the NFC East teams play to a tie the rest
of the way. As of right now, the Redskins are seeded No. 8 in the NFC
Playoff Picture, behind the Packers, Giants and Eagles (All at 4-3)
and ahead of the Lions (4-4) and Cardinals (3-4-1). The playoffs are
hardly out of reach at this point...a divisional title MIGHT be a
stretch thanks to Dallas' win over the Eagles on Sunday Night
Football in Week 8, but the Redskins are definitely in the hunt to go
to the playoffs for consecutive years for the first time since a
three year span from 1990 to 1992.
How can they reach it
Let me get this out of the way, I don't
think the Redskins will run the table and go 8-0 to finish the
season. That would be awesome, but I'm going for something a bit more
tangible. At the beginning of the season, I said that if the Redskins
finished 5-3 through the first half of the season, that could bode
well for them going down the stretch. They missed that goal thanks to
the tie in London, but finishing the first half of the year with a
winning record is something a Redskins team hasn't done since 2008,
yes I know that year ended poorly and 2009....we won't bring up, but
the Redskins are in a position where they still control their own
destiny to an extent. Win against the teams you're supposed to and
everything should fall into place for the boys in Burgundy and Gold.
How do I think they could get a wild card slot this year? Go 5-3 to
finish the year. Seems unlikely? I don't think so, given how well
Washington's offense has played this year, I think getting 5 more
wins is certainly within the realm of possibility if a few things are
tweaked.
Going through the schedule, if I could
pick three games that I think the Redskins could lose and it wouldn't
hurt them too badly...it'd be Green Bay, Dallas and Carolina. Green
Bay because Aaron Rodgers could always come up with a big game,
Dallas because the Cowboys have only lost one game in Franchise
history on Thanksgiving Day against the Redskins and because Dak
Prescott might still have some advantages and the Panthers because if
they turn the corner, they could make a big charge for a playoff
spot. The other five games I think are winnable, but I also think
EVERY game left on the schedule is Winnable. There's not a game left
on the Redskins schedule that I feel like they don't have at least a
chance in. The last game on the schedule like that was their season
opening game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Right now, there are
some problems with the Redskins, full stop, but I also think that
given what went right for the Redskins in the first half of the
season, if the issues are ironed out during the bye week and Kirk
Cousins can keep moving the team well and finishing drives, the
Redskins could be heading back to the playoffs again. Call me crazy
if you want, but I think the Redskins are in better shape than many
of you think they are and I think that'll lead to a better second
half of the year.
