Can the Redskins Still Make the Playoffs?

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 8^th 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 2^nd 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.