Here are my season predictions for the Washington Redskins.
Week 1 - @Houston Texans
The Washington Redskins open the season against the only team that picked higher than Washington's second overall pick that went to the Rams. The Texans add Jadeon Clowney with the #1 overall pick which should improve their pass rush with JJ Watt. The Texans say goodbye to Matt Schaub but don't get much of an upgrade, if any, with Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Washington and Houston are in similar boats in that they are shifting away from a Shanahan style offense. Gary Kubiak was an assistant under Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan was an offensive coordinator under Kubiak. The Redskins in the meantime hired Jay Gruden, best known as being the brother as Jon Gruden, while the Texans snagged Bill O'Brian from the college ranks.
This is a tough prediction not only because of the new coaching staffs but also the guys returning from injury riddled seasons on both sides. RG3 sat out the best couple of games of the regular season, while Andre Johnson and Arian Foster missed much of the 2013 regular season with their own injuries.
I predict that the Redskins will win this game. I don't really fear Fitzpatrick although Deandre Hopkins and Andre Johnson could test the Redskins secondary which was bad much of the year. Of course, things could get out of hand for Washington if they commit turnovers which is entirely possible since Griffin is struggling to learn the offense.
Week 2 - Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars like the Redskins stuggled last season. They have a promising quarterback in Blake Bortles but all indications have him sitting out this one. The Jaguars lose Maurice Jones Drew, known best for being a fantasy stud, and add Toby Gerhart, best known for being a fantasy handcuff to Adrian Peterson.
Washington should win this game since it is at home.
Week 3 - @Philadelphia
Desean Jackson should be motivated to perform in this one as he faces his former team. Last time the Reskins played the Eagles close and only giving up 24 points. It was their offense that failed them which only managed to score its 16 points after being down 24-0.
The Redskins will probably lose this one since it is at Philadelphia. But I wouldn't discount the possibility of Desean Jackson getting his revenge in front of a Philly crowd.
Week 4 - New York Giants
Washington lost the last meeting due to the wrong end of a controversy. The Redskins also managed to give up a 14-0 lead. And Pierre Garcon fumbled on the last play sealing the Redskins fate.
Eli Manning also had his QB woes last season where he only completed 57.5% of his passes, had 18 touchdowns to 27 interceptions and also coughed up 7 fumbles. A lot of hits can be attributed to his offensive line, lack of a running game, and even his receivers like Hakeem Nicks, who is now on the St. Louis Rams had an injury riddled season.
This affair is a Thursday night game. Last season, home and away teams each had 7 wins among the 14 Thursday games. Then again, who knows this could happen even if the Redskins manage to outplay the Giants
I will take the Redskins but not by much.
Week 5- Seattle
Washington's first matchup against the Seahawks since their postseason matchup back in 2012. How the fortunes have changed for the two teams. At one point, Washington was beating Seattle 14-0. Then after Seattle found its groove and Seattle finished off a Super Bowl run the following season.
For now we can look forward to Richard Sherman and Trent Williams reunion.
At least Washington isn't playing Seattle on the road where they are nearly unbeatable with their 12th man crowd. Still, it wasn't that much easier to beat Seattle. Washington failed to do so in 2012 and Seattle also locked in a 6-2 record on the road with their only losses being to the 49ers by 2 points and to the Colts by 6 points. Both comebacks came in the final drive by Colin Kaepernick and Andrew Luck. Meaning a lot of things have to go right for the Redskins, their defense has to keep the Redskins in the game, RG3 has to limit mistakes, and then the Redskins could come up on top if RG3 is clutch.
Seattle is favored as the Super Bowl Champs and should be unless they are diagnosed with a super bowl hangover. Although the Redskins come into this game with a bye so it could potentially be a close game.
Week 7 - @ Arizona
The Arizona Cardinal are certainly a playoff caliber team. If they were in the NFC East, they may be the division favorite. The problem is that their division includes two of the NFC powerhouses and two of the potential super bowl contenders with the Seahawks and the 49ers.
I will take the Cardinals. Their defense is tough and stingy.
Week 8- Tennessee Titans
The Titans are coached by Whisenhunt who lead the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin. The Titans could be a work in progress with a young Jake Locker and the Titans also took Zach Mettenberg in the 6th round. The Titans offense could be slightly better but the Redskins are at home and have a good chance at a victory here.
Week 8 - @Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are $800 million more valuable than the Washington Redskins according to Forbes. Whether that plays out as much on the field is another question. Romo had a very solid season lat year that was cut short due to an injury and the Cowboys were left feeling swindled without an opportunity to play the Eagles for the division in their season finale.
The Dallas Cowboys had a less than stellar offseason according to the experts. Still given what they have this is a tough matchup for the Redskins since Dez Bryant and Jason Witten are big time targets that have given the Redskins problems. It will be up to Redskins offense to have a big game but it may be too much to do it on the road.
Week 9 - @Minnesota Vikings
This could be another game where crowd noise is a factor. The Redskins will face a medicore quarterback in Cassell (if he manages to keep his starting job) but will go against one of the top rushers in Adrian Peterson. I expect the Redskins offense to suffer here given their preseason struggles.
The last time these two teams met, the Redskins were actually winning 27 to 14. Then the Redskins proceeded to give up 20 points in the 2nd half to lose the game 34-27. This will be a big test to see if Griffin has made progress but for now I predict this one as a loss.
Week 10 - Tampa Bay
A home game against one of the worst offensive teams from last season. Josh McNown who played well with the Bears, will try to prove himself as a solid quarterback with Tampa Bay whose Bears' offense scored 41 points against the Redskins once Cutler went down with a knee injury. The Redskins surprisingly won that game 45-41.
The Bucaneers also add former Bears head coach Lovie Smith who helped lead Chicago to a Super Bowl back in 2007. It will be interesting to see if Smith can revamp the Bucaneers defense.
I have the Redskins winning this one against the Bucs but it will be interesting to re-evaluate this one and see how much progress Tampa Bay makes with their new coaching staff.
Week 11 - @ San Francisco
San Francisco may be struggling so far this preseason but they have had the Redskins number as the Redskins lost 27 to 6 last time around. Expect the Redskins to struggle.
Week 12 - @ Indianapolis Colts
This will feature a battle of the #1 vs #2 pick; Luck and Griffin's first meeting in the NFL. Expect ESPN to talk about this game a little... OK a lot!
This could be a close game but I'm not sure I expect the Redskins to stop Luck from completing a fourth quarter comeback. I expect the Colts to win this game
Week 14- St. Louis
The Redskins come off a bye and play the Rams who have already lost Sam Bradford to a season ending injury. The Rams do play the Redskins tough but this is a game that the Redskins should win.
Week 15- @New York Giants
Again the Redskins play the Giants. I'll go with the Giants and their homefield advantage
Week 16 - Philadelphia
And for this game, I think Washington wins at home.
Week 17 - Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys have lost their last 3 Week 17 games to the eventual division winners. While I don't expect the Redskins to necessarily be in contention for a division win at this point, my gut tells me to bet against Tony Romo here.
Final prediction- Washington goes 8-8.
Week 1 - @Houston Texans
Griffin enthusiastically accepts coaching from Kyle Shanahan
(via @cbssports)
The Washington Redskins open the season against the only team that picked higher than Washington's second overall pick that went to the Rams. The Texans add Jadeon Clowney with the #1 overall pick which should improve their pass rush with JJ Watt. The Texans say goodbye to Matt Schaub but don't get much of an upgrade, if any, with Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Washington and Houston are in similar boats in that they are shifting away from a Shanahan style offense. Gary Kubiak was an assistant under Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan was an offensive coordinator under Kubiak. The Redskins in the meantime hired Jay Gruden, best known as being the brother as Jon Gruden, while the Texans snagged Bill O'Brian from the college ranks.
This is a tough prediction not only because of the new coaching staffs but also the guys returning from injury riddled seasons on both sides. RG3 sat out the best couple of games of the regular season, while Andre Johnson and Arian Foster missed much of the 2013 regular season with their own injuries.
I predict that the Redskins will win this game. I don't really fear Fitzpatrick although Deandre Hopkins and Andre Johnson could test the Redskins secondary which was bad much of the year. Of course, things could get out of hand for Washington if they commit turnovers which is entirely possible since Griffin is struggling to learn the offense.
Week 2 - Jacksonville Jaguars
Things have been so bad in Jacksonville that they
were actually praying for Tebow
(via http://gamedayr.com/)
Washington should win this game since it is at home.
Week 3 - @Philadelphia
Expect to see Jackson's Gameday face for this one
Desean Jackson should be motivated to perform in this one as he faces his former team. Last time the Reskins played the Eagles close and only giving up 24 points. It was their offense that failed them which only managed to score its 16 points after being down 24-0.
The Redskins will probably lose this one since it is at Philadelphia. But I wouldn't discount the possibility of Desean Jackson getting his revenge in front of a Philly crowd.
Week 4 - New York Giants
Washington lost the last meeting due to the wrong end of a controversy. The Redskins also managed to give up a 14-0 lead. And Pierre Garcon fumbled on the last play sealing the Redskins fate.
Eli Manning also had his QB woes last season where he only completed 57.5% of his passes, had 18 touchdowns to 27 interceptions and also coughed up 7 fumbles. A lot of hits can be attributed to his offensive line, lack of a running game, and even his receivers like Hakeem Nicks, who is now on the St. Louis Rams had an injury riddled season.
This affair is a Thursday night game. Last season, home and away teams each had 7 wins among the 14 Thursday games. Then again, who knows this could happen even if the Redskins manage to outplay the Giants
I will take the Redskins but not by much.
Week 5- Seattle
The Wilson vs RG3 rivalry has been rather one sided
(via Seahawks.com)
Washington's first matchup against the Seahawks since their postseason matchup back in 2012. How the fortunes have changed for the two teams. At one point, Washington was beating Seattle 14-0. Then after Seattle found its groove and Seattle finished off a Super Bowl run the following season.
For now we can look forward to Richard Sherman and Trent Williams reunion.
At least Washington isn't playing Seattle on the road where they are nearly unbeatable with their 12th man crowd. Still, it wasn't that much easier to beat Seattle. Washington failed to do so in 2012 and Seattle also locked in a 6-2 record on the road with their only losses being to the 49ers by 2 points and to the Colts by 6 points. Both comebacks came in the final drive by Colin Kaepernick and Andrew Luck. Meaning a lot of things have to go right for the Redskins, their defense has to keep the Redskins in the game, RG3 has to limit mistakes, and then the Redskins could come up on top if RG3 is clutch.
Seattle is favored as the Super Bowl Champs and should be unless they are diagnosed with a super bowl hangover. Although the Redskins come into this game with a bye so it could potentially be a close game.
Week 7 - @ Arizona
Larry Fitzgerald vs Deangelo Hall will be a key matchup (via SFGate)
I will take the Cardinals. Their defense is tough and stingy.
Week 8- Tennessee Titans
The Titans are coached by Whisenhunt who lead the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin. The Titans could be a work in progress with a young Jake Locker and the Titans also took Zach Mettenberg in the 6th round. The Titans offense could be slightly better but the Redskins are at home and have a good chance at a victory here.
Week 8 - @Dallas Cowboys
Griffin and Romo will meet again (via Washington Post)
The Dallas Cowboys are $800 million more valuable than the Washington Redskins according to Forbes. Whether that plays out as much on the field is another question. Romo had a very solid season lat year that was cut short due to an injury and the Cowboys were left feeling swindled without an opportunity to play the Eagles for the division in their season finale.
The Dallas Cowboys had a less than stellar offseason according to the experts. Still given what they have this is a tough matchup for the Redskins since Dez Bryant and Jason Witten are big time targets that have given the Redskins problems. It will be up to Redskins offense to have a big game but it may be too much to do it on the road.
Week 9 - @Minnesota Vikings
Washington couldn't slow down Adrian Peterson last time (via AP)
This could be another game where crowd noise is a factor. The Redskins will face a medicore quarterback in Cassell (if he manages to keep his starting job) but will go against one of the top rushers in Adrian Peterson. I expect the Redskins offense to suffer here given their preseason struggles.
The last time these two teams met, the Redskins were actually winning 27 to 14. Then the Redskins proceeded to give up 20 points in the 2nd half to lose the game 34-27. This will be a big test to see if Griffin has made progress but for now I predict this one as a loss.
Week 10 - Tampa Bay
Josh McNown torched the Redskins last time
when he was on the Bears
A home game against one of the worst offensive teams from last season. Josh McNown who played well with the Bears, will try to prove himself as a solid quarterback with Tampa Bay whose Bears' offense scored 41 points against the Redskins once Cutler went down with a knee injury. The Redskins surprisingly won that game 45-41.
The Bucaneers also add former Bears head coach Lovie Smith who helped lead Chicago to a Super Bowl back in 2007. It will be interesting to see if Smith can revamp the Bucaneers defense.
I have the Redskins winning this one against the Bucs but it will be interesting to re-evaluate this one and see how much progress Tampa Bay makes with their new coaching staff.
Week 11 - @ San Francisco
We won't see an awkward handshake between
Mike Shanahan and Jim Harbaugh
San Francisco may be struggling so far this preseason but they have had the Redskins number as the Redskins lost 27 to 6 last time around. Expect the Redskins to struggle.
Week 12 - @ Indianapolis Colts
Griffin and Luck will meet for the first time in a
NFL regular season game that matters via @WJLA
This will feature a battle of the #1 vs #2 pick; Luck and Griffin's first meeting in the NFL. Expect ESPN to talk about this game a little... OK a lot!
This could be a close game but I'm not sure I expect the Redskins to stop Luck from completing a fourth quarter comeback. I expect the Colts to win this game
Week 14- St. Louis
Bradford injured again (via Comcast Sportsnet)
Week 15- @New York Giants
Eli returns (via NYDailyNews)
Again the Redskins play the Giants. I'll go with the Giants and their homefield advantage
Week 16 - Philadelphia
Morris celebrates after rushing for a 40 yard Touchdown against
the Eagles last season (via Fansided)
And for this game, I think Washington wins at home.
Week 17 - Dallas
Kevin Durant believes the Redskins can beat Dallas
Final prediction- Washington goes 8-8.
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