It sure is good to be in DC...
Normally coming off a 3-13 season, one would not expect your team to be under the bright lights of a prime time game once...let alone 4 times. Ah, but thanks to the wonder that is mass media markets, your Washington Redskins in fact get those 4 (inflexible I might add) national TV slots: 2 Mondays, a Thursday, and a Saturday. Who knows, if we get on a roll we could even add in a Sunday Night or two...but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Haters gonna hate, but a quick glance at the schedule is somewhat favorable for the Skins. However, don't read anything into this "strength of schedule" nonsense. With the exception of 2 games (Tampa and Minny), the rest of the NFC (L)East faces the exact same slate of foes. Nevertheless, I know that the Redskins are better than 3-13. Most of the country knows we are better than 3-13, and I am certain that if the schedule gurus thought we were going to be 3-13, even in DC, we would not have earned 4 national TV games.
RGIII is finally healthy (we think). He has weapons like he has never had before (DeSean Jackson and Andre Roberts to go along with Garcon, Reed, and Alfred). Combine that with a coach that actually able to make Andy Dalton a fantasy-caliber quarterback, we are primed for an offensive breakthrough season. Injuries non-withstanding, if this offense is able to produce at the clip we all think they are capable of, they could set records Joe Thiesmann's '83 team could only dream about, and that is NOT just your ordinary preseason homerism.
Defense, yet again, is going to be the challenge. We can't get into slugfests with teams, and expect to win 10+ games 40-30 or something like that. However, that might be the path to success. The pass rush is improved with Jason Hatcher flanking Barry Cofield, which should allow the OLBs (Kerrigan and Orakpo) to get into the backfield more. However, that really is where the strength of our defense ends. As much as I love the Ryan Clark signing (and I really do), we have no playmaking talent in the back end, and with London Fletcher retiring, who is going to call the sets from the MLB position? Who? Perry Riley? I don't think so. Our secondary is going to look like the raw, dazed, and confused bunch that they are. DeAngelo Hall is OK, but he's old and can get under people's skin. Bacarri Rambo is unproven. Brandon Merriweather is just the guy that stomped on somebody with his cleat back in college. Nobody back there is really intimidating (is Darrell Green a free agent?), so I would expect good QB's to pick them apart the same way they did last year, but let's take a look at the game-by-game.
Week 1: @ Houston Texans and Week 2: Jacksonville Jaguars
I guess you can say the gurus did us a favor opening the season with these first two, the only drawback like I said is that the rest of the division also plays Houston and Jacksonville. So honestly, not only are wins in these two games expected, they don't really mean much. Wins here are merely "holding serve" as it were as I would fully expect Dallas, Philly, and the Giants to romp over both of these chumps. So there's 2 wins right there, and now we can look at a 14-game schedule to sort it out. Now of course, this assumes we actually succeed in holding serve. Philly starts with Jacksonville and Indy; Dallas has San Fran and Tennessee, and the Giants have the Lions and Cardinals. So if these hold to form, I would expect the Redskins to be 2-0 out the gate, and the field all at 1-1 (Giants possibly 0-2, but I think they should at least beat Detroit). What that means for us is we have the early division lead, and you always want to be playing from ahead. Now have I been wrong before? Absolutely. And don't think for one second that Houston and Jax are not looking at the Redskins game with the same rose-colored lenses as I am. We are THEIR opportunity at an early season win (hello 3-13!), but we have RGIII. They have...um...um.......who exactly?
Week 3: @ Philadelphia Eagles
Welp, let's get it out of the way now. DeSean Jackson returns to Philly (I can't wait to see what the boo-birds have in store for him!). Aside from the theatrics that assuredly will be associated with this game, it is an important game as far as the division goes (of course they all are). It's the first division game for everyone. If everyone does what I would expect them to do in the first 2 weeks, the winner of this game will steal the inside track to the division title. The Giants have Houston so if they don't have a win by now, they probably will. Dallas is at New Orleans this week...so that's a loss for them. Yes, D-Jax will have some extra motivation for this one, but if he's more worried about just sticking it to Philly Phaithful instead of winning the game, he could be the reason we lose it. It's important for the team to help him and everyone else keep their emotions in check because if we come out of this one at 3-0 (for the first time since 2005) in a very weak division, Yo Adrian!
Week 4: New York Giants (Thursday)
No rest for the weary as we follow up the Philly mess with a short week tussle with the GGGGggg-Meeeeeen. This is the classic trap game. The Giants stink. Yes I'm giving the Giants absolutely no respect. Nobody's giving the Redskins any so why should I give it to anybody else? If everything holds to form, we should be coming out of here at 4-0 (3-1 at worse) with an 11-day mini-bye as a reward. This is the classic trap game because we NEVER play well as favorites, and I would anticipate us being the favorite in this one, win or lose in Philly. The Giants for some reason always up it a notch when they play the Redskins. Combine that with the short week, and I would not be surprised not only to see us lose this one, but lose it big, reigniting the whole NFC (L)east discussion. But, on paper, which is all we have to go by in April, this ought to be a win. 4-0 for this first time since 1991...what happened in 1991? Hmmmmmmmm.....
Week 5: Seattle Seahawks (Monday)
I guess it's a legit Monday nighter when the defending champs come to town. Seattle may have been responsible for our last 3 playoff exits, but in the regular season we have actually played them quite well, and we have a tendency to play up to our level of competition (as well as down) so I would expect this to be one of those closer-than-the-experts-think type games. I'm not thinking we are going to win, but Russell Wilson-RGIII Part II should make for some entertaining television. Alas, no matter what I think our record was coming into this game, our quest for the 16-0 season comes to an end in this one, but hopefully we walk off the field giving the champs a decent run for their money, re-establishing the NFC (L)east as the NFC (B)east.
Week 6: @ Arizona Cardinals
Oh how I long for the days of when the Cardinals were a guaranteed two wins on the NFC East slate, or when the NFC West was sending 7-9 teams to the playoffs. Don't be fooled by the Cards not making the playoffs last year, they just were the third wheel in probably the most stacked division in the league. Put them in any other division and they might very well have romped through it. Unfortunately for them, they play Seattle and San Fran twice. Not our concern, however, but we do have to slug through a West Coast roadie to take them on. I think we could beat them, but going west on a short week (the game prior was Monday night) against a team with Larry Fitzgerald with a suspect secondary? I'm going to chalk this one up as an L, but maybe they'll feel nostalgic this day and pound them like we did all through the 90s. One can hope.
Week 7: Tennessee Titans
If everything I have predicted comes to pass (as you know it will), I would feel sorry for the Flaming Thumbtacks (courtesy of TMQ) in this one. We will have just lost back to back games against playoff contenders, so we'll be angry. We will have a full week to prepare for a team that really is not all that good. Now that Chris Johnson is...well maybe that was addition by subtraction, but you can never really tell these days. Either way, if we are in fact on a losing streak coming into this one, it is going to end. Mike Munchak, meet RGIII. Have a safe flight home. 5-2.
Week 8: @ Dallas Cowboys (Monday)
Dallas week round 1 comes later this year than it has in the last couple, and despite both squads' recent fair to middlin' results, once again they give the Skins and the 'Boys a national Monday night stage. Dallas will finish 8-8 as they usually do, and I will even go so far to say that they will be on a hot streak coming into this one. Jerry is still reeling from us beating them in his pig pen on Thanksgiving two years ago, so I have a sneaky suspicion he's going to give Garrett, Romo, et al a little *extra* motivation to win this one on Monday night. However, we get a nice consolation prize as Jason Hatcher sacks Romo 5 times in the forgotten NFC East reunion story of 2014. I always want sweeping Dallas to be a sweet surprise, so I will put this one in the L column for now. That brings us to 5-3 at the turn, 0-2 on Monday night. Aren't you glad you keep giving us national TV?
Week 9: @ Minnesota Vikings
Having just come off a loss in the division, RGIII reignites some of the magic that helped us beat these guys in 2012 (RGIII-ELECTRIFYING!). Yes, AP is in the backfield, but it's our pass defense is the problem, remember? They should get a good practice regardless of whether it is Manziel, Bridgewater, or anybody else under center. This one should be no problem, but even if it were, remember this game is being played in a college stadium! That fact alone should disqualify the Vikings from winning any games at home for the next 2 years until they get their new digs. It's going to be a long season in the land of 10,000 lakes. 6-3.
Week 10: BYE
We catch the bye late this year. Good time to catch up on some light reading.
Week 11: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We can take advantage of the other 4th place schedule prize in this one as Bucs' nation jumped on the DeSean Jackson bandwagon from the moment the Eagles cut him. What does it say about them that he didn't even give the Bucs a second look? Maybe it's because they don't play the Eagles this year. Yeah, that's got to be it. Maybe this one will have some intrigue if the Bucs take Johnny Manziel, otherwise this one should be a yawner in favor of the good guys. Sorry JP and Dewey. Wanna go to the game?!
Week 12: @ San Francisco 49ers
Kaepernick/RGIII Round 1 went decidedly to Kaep last year. With RGIII at 100% (supposedly), and the Niners coming off of back to back East coast trips (even though the last one was against the Giants), I think we are in prime position to steal one here. On paper, and we know paper is always right, this is a very even matchup. Should be a good game, and it could be a flex possibility if both teams are in the position we think they should be at this point in the season. I really think we can win this one. Kaepernick regressed somewhat in 2013, just like RGIII did, and I don't think their defense is as intimidating as it once was. Let's give this to the good guys. I'll say 24-23 Skins on a last second FG. Can't finish worse than .500!
Week 13: @ Indianapolis Colts
The gurus must have thought it cute when they got to schedule games featuring RGIII against all the other standout QBs from the 2012 draft. Andrew Luck may not be fantasy gold, but he has proven himself to be a good game manager, and he makes the big throws when he needs to. Having a healthy Reggie Wayne back will only help. RGIII, so long as he knee is still in one piece, ought to match him point for point, but I think this is where our secondary has that systematic breakdown we have all been waiting for all season. Mr. Kent I am sure will remind me of this one for years to come. Enjoy your victory lap. The Colts win the south at 9-7 and go one and done in the playoffs. Don't worry though, there's always the Broncos, and the Giants, and any other bandwagon you like.
Week 14: St. Louis Rams
The Rams always...and I mean ALWAYS give us fits. They may be the forgotten team in the loaded NFC West, but even when we beat them it's always 9-7 or 13-10 or something stupid. I'm curious to see what they do with the #2 pick in the draft this year. After all, that pick was ours that we sent on over them to get RGIII. Fortunately, that is the last price we have to pay. Who knows, maybe they end up with Jadaveon Clowney and he ends up terrorizing the entire league. The Rams win 11 games and come out of nowhere to steal the division right out of the other guys' noses. Now let's come back to reality and remember who the drafted with the RGIII pick last year: oh wait a sec they traded it again. Let's not jump to conclusions. Skins win this.
Week 15: @ New York Giants
Here it is. Once again our schedule is severely back-loaded with division games coming down the stretch. My hope is that by this point the Giants are playing out the string and it should not be too tough of a contest, even in the Meadowlands. However, even at 9-4, we have a golden opportunity to blow it all over ourselves. I have a feeling that no matter what happens at this point, at least 3 teams in the division will be in contention for the division title coming into Week 15. We could either crumble a la 2013, or rise to the occasion a la 2005, when not only did we win all 3 games against the division to close the season, but we romped in all of them by double digits to clinch a playoff berth. My hope is that we rise to the occasion, starting here. 10-4.
Week 16: Philadelphia Eagles (Saturday)
D-Jax and the 'Iggs round 2: this one more than likely will be for the division title as Philly is good enough to win a few games this year that they really shouldn't. It would not surprise me if both these teams come into this game at 10-4, or within 1 game of each other in either direction. It would also not surprise me if are 2-12 coming into this...but let's not go down that road. The fact that it is on Saturday will make for another national TV audience...and we all know how we do in those games. I have no idea what is going to happen, but I hate the Eagles and want to see them lose with everything that I got. So not only do the Redskins win this game, but they win by 3 touchdowns. D-Jax gets his vengeance, and the Eagles get the Wild Card.
Week 17: Dallas Cowboys
Once again we close at home with the Cowboys. And I can already tell you that no matter what record we have, the Cowboys will enter this game at 8-7, maybe fighting for a Wild Card berth. Why is that? It is because I know we will beat them, so they finish 8-8...again. And they miss out on the playoffs...again. I also know that Jerry Jones will not fire Jason Garrett, or make any other major personnel moves. They are just THAT close. So guess what? In 2015, they are going to finish 8-8...again!
There you have it: SCIENTIFIC analysis of the Redskins season. We will finish 12-4 and win the NFC East over the Eagles, who will get a Wild Card.
Now, as I assuredly will receive hoots and hollars from haters and objectivists alike, did I put objective analysis into every game? No. Did I pick certain games solely with my heart instead of my head? Yes. Do I really have any idea what I am doing? No! As TMQ says, all predictions wrong or your money back. I assure you any Eagles, Giants, or Cowboys fan will have season predictions that are different than this. Heck, Cowboys fans might pick their team to go 9-7. Giants fans might even pick their team to win 5 games total! That's called being a homer, guys. That's called being a fan.
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