4. Vs. Washington Redskins (week 9)
The Washington Redskins are about as tough as a team to get a good read on. On one hand, Jay Gruden can keep a ship afloat, and they made some impressive additions in the off-season; on the other, we don’t quite know who will be the quarterback. That alone drops the capitol’s team into this list — as uncertainty at the most crucial position on the field tends to do.
Currently, Case Keenum and rookie Dwayne Haskins are competing to start at quarterback. However, Haskins appears to be winning the job and could cement his starting job by the time pre-season rolls around. For the sake of this article, let’s role with Haskins. In the Ohio State product, Washington is getting a cerebral quarterback comparable to the likes of Ben Roethlisberger.
But don’t expect Haskins to take the NFL by storm like Roethlisberger did as a youngster; they are, by all means, in entirely different scenarios. Where Big Ben had an elite defense around him and Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress, and Jerome Bettis to rely upon, Haskins doesn’t. The rook has a rebuilt defense and a bevy of unproven skill position players at his disposal.
Though the Redskins signed Pro-Bowl safety Landon Collins in the off-season, their defense — that fell around league average last year — isn’t elite; it’s about above average on paper. The real concerns lie within their offense. Leading with a rookie quarterback (or Keenum) rarely leads to a good record, and that holds especially true when his main pass-catchers are Josh Doctson, Paul Richardson, a rookie Terry McLaurin, and regressing tight ends Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis.
The Redskins may rely on the run, as a group of Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, Bryce Love, and Chris Thompson is promising. But it’s, in general, tough to project a winning team out of one led by a rookie quarterback, a head coach with a below .500 record, a patchwork receiving corps, and an offensive line that may be losing their best piece (Trent Williams). Not to mention the curse that sits on their franchise, as injuries have been a yearly catalyst to disappointment.