Redskins Weekly: Preparing for Playoffs

1- First we look back at an amazing night in Philadelphia. 

To close out a division title at Lincoln Financial Field in front of the 1000 or so Eagles fans who stayed to the end.  To end the Chip Kelly era in Philly and to shut up their fans now who went from Kelly being a genius to a disaster to genius to disaster in three years.  I don’t care how many people are going to say the NFC East is a bad division we are still champions and now move onto the playoffs.  The Eagles are a mess, the Giants are a mess and the Cowboys are a mess.  Something we have felt for years and as long as Scot McCloughan is left alone to do his job things should get even better.

As for the game the offense once again looked pretty solid.  For a team that struggles to run the ball the pass offense is easily moving the ball at times.  Kirk Cousins to Jordan Reed is becoming very potent and especially in the red zone.  This game had a McCloughan touch to it as you look at how Preston Smith played.  The guy did something we have asked for years for.  He got to the quarterback.  Even though the run game sucks the addition of Pierre Thomas late could be a gem down the stretch.  To make the playoffs in year one of McCloughan is a shock.  The thought was it would take a few years for him to get his players here.  Maybe it only took one.

2- As for the question of who do you want in the playoffs I really don’t care.  Just let it play out and whoever they get send them to FedEx Field. 

Obviously Seattle is the scariest of the opponents and I would like to see them least.  I don’t care much for the revenge thing and am concerned more with their playoff past.  But I think there is one thing we have going for us against Seattle.  The Seahawks cannot protect Russell Wilson.  Their offensive line has been awful at times and I am not calling the Skins the 1985 Bears.  But they have done a good job lately of eating up poor lines.  The Legend of Boom is a worry but they are not the same either.  Those fellas have been beat by good receivers this season.

As for Green Bay you really don’t want to face Aaron Rodgers but like the Hawks, the Packers offensive line is really bad at times.  And when they falter Rodgers can only do so much without Jordy Nelson.  Their run game isn’t as potent as either Seattle or Minnesota either.  And their defense can be had.  But again they have Rodgers and he could go off.  As for Minnesota it gives us the weakest QB of the three with the young Teddy Bridgewater.  I think the Vikings defense would get us in a grind out game that could come down to being able to stop Adrian Peterson when it matters.  So can they do that?

3- As for the season finale in Dallas it is really hard to determine a score when we don’t know how much the starters will go if any.  

Dallas is pretty depleted and this game could be ugly.  But remember Dallas could have sat guys last year but decided to pound us at FedEx.  So I think a few guys like Reed and Hall may take a rest but enough play to win this one 24-10.