2013 Washington Redskins Regular Season Prediction

 

2013 Washington Redskins Regular Season Prediction

Everyone does this, including myself, every year for every team, and this year is no exception.  I am going to look through the Redskins' regular season, and come up with a small preview of the game, and the end result.  I will preface this by saying that I am going into this assuming that Robert Griffin III will be healthy the whole season, and will start week 1.  I have more faith in this year's team than in years past, and my optimism is not only shared by many other Redskins fans, but I think it is justified by what the team was able to do last year.  So I am predicting the Redskins will finish the year with a record of 11-5 and win the NFC East once again.  Even if RGIII can't start the season, and needs a couple of more weeks to get ready, I don't think there will be much difference between him playing and Kirk Cousins playing the first two games.  So with that said, let us jump right in and see how I came up with 11-5...

Week 1 - Eagles (Home) Monday Night game

Opening against this year's Eagles team can be a good thing or a bad thing, because of the unknown factor.  Much the same way the Redskins shocked the Saints, and the rest of the NFL, last year with their read-option offense, the Eagles will be implementing a college style, fast paced, heavy run offense.  That means that unlike the Eagles of the past, this year they will be rushing the ball a whole lot more, and with McCoy in the backfield, that can be trouble.  If the Redskins Defense can stop the run, and keep up with the pace of the Eagles, they should be able to shutdown their Offense.  On the other side of the ball, the Eagles still have a major mess on their hands with their Defense, specially their secondary.  If the Redskins can establish the run with both RGIII and Morris, they should be able to score with ease.  Redskins WIN

 

Week 2 - Packers (Away)

Although the Packers have lost a number of key players, on both sides of the ball, they have been able to replace them with younger talent.  The question is if the new additions can get up to speed quickly enough to contribute to the team.  Oh, and they still have Aaron Rogers slinging the ball around, so that is always a plus.  The Redskins Defense will have their hands full in stopping Rogers and his new weapons, which I think will be a bit too much.  Besides, the game is played at Green Bay, which seems to always give the Redskins some trouble.  Redskins LOSE

Week 3 - Lions (Home)

This game has the potential to be a shootout.  I don't think the Redskins young secondary will be able to keep up with Calvin Johnson, especially since few DB's are able to do so in the whole league.  The Lions also have a very good Defensive line, lead by Ndamukong Suh, which can cause problems for the read-option, because of their great athletic abilities.  Having said that, I do believe the Redskins can score on the Lions, and might be able to get to Matt Stafford a couple of times to disrupt their Offense.  That should be just enough to give the Redskins the win, although it may come down to who has the ball at the end.  Redskins WIN

Week 4 - Raiders (Away)

Much like the Redskins before Mike Shanahan, the Raiders are trying to come back from 10+ years of bad management and horrible decisions.  They have a couple of years more work ahead of them, as they are still a mess.  The Redskins should not have too much trouble with the Raiders.  Redskins WIN

Week 5 - Bye

I think the bye this year is too early, and can cause problems towards the end, with injuries and players being tired.  I just hope that is not the case.
 

Week 6 - Cowboys (Away) Sunday Night game

Much like the majority of the games between the Redskins and the Cowboys, no matter who wins the game, this one will be a close one, separated by a TD or less.  The Cowboys have a new Defensive coach, and they are also implementing a new Defensive system.  Some think that they do not have the right players for their new system, I being one of them.  I expect them to be out of position in a lot of situations early in the season, and this game is early enough for them not to have worked out most of the kinks.  Tony Romo is starting the first year of his new contract, so he doesn't have much to prove, despite what Jerry Jones said.  The problem for the Redskins is Dez Bryant.  If the Redskins can contain him, they should be able to stop the Cowboys' attempt at a running game, and should be able to force Romo in making bad decisions in the 4th quarter, leading to a Redskins win.  Redskins WIN

Week 7 - Bears (Home)

I would normally say this is a loss for the Redskins, but this is not the Bears of the past.  They have a new head coach, who is coming from the Canadian Football League.  But by this time in the season, he should have learned and adapted enough to be able to coach the team successfully.  Their Defensive unit is still pretty solid, with Julius Peppers being a agile lineman, but they still have Jay Cutler at the helm.  Based on past meetings, Jay seems to like to throw a lot of INT's when going against the Redskins, like he did a few years ago by giving DeAngello Hall 4 INT's and helping him tie the NFL record for most picks in a game.  I for one am not too worried about the Bears Offense, and their Defense will have its first look at RGIII and Morris, so they most likely will not be ready for it.  Redskins WIN

Week 8 - Broncos (Away)

If I am correct, the Redskins have been able to put a nice winning stretch together, which used to be a rare thing in DC up until last year.  Having said that, I think that streak will come to an end this week, as Mike Shanahan goes back to Denver for the first time since being fired.  This also is the first time that RGIII and Peyton Manning go against each other, which I'm sure will be featured over and over leading up to, and during the game.  Both Defenses have their work cut out for them, but the Redskins task is a bit more difficult.  Peyton Manning is one of the best QB's in the game, and probably one of the elite QB's ever.  Also, this game is being played in Denver, which always seems to have a negative effect on opposing teams.  This should be a good and high scoring game, but the Redskins will come up short. Redskins LOSE

Week 9 - Chargers (Home)

The Chargers are in rebuild mode this year, having a new front office and a new head coach.  But they still have a very good QB who can throw the ball around, in Phillip Rivers, and he has some pretty good targets to throw to.  Their Defense is good, but I don't think it is good enough to stop the read-option the way the Redskins run it.  This is yet another good game, which the Redskins are going to be able to pull through.  Redskins WIN

Week 10 - Vikings (Away) Thursday Night game

The Vikings Offense has been and continues to be Adrian Peterson.  You stop Peterson, you stop the Vikings, period.  Christian Ponder is accurate, but for passes under 20 years.  He had the least amount of 20+ yard passes in all of NFL last year.  Not much of that is going to change this year, especially with the Vikings trading away Percy Harvin.  They do have a lot of rookie players they drafted, but most won't make a big change for another year or two.  They also have redone most of the secondary, which can be problematic when facing RGIII and his arm.  The Vikings Defensive front is pretty good, but having to worry about the read-option will limit the amount of pressure they can put on RGIII, which will give him the time to pick apart the secondary.  Redskins WIN

Week 11 - Eagles (Away)

By this time, either the Eagles have given up and started changing their Offensive style, or the rest of the league has adapted to it enough to not be worried about it.  Regardless, the Eagles Offense will not have much success this late in the season, and their Defense, although having had time to play and mesh a bit, will still have major hurdles to get over.  Redskins WIN

Week 12 - 49ers (Home) Monday Night game

The Redskins and 49ers are very close in comparison, and it will be a very good test to see just how good the Redskins can be as a franchise.  The Redskins have a better QB, therefore a better read-option game plan and execution, but the 49ers have a much better Defense and a better receiving crew, especially with the addition of Boldin.  This is going to be a fun game to watch, and it will come down to which Defensive unit can stay disciplined and stop the read-option.  I think the 49ers have too many weapons on Offense, and a very solid Offensive line, giving Gore and Kaepernick plenty of room to run and pass, and their Defense will give the Redskins a lot of headaches.  Redskins LOSE

Week 13 - Giants (Home) Sunday Night game

The Giants are the only team in the NFC East that can compete with the Redskins.  As much as I don't think Eli Manning is a good QB, he does have very good receivers that make him look much better than he is.  The problem for the Redskins will be keeping Victor Cruz in check, as he seems to have a knack for finding open spots against the Redskins in clutch situations, and he is a very fast receiver.  The Giants will try and establish their running game, to allow Manning and the WR's to get open.  If the Redskins can stop the run, they should be able to keep the Giants in check, but it will be a very difficult task.  On the other side of the ball, I don't see the Giants being able to stop the Redskins running game, even without relying heavily on the read-option.  This is yet another close game, that may come down to the last possession, especially if the Giants have the ball at the end.  I am going to give the home field advantage to the Redskins on this one. Redskins WIN


Week 14 - Chiefs (Home)

The Redskins will be going against a very familiar this week, in Andy Reid, whose team had been a thorn for the Redskins for years, up until the new RGIII era.  Reid knows full well what the Redskins are capable of, and is going to be ready.  The question is will his newly acquired QB, Alex Smith, be able to pass the ball around in Reid's pass happy style of Offense.  I think it will take another year or so for Reid to be able to get the type of players that fit his style, so the Redskins should be able to stop the Chiefs.  Redskins WIN

Week 15 - Falcons (Away)

A re-match of last year's game, and a possible preview of a playoff match, this is going to be a fun game.  Matt Ryan has two of the best WR's in the game, with Julio Jones and Roddy White.  They will be giving the Redskins nightmares, as the rookie DB's will probably see a lot of action in this game, trying to keep up and cover the Falcons' WR's.  Even though the Falcons added Osi Umenyiora to their roster, their Defense is not that great.  This is going to be a high scoring game, and there will be a lot of deep bombs from both sides.  I think the Falcons will pretty much be able to score at will, unless the Redskins can force Matt Ryan into making a mistake by getting Orakpo and Kerrigan to put a lot of pressure on him.  If the Redskins are going to win this game, they will most likely have to score in the mid to upper 30's.  Even then it might not be enough. Redskins LOSE

 

Week 16 - Cowboys (Home)

Playing the Cowboys in December is very much like a nicely wrapped Christmas present for the Redskins from the scheduling gods.  Romo, and the entire Cowboys team, have been very bad in December for many years, and I don't see anything changing this year.  The Redskins are going to be able to put pressure on Romo and force him to make a mistake, and then capitalize from that mistake.  The only chance the Cowboys have is if they have benched Romo by this time, which I highly doubt, especially after making him one of the highest paid QB's in the league.  Redskins WIN

Week 17 - Giants (Away)

By this point the Redskins should have the NFC East wrapped up, and the Giants be fighting for a playoff berth.  Although the Redskins would like to win and have a better record going into the playoffs, the Giants will be desperate, both for a playoff spot this year, and for building upon for next year.  The Redskins are not just going to give up the game and rest their players, but they won't have the determination that the Giants will, playing in front of their home crowd, for the last game of the season at home, and a possible playoff spot on the line.  The Redskins and Giants will split this year, once again.  Redskins LOSE