Primary Photo Credit – Redskins Wire

After a big win in Week 1, it can be easy to get carried away with optimism. However, regardless of how good or bad the Cardinals are, here are the 4 REAL reasons to be optimistic for the season as a Redskins fan.

The funny thing about Sunday’s win against the Cardinals is that the Redskins were considered an underdog. However, after we win in DOMINATING fashion, the national media is quick to write off Arizona as a weak team. While I don’t disagree with that conclusion, it does show how low the national media is on the 2018 Redskins. Realistically, we won’t know until our Week 3 matchup with the Packers if the Redskins are a legitimate playoff contender (assuming Aaron Rodgers suits up).  While we are definitely not good enough to overlook a Colts team led by a healthy Andrew Luck, another victory in Week 2 will not change anyone’s mind.

On the other side of the fence is the faction of Redskins fans that are ready to declare the team as Super Bowl favorites after a strong outing in Week 1. While I’m nowhere near ready to jump off that cliff, there were some things from Sunday that represent REAL reasons for optimism this season.

As always, if you enjoy the content, follow us @TheBurgundyBD and like/share/comment to let me know what you think! Also, don’t forget to check out my live Breakdowns on Twitter during the game!

Reason #1 – Alex Smith Looked Calm and Collected

Photo Credit – Full Press Coverage

The previous Quarterback of this team showed some big flashes over the past 3 seasons, but he also seemed to lose his mind when the play broke down (not always, but more frequently than I was ever happy with). There were several instances on Sunday where Smith was under unexpected pressure, and he maintained his composure every time. Equally as important as his two Touchdowns, Smith did not commit any turnovers in Week 1 against a team that forced 16 turnovers in the preseason.

One play in particular stands out to me the most. Early in the 3^rd Quarter, Robert Nkemdiche burst through the line and nearly got a sack/safety. In a split second, Smith recognized the rush and threw the ball out underhanded in the direction of Josh Doctson. This play will never make it onto the highlight reel, but this very easily could have been 2 points and possession for Arizona. Plays like this are exactly what Jay Gruden is looking for from Smith. We don’t need him to be an All-Pro Quarterback. We just need him to distribute the ball without turning it over.

Reason # 2 – Jordan Reed and Chris Thompson Look 100%

Photo Credit – Washington Times/Redskins.com

Reed and Thompson combined for 176 yards from scrimmage and 2 Touchdowns Sunday. Honestly, that’s really all that needs to be said, but that’s not all there is to say. Setting the stats aside, Reed and Thompson both looked like they were completely healthy. There didn’t appear to be any limitations on their usage or their capability.

Reed got consistent separation throughout the game in one on one situations and he looked like an All-Pro on his Touchdown catch, twisting his body and reaching out over the goal line at the last second. That athletic ability is rare, and it is the difference between being up 21-0 at half and the clock running out. Tony Gonzalez said that Reed is the best route running Tight End in the league when healthy, and I agree completely.

As for Thompson, he looked exactly like the Chris Thompson we saw before his injury last season. He was equally as fast and equally as shifty. On his Touchdown catch, he ran a beautiful fake slant to out route that exemplified his agility and skillset. If Reed and Thompson are both healthy for the majority of the season, we have a lot to look forward to on the Offensive side of the ball.

Reason #3 – Defensive Line Strength

Photo Credit – NBC Washington

During and after the game, many fans (myself included) were down on the lack of sacks and pass rush. However, as various writers have published video breakdowns (Mark Bullock being my current favorite), we’ve seen that perception is not always reality.

In fact, the pass rush was very strong against the Cardinals. Allen, Payne, and Ioannidis all had moments where they made the Cardinals Offensive Line look like a college team. On several occasions, Bradford faced immediate pressure and was forced to get the ball out early. On his interception to Dunbar (who looked great by the way), the pressure from the front 4 forced Bradford to shuffle and pass earlier than he wanted which likely contributed to overthrowing his receiver.

Also, what cannot be overlooked is the job this front did against David Johnson. Regardless of how weak the Cardinals Offensive Line may be, David Johnson is still a top 3-5 Running Back in this league, and holding him to 37 yards rushing is impressive. It is even more impressive when you consider that the Redskins spent the majority of the night dropping 7 and only rushing 4 to eliminate passing lanes for Bradford. If the Redskins can rely on the Defensive Line to hold strong while still dropping 7 into coverage, we may see one of the best Defensive seasons from the Redskins is over a decade.

Reason #4 – Adrian Peterson Looked Strong and Agile

Photo Credit – Zimbio

I’ll keep this one short and sweet. Nobody knew what we had in Adrian Peterson. Even after a solid performance against the Broncos in the preseason, there were still some questions about how he would fare in an entire game. While we still need to see how long he can last this season, Sunday went a long way to instill confidence in the fan base.

There’s only one play you need to watch from Sunday to get the full effect of Peterson’s impact. On 1^st and 10 in the 1^st Quarter, from their own 37 yard line, Peterson took a handoff to the right and was immediate met by Patrick Peterson in the backfield. AP flashed with his legendary jump-cut to juke the Cardinals’ stud Cornerback, and then followed that up with running Patrick Peterson over on his way to a 13 yard run. Honestly, I could watch that replay 100 times and it would still impress me.

If Adrian Peterson stays healthy all season, I predict 1,300+ yards and 12 Touchdowns. You can @ me if you don’t agree, but we can’t discount that this was a Cardinals defense that was 6^th in the league in 2017 in Rush Yards Allowed.

Questions from Around the League

• How long can the Eagles hold up with Nick Foles playing less like last season and more like his days in St. Louis?
• How many games will it take for Jerry Jones to call out Dak’s play in the media?
• Can Aaron Rodgers play through his injury or are we staring at an injury plagued season similar to 2017?
• Do we really expect the Ravens to be strong with Joe Flacco at the helm, or are the Bills just THAT bad?
• Are the Rams on the verge of being the NFL’s next dynasty team?
• How much money/time is Le’veon Bell willing to waste before he shows up to play for the Steelers?
• Can Ryan Fitzpatrick play well enough to convince the Bucs to keep Winston on the bench when he returns from his suspension?
• Can Sam Darnold and Patrick Mahomes replicate their success from Week 1?

 

As always, thanks for reading. Follow us @TheBurgundyBD and check out our live Breakdowns on Twitter during the game!

 

Primary Photo Credit – Get More Sports

To kick off the season, the Redskins are traveling to Arizona to face the Cardinals on Sunday at 4:25pm EST. Here’s a complete Breakdown of everything I’ll be watching for this week, my score prediction for the game, and a few notes on what to watch for around the league.

After an entire offseason of hopes and dreams, followed by a few highs and some major lows during Training Camp and the Preseason, we have finally made it to the NFL Regular Season Week 1! Rejoice Redskins fans, there’s going to be meaningful football again on Sundays.

As of writing this article, the final 53-man roster (plus Practice Squad) is not 100% set. However, everyone who is going to play a role this week is, so let’s start looking forward!

To kick off the season, the Redskins are traveling to Arizona to face the Cardinals on Sunday at 4:25pm EST. Here’s a complete Breakdown of everything I’ll be watching for this week, my score prediction for the game, and a few notes on what to watch for around the league.

As always, if you enjoy the content, follow us @TheBurgundyBD and like/share/comment to let me know what you think! Also, don’t forget to check out our live Breakdowns on Twitter during the game!

Get a win. On the road. For Gruden.

This is one goal, but for three different reasons.

Get a win – It is absolutely imperative that the Redskins start off strong with wins against the Cardinals and the Colts, because these are seemingly the two easiest games on their schedule. While the Redskins overall schedule isn’t ranked very high in difficulty, it is heavily weighed down by these first two opponents. Weeks 3-17 for the Redskins represents the most difficult schedule in the NFL. Combine that with a week 4 bye week, and the Redskins will be in a deep hole early if they don’t win this week.

On the road – Our last playoff season was 2015. While we’re all hoping to recreate it this season, things must be different in 2018 to succeed. Often forgotten, the Redskins didn’t get a win on the road in 2015 until December 13^th.  The only reason we made the playoffs was because of a 6-2 record at home. Combine three tough matchups within the NFC East with home games against the Packers, Panthers, and Falcons, and you have a recipe for disaster if we need to depend entirely on our home schedule to make the playoffs.

For Gruden – This one probably gets the most coverage. Gruden is 0-4 in season openers as the Redskins head coach, and he’s been facing a lot of scrutiny for not playing the starters more during the preseason. Even if we do start slow on Offense, flying home with a win is imperative to keep the media critics at bay.

Photo Credit – CBS Sports

What I’m watching for on Offense

Passing Attack – I’m looking to see if Alex Smith can get into a rhythm early in the game with some quick reads and play action bootlegs. I want to see if he reverts back to checking the ball down too often, or if he takes any deep shots to Doctson or Richardson. I’m sure we’ll see at least one to keep the safeties honest, but how early in the game does Gruden dial up the long pass?

Also, I’m curious who will be the focus of the game plan.  Chris Thompson said this week that he isn’t having the same concerns he had during Training Camp regarding his leg. Does this mean he’ll get 5-6 plays designed for him in the passing game? What about Jordan Reed? Does Gruden trust Reed’s health enough to focus the game plan around his availability? And what about Crowder? Is he fully healthy and ready to be a major third down contributor from the slot?

Photo Credit – PennLive.com

Last, how do we stop Chandler Jones? He appears to line up primarily on the left side of the offense, so I’m not overly concerned here. Trent Williams is the best Left Tackle in the NFL. However, we could be at risk if the Cardinals move Chandler Jones around. If I was calling the plays, I would run the ball right at Jones a few times and let Trent push him around a little bit to set the tone. But that’s just me.

Photo Credit – WashingtonTimes.com

Rushing Attack – The only thing I’m really looking for from this game is to see how Gruden intends to spread the carries around. In spite of being a free agent for most of the offseason, Adrian Peterson is probably in the best physical shape of anyone in our backfield, so I don’t buy that he’ll need much relief during the game. If he is substituted for Perine or Kelley, it will be because of a conscious decision to limit his touches earlier in the season. However, expect some dirty looks from Peterson if he’s pulled out of the game for anyone other than Chris Thompson on third downs, because Peterson is going to be looking to prove something against his former team.

That being said, I’m also curious to see what types of looks Chris Thompson will get in the running game. Will he be strictly a third down back, or will they give him a larger portion of the Offense like they did last year?

Photo Credit – Zimbio

What I’m watching for on Defense

Pass Defense – The cardinals have a few talented young receivers, including the rookie from Texas A&M, Kirk. However, I’m only really concerned about stopping Larry Fitzgerald. In spite of his age, he is still clearly a top-flight receiver in this league, and I expect Sam Bradford to look for him on third downs and in clutch situations. Fitzgerald is very versatile, so he will likely line up against Norman, Dunbar, and Moreau at various points during the game. We won’t stop him entirely, but limiting him is key to limiting the Cardinals Offense.

Photo Credit – Getty Images

We also can’t forget about David Johnson. In 2016, Johnson caught 80 passes for the Cardinals. It is going to be imperative for our linebackers and corners to keep a close eye on him slipping out of the backfield. The last thing I want to see is our corners running man to man across the field, and Kerrigan realizing too late that Johnson is running out to the flat wide open on third and long. That would be a nightmare.

Photo Credit – Footballguys

Rush Defense – It isn’t exactly a secret that the Cardinals do not have a very strong Offensive Line. For that reason, I’m looking to see our Defensive Line dominate this week. They may not make the splash plays, but the Cardinals Offensive Line should rarely be able to climb to the Linebackers. For that reason, I’m looking for Zach Brown and Mason Foster to have a big day against David Johnson.

With Bradford being a timing quarterback, I don’t expect there to be much time for a pass rush to get home on most plays. Because of that, I’m looking for Kerrigan and Smith to make it their priority to set the edge and keep Johnson from bouncing a run to the outside. If we set the edge and the Defensive Line absorbs the blockers, Foster and Brown should be able to play instinctively throughout the game and keep the Cardinals rushing attack from gaining any momentum.

Photo Credit – @DCzWall

Predictions

• Adrian Peterson rushes for over 100 yards and 2 TDs against his former team to prove last year was less about him and more about how poor the blocking was
• Alex Smith throws for 250 yards with 1 TD and 0 Ints
• Jordan Reed only gets a few targets, but flashes after the catch
• Doctson gets 2 50/50 balls and comes down with 1
• J. Swearinger and Josh Norman both get an INT
• David Johnson is held to under 100 total yards
• Larry Fitzgerald has 7 catches and 1 TD, but is the only highlight player for the Cardinals
• Chandler Jones gets 1 sack, but is mostly held in check by Trent Williams
• Bradford throws for 250 yards with 1 TD and 2 Ints
• Redskins Win 27-17

Questions from Around the League

• Will Nick Foles continue to struggle for the Eagles?
• How does the Cowboys Offense look? Can Dak perform at a high level, and can Zeke find success behind a less-than-stellar Offensive Line?
• Do we need to worry about the Giants now that Odell is back?
• How will Aaron Rodgers handle a revamped Chicago Defense?
• Will we see MVP Cam or Crybaby Cam from the Panthers this year?
• Can Jon Gruden lead a resurgence of the Raiders?
• Will the LA Rams Defense play to the level of their payroll?
• Are the Browns legit or just a gimmick?
• How many games will it take for RG3 to start in Baltimore? Just kidding… I think?

 

As always, thanks for reading. Follow us @TheBurgundyBD  and check out our live Breakdowns on Twitter during the game Sunday!