Players and pundits buying into the Redskins hype after Sunday’s win

The Redskins’ win on Sunday wasn’t an ordinary victory. At least, that’s not the popular opinion. Rather, many believe their beat down of the Oakland Raiders to be a turning point.

While some may be quick to dismiss this as the normal Redskins overreaction after a win, a lonely lull of excitement for desperate Redskins fans, this time, it may be different. The score, 27-10, doesn’t do justice the utter domination that ensued. And it’s not just the Redskins that notice that. They’re gaining attention across the nation. Opponents and critical pundits are finally starting to buy into the hype. Need proof? We have plenty.

NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison recently released his Week 4 NFL Power Rankings. And in them, he notes the wild nature of Week 3. It was truly a wild week, the equivalent of total and unequivocal pandemonium, and in the chaos that ensued, Harrison had the Redskins moving up 11 spots (11!!!), from 18th to 7th, ahead of teams like the Raiders, Packers, Steelers, Broncos, and Cowboys. Here’s what he had to say about their Sunday night victory:

"The most impressive win of the 2017 season. That’s what you can call the Redskins’ complete decimation of the Raiders on Sunday night — even more so than the Chiefs upending the Patriots on opening night. The only game in franchise history in which I remember Washington being quite this dominant was a playoff win over the Rams way back in 1983 (51-7, Riggins and the Hogs). Not sure I’ve ever seen the Redskins’ defense play at quite that fever pitch. Holding Derek Carr, Beast Mode, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and a talented offensive line to a hair over a hundy was dazzling — as was the physical manner in which Washington did it.Random thought: Sure is nice to see Chris Thompson finally receive his due. He’s been one of the league’s most unheralded players for a minute."

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The most impressive win of the 2017 season, from any team. Period. That’s high praise. And if you aren’t convinced with one prominent writer’s opinion, why not take it from an NFL player himself? Devonta Freeman of the Atlanta Falcons took to Twitter to give a shout out to Chris Thompson, adding that he was glad the Falcons don’t play the Redskins in 2017. Talent recognizes talent. And apparently, Freeman sees a lot in this year’s Redskins squad.

Anyone can pull out a score from a past Redskins blowout and then point out a string of losses that occurred closely afterward. But the Redskins look different this year. They look faster. They look stronger. And they look hungry. Last year, and in 2015, they would have gone into a matchup against a healthy, prestigious team like the Raiders a bit scared. It happened against the Patriots. It happened against the Giants. And we thought it would happen against the Raiders. But it didn’t.

Something is different in 2017. Whatever you want to attribute the success to. The new mentality. The youth movement overrunning the team. A new beginning at defense. Maybe it all adds up. But one thing is for certain. Regardless of the factors, the Redskins appear to be trending up. This isn’t a false alarm, folks. Don’t take it from me. Take it from a writer who analyzes the entire league as his full-time job. Take it from a top five running back who played plenty of good teams on his way to the Super Bowl in 2016.

Next: How Greg Manusky transformed the Redskins defense

The Redskins are making the leap. And people are taking notice.