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Redskins officially eliminated from playoff contention by Falcons win

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 17: Head Coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins looks on from the sidelines in the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field on December 17, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 17: Head Coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins looks on from the sidelines in the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field on December 17, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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The Redskins missing the postseason has long been a foregone conclusion. But we can now say, with mathematical certainty, that making the postseason is impossible.

Eternal optimists can finally put their hopes of seeing the Redskins make the postseason to rest. On Monday night, the Atlanta Falcons were able to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a final score of 24-21. That victory ensures that the Redskins will be missing the postseason in 2017, as they were undoubtedly mathematically eliminated by the Falcons win.

Missing the postseason is hardly a surprise. The Redskins were prone to injuries and lack of motivation in key games this season. Their ceiling, as a current 6-8 team, was merely .500 for the season. The Falcons victory moved them to 9-5 on the season. The other Wild Card leader, the Panthers, have 10 wins. Thus, the Redskins cannot catch them at all. Not that is was ever expected they would.

In order for Washington to have made the postseason, they would have had to win out, see all of the other six seed contenders finish 8-8, and somehow come out on top of the tiebreakers. That would have taken a mountain of luck that the Redskins didn’t have. The loss just confirmed what many already knew. The season is over.

Moving forward, the Redskins are going to focus on evaluating their roster over the course of the final two weeks. They have a tough matchup against the Broncos in Week 16 and they can use that as an opportunity to take a look at their starting lineup and some of the younger, inexperienced talents that they want to see some extra work from.

Then, Week 17 can be an opportunity to give Colt McCoy some work with the backups to further evaluate depth. That would also prevent Kirk Cousins from getting hurt before he hits free agency again. Also, any fringe roster players will get a chance to put a lot more on tape and help to make the Redskins decisions easier.

Next: Kapri Bibbs shines in Washington's Week 15 win

Once the season is over, Redskins fans will still have free agency and the draft to look forward to. The team isn’t far away from being a contender. They have some holes, but if the front office can find the right players, which is a big if, the Redskins will be ready to fight for a Wild Card spot in 2018.

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