Five reasons the Washington Redskins might not live up to expectations
By Ian Cummings
No. 5 – A Very Strong NFC
The most obvious obstacle standing between the Washington Redskins and a playoff berth in the NFC is the rest of the NFC.
For starters, the Washington Redskins rest in one of the NFL’s most unpredictable divisions. The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to be at the top once again with a stacked roster all around, and the New York Giants, just two years removed from an 11-5 season, made very intriguing offseason improvements. Both the Giants and Cowboys have their holes, but both are teams with enough pieces to be competitive in 2018.
Outside of their home division, the Washington Redskins play a series against the NFC South, arguably one of the strongest divisions in the league. They host the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, while facing the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road. All four of those teams have lots of talent. The Saints and Falcons are returning playoff teams, and the Panthers are a team of a similar caliber. If the Washington Redskins don’t progress as expected, they might not be able to consistently compete.
In addition to this schedule lineup, the Washington Redskins also play the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers. By extension, the Washington Redskins will face off against Aaron Rodgers, a quarterback whom teams often have difficulties against. The Washington Redskins also have an early bye week once again, so the season-ending stretch will be a grueling one.
In short, the NFC is a very tough conference, and no matter how good the Washington Redskins may be, it won’t be easy to forge through the field in 2018. If a culmination of factors work against the Washington Redskins, as they did last year, then they may not meet expectations.