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Ranking every Redskins game from least to most difficult for 2018

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 12: Free safety D.J. Swearinger #36 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after an interception during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 12: Free safety D.J. Swearinger #36 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after an interception during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 29: Quarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans rushes against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on October 29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 29: Quarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans rushes against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on October 29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

7. Week 11 vs. Houston Texans

The Texans are one of the handful of sleeper teams that could have an excellent 2018 season. After an offseason of getting healthy, Bill O’Brien’s squad will have a real chance to compete for the AFC South crown, and they will certainly be a test for the Redskins.

The main reason that the Texans have any sort of hopes to be a Super Bowl team is their quarterback Deshaun Watson. The former Clemson product is a proven winner who thrived as a rookie before tearing his ACL. Once he’s back, he will be ready to prove that last year was no fluke. And with DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller at his disposal, that should be more than doable.

On the other side of the ball, the Texans defense is getting better as well as they are getting healthier. J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus are returning to help the squad’s sack attack while recent signee Tyrann Mathieu will help upgrade the secondary. When healthy, the Texans have a top five defense and one of the best coordinators in the league in Romeo Crennel (who is taking over for Mike Vrabel). So, this mix could work well for the Texans.

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The Texans will represent a daunting challenge for the Redskins. There are not many holes to be poked in this team, and the team has a short week after this contest. They could risk looking forward to a divisional clash with Dallas, and they can’t afford to do that against the Texans.

That said, the way to slow down the Texans will be to expose their offensive line. Houston doesn’t have much talent on the unit, and both of their tackles are young, upside based players who may not be ready to start. Expect Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith to pressure a lot during this game, and perhaps Manusky will call upon some blitzes to try and rattle Watson.

On offense, the Redskins will just have to stay balanced. If they keep the Texans guessing, that will make the defense a bit more hesitant. Then, Smith can pick his spot while Guice and Thompson generate yards on the ground. If that happens, then the Redskins will be able to please their home crowd and bring home the victory.

The Texans contest may look like an easy one when looking at last year’s records. But make no mistake. The Texans are a lot better than the 4-12 team that took the field last season, and they should give Washington a run for their money.

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