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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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FOXBOROUGH, MA – JANUARY 13: Marcus Mariota #8 of the Tennessee Titans hands the ball offsides to Derrick Henry #22 during the third quarter of the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA – JANUARY 13: Marcus Mariota #8 of the Tennessee Titans hands the ball offsides to Derrick Henry #22 during the third quarter of the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

10. Week 16 at Tennessee Titans

The Titans aren’t quite as strong a team as some believe them to be. While hiring Mike Vrabel as their head coach and parting with Mike Mularkey should help the squad, they are still a work in progress and may need time before they can be a true contender.

A lot of the problems the Titans have come on offense. Marcus Mariota has been a decent quarterback to start his NFL career, but he hasn’t been a big playmaker. He lacks receiving talent, unless Corey Davis can make the leap, and his running backs are good, but they come with issues. Derrick Henry hasn’t yet shouldered a full workload while Dion Lewis has been injury prone and ineffective outside of his time in New England.

Because of this, the Redskins defense, and their secondary in particular, will have a good chance of locking down the Titans offense. The focus for Washington will be to play strong coverage on each receiver on the field and if they can do that, they can stack the box to help render Henry ineffective. Then, Mariota and Lewis will be forced to win the game, and that could be tough.

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Of course, it is worth noting that the Titans did beat Alex Smith’s Chiefs last season in the playoffs. So, the Titans defense does know how to at least slow down a Smith-led offense, and that should only improve thanks to the addition of Malcolm Butler.

Given the arsenal of strong secondary weapons the Titans have, establishing a ground game will be important for the Redskins in this contest. Look for Guice, Samaje Perine, and Chris Thompson to help wear down the Titans front seven and possibly open up some options for quick passes that will generate yards after the catch.

The Titans are a strong team, but they are certainly beatable. Late in the season, Washington will have a full understanding of their offense and will be able to find a way to execute against a solid Tennessee stop unit. That and the Titans’ potential offensive deficiencies make this a winnable road meeting for Gruden and company.

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