Washington Redskins: Who exactly are they so far in 2018?

Week 3 is a wrap, and the roller coaster ride for the Redskins is only gaining speed.

After a dominant victory in Week 1, the Redskins appeared to have a new identity. It was hard to not stick your chest out as a fan, as national and local media unloaded freight trains full of praise on Jay Gruden’s new group.

Week 2 came around, and the Redskins fiery momentum from Arizona was swiftly extinguished by Andrew Luck and the Colts. The embarrassing showing against the Colts not only poured cold water on the fan, base but called into question; are the Redskins actually that good?

The fans who called for Jay Gruden’s job after the loss to the Colts flocked to Twitter like seagulls to a boardwalk, and at 1-1, Redskins fans were ready to put a nail in the Redskins 2018 season. Don’t you just love Twitter?

Then came Sunday against the Packers.

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Everything the Redskins were in Week 1, they brought to Landover, Maryland in Week 3. The Redskins torched the Packers 31-17, moving the ball up and down the field with ease in the first half, as well as putting Aaron Rodgers on the ground four times. Adrian Peterson shined his brightest so far, running for 120 yards and the ground and a pair of scores.

Alex Smith also smacked away the label of “Checkdown Charlie” Sunday on the fourth play from scrimmage, hitting Paul Richardson for a 46-yard touchdown to get the day started.

It was a complete win, from start to finish, and it rebooted the momentum that Washington needs going into the bye week.

So, who really are the Redskins? Are they the team that dismantled the Packers and Cardinals? Or are they the team who was embarrassed during their home opener against the Colts?

So far, it’s pointing more in the positive direction for the burgundy and gold.

Context is vital when understanding where a team stands, and while the season is still very young, we know a few things. The Cardinals are a lot worse than we may have first imagined, or at least they have been up to this point. The Colts are also a lot better than we originally thought, as they took the Eagles to the wire in Lincoln Financial last Sunday. The loss against the Colts is hard to forget, but so far, we have seen a lot more positives in the Redskins play than negatives.

It’s safe to say that Alex Smith is more than capable of moving this offense up and down the field. The new and rebuilt defensive line has shown its ability to stop the run and get to the quarterback. The young defensive backs have also held their own in the secondary. Peterson’s addition has also breathed new life into the squad and is proving that the Washington running game may be one to look out for.

Time will be the only thing that will tell if this team is truly a playoff contender. Time gives us a chance to gain context, and we are not quite ready to crown the ‘Skins just yet.

Next. 3 Redskins standouts from Week 3. dark

While D.C. was singing the blues leading up to Sunday’s game against Green Bay, momentum is back on their side. It is vital to get healthy this coming week and enter New Orleans with energy and urgency. It is a week by week league, but the Redskins yet again must show that they can play with momentum on their side. If they can do that, maybe they won’t be that bad after all.

Just maybe.

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