Redskins Reality Checks: Realistic predictions for Week 6 vs. the Panthers

4. Reality is, this Redskins defense still looks improved over last year.

Nobody wants to hear this after that ugly game on Monday, but this Redskins defense is actually dramatically better than last year. That may be more of an indictment of how bad they were last year than a compliment to this year’s squad, but it’s true, nonetheless.

If the offense had not laid an egg against Indianapolis and if Alex Smith had been able to hit open receivers against New Orleans, the Redskins would be 3-1, coming off a close but predictable loss against New Orleans, and we’d be talking about how their defense (currently ranked fifth in yards per game and 10th in points per game) was improved and a significant reason they were leading the division.

Alas, that didn’t happen, and recency bias has the story being all about how many miscommunication issues are happening in the secondary and how there’s no pass rush.

The Redskins have mature, veteran leaders, and as I pointed out earlier this week in my Post-game Reality Checks, an emerging young leader in Jonathan Allen. They also have a young core of defensive talent better than anything this city has seen since 1993.

Prediction: The defense will rally around Allen, Mason Foster, and D.J. Swearinger.  Josh Norman will have a bounce-back game and avoid the dramatic busted coverage. The Redskins will still have a top-10 defense in both yards and points per game after this week. Look for Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith to get two sacks between them in this one as well.