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

6. Reality is, good football teams bounce back after being made to look bad.

A few weeks ago, the Detroit Lions dominated the New England Patriots in prime time. The Patriots, coming off that game, were going up against a 3-0 Dolphins team. The Patriots thrashed the Dolphins, 38-7. No sane football fan expected anything but an absolute beat-down by the Patriots even though they had looked terrible the prior week. That’s because the Patriots have earned the benefit of the doubt given their track record.

Good teams bounce back from embarrassing performances. To Jay Gruden’s credit, his Redskins teams are a combined 15-6-1 following losses in the last four seasons. While his teams don’t handle prosperity well, they do seem to handle adversity, managing to come up big with their backs against the wall.

The result this week will be telling. If the Redskins can beat the Panthers, the loss to the Saints will diminish in significance. If they lose to the Panthers in a close game, their whole season may ride on a home game against Dallas next week (in which they would likely feel like the visiting team given how large and loud a percentage of the crowd the Cowboys’ fans will be).  If they lose to the Panthers in convincing fashion, this season may very well spiral out of control.

Prediction: The culture Jay Gruden has built tends to pay off in these situations. He takes care of his players, and they play for him in tight spots. Look for the Redskins to come out aggressively on both sides of the ball and jump out to an early lead.

The Panthers will keep it close, but I expect the Redskins to force a field goal with 4-5 minutes left in the game, and then run the clock out.  Redskins win 24-23 taking a knee, and stay in first place heading into their first NFC East divisional contest.

Keep your heads up, Redskins fans…hope endures at least one more week. Join the conversation @TheRealityIs__ on Twitter, or in the comments below.