Washington Redskins Week 8 post-game Reality Checks

No. 5 – Reality Is, if the Redskins win this game convincingly, it’s time to get excited.

I said that if the Redskins were able to handle the Giants in convincing fashion – the type of game that is never really in doubt – they would have to be considered “for real”. I also said if they could dominate in the trenches again, run the ball effectively again, and contain Beckham, Barkley, Engram and Shepherd much like they contained the Cowboys’ offense, then it would be time to start getting optimistic about what this season could hold for the Redskins. Ultimately, I thought I’d be underwhelmed. I thought the Giants were a bad matchup for the Redskins, and I thought the game would leave us wondering what this Redskins team is going to end up becoming.

Reality Check: This win was somewhere between underwhelming and convincing. There was never really much doubt of a Redskins’ victory, but they left enough points out there offensively, and gave up enough plays defensively, that the parade has to be postponed at least one more week. This is a good football team. It has a higher ceiling than any Redskins team in recent memory. But it’s not quite time to get truly excited for what is to come. A win over a much more competent offensive team, like the Falcons, perhaps, would help.