Like it or not, this is who the 2018 Washington Redskins are

Like it or not, this is who your 2018 Washington Redskins are.

It’s not exactly a good thing. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just who the Washington Redskins are.

The team’s run-first, hard-nosed defensive style has been on display for eight games now, and in that time, we’ve seen the benefits and the possible drawbacks.

Against teams with offensive woes, Washington can control the clock and lock them down, sacrificing efficiency and explosion for downright clock dominance. But against teams with exceptional offenses, such as the Saints, or the Colts, or the Falcons, or the Buccaneers, or the Eagles, the Redskins will have to abandon the run to have a chance to keep up.

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Furthermore, Alex Smith hasn’t shown himself to be a quarterback who can keep them in games. When the Redskins win, they gut it out. When they lose, they get humiliated. It’s not the culture. It’s just the style of play they’ve chosen in the modern NFL. Washington is proficient at the old-school method, but pit a good ground-and-pound team against a modern offense such as Atlanta, and the Falcons have more freedom, more flexibility, and thus, reign supreme.

So who’s to blame? Someone obviously has to be sole receiver of blame, right? No. Every win, and every loss, is a team effort. When their philosophy works, the running game remains consistent, the blocking holds true up front, the defensive line swarms opposing offenses, and the time of possession battle is won. When the philosophy doesn’t work, the running game is snuffed out quickly, Washington falls behind early, and their passing game isn’t well enough equipped to cut the deficit. It’s just how it’s going to go from now on.

In a way, this is a relieving revelation. So often, we fight over what the identity of the Redskins is for seventeen weeks. But now, halfway through the 2018 season, we know who they are. No more guessing.

Could the team’s identity change? Perhaps. Perhaps Jay Gruden can get out of Alex Smith what Andy Reid got out of him last season. Maybe Maurice Harris will suddenly emerge as the next Adam Thielen, and Jordan Reed will get more meaningful targets, and Chris Thompson will stay healthy. The list of possible outcomes is limitless.

But, that said, eight games into the season, any deviation from this path will likely be minimal. More likely than not, the team you’ve seen for eight weeks is the team you’ll see for eight more, although offensive line injuries could force them away from this philosophy (Then, they would truly be in trouble).

But if the offensive line can stay resilient, then Washington has a formula that will win them certain games, and it could drive them to the playoffs. But what’s the point if they get there, and are easily outgunned by a team such as the Saints, or the Falcons, or the Rams, or the Vikings?

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We know who the Redskins are. And it is both a relieving truth, and a damning one.

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