Redskins and NFC East
Week Four of the NFL season is complete and the Washington
Redskins are 1-3. I can’t
say that I am surprised. I really
did not have high expectations this season coming off a 3-13 campaign. I expected the team to be more
competitive than last season and was hopeful Robert Griffin III could put 2013
behind him. After playing a subpar
game in Week 1, he looked impressive early in Week 2 vs. Jacksonville before
going down with a dislocated ankle.
Kirk Cousins filled in admirably for the remainder of the game
for the ‘Skins lone win and played well in a close loss to Philadelphia the
following week. Then the second
half on Thursday night vs. NY Giants happened, four interceptions.
I mentioned in my preseason blog there has been intrigue
about how good a quarterback Kirk Cousins will be. Fans and media can be prisoners of the moment and praise him
as the franchise quarterback and ready to move on from RGIII and the next
moment question if he is just a backup with a couple of good performances
because of his struggles against the Giants. My take is the jury is still out. We have seen highs and lows in the three games he has
appeared in this season.
There are five games remaining until the bye week. That is when RGII could be ready to
return from his injury. Seven
starts should be enough to evaluate whether Cousins is a quarterback to
consider moving forward with or not.
Let’s wait and judge the entire body of work…and we may see enough
before then. For argument’s
sake let’s say he plays poorly and or is inconsistent. ‘Skins fans should still be very
concerned about the future of the position.
Griffin has not demonstrated that he can perform at a high
level over a consistent period of time.
I have put 2012 behind me.
That was lightning in a bottle.
The read option and play action from that formation caught defenses off
guard. Other teams around the
league with mobile quarterbacks were copying what Washington was doing. In 2013 those same defenses caught up. Griffin coming off knee surgery would
have to beat teams from the pocket, read defenses better, and use his legs only
when necessary. In addition his
offseason development was impacted rehabilitating and he returned in 2013 too
early without appearing in a preseason game.
In 2013 Griffin started 13 games going 3-10 and did not look
like the same quarterback in 2012.
Cousins could turn into the next great backup filling in for a starter
and have a great career such as Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Steve Young, and Kurt
Warner or he could be the next Kevin Kolb, Rob Johnson, or Matt Flynn who
filled in for a short period and had success, then when given the job full time
struggled. With the investment
made in Griffin the team will most likely move on with him if Cousins does not
perform well.
Besides the quarterback position the defense did not perform
as well in Week 4 as it did in the previous three weeks. Eli Manning looked like he was playing
catch in the backyard during the Giants game moving down the field with ease. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall is out for the season with a torn Achilles' tendon and was missed vs. NY Giants.
The Philadelphia Eagles still appear to be the class of the
NFC East even though the Dallas Cowboys and NY Giants have played well the last
two weeks. Philadelphia’s
offensive line has struggled with injuries and suspensions, but they are still
in first place in the division with a 3-1 record.
The Eagles have not played the Cowboys or Giants yet. The schedule will be challenging
for all of the NFC East teams with the NFC West teams on their schedule. The Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco
49ers, and Arizona Cardinals all look very formidable. I still see the NFC East only sending one
team to the playoffs.
Rest of the League
Speaking of the Seattle Seahawks they still appear to be the
team to beat in the NFC. The NFC
North should be very interesting because the gap between the top three teams
Detroit, Green Bay, and Chicago seems to very small. Minnesota has turn the reigns over to rookie quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater who played well in beating Atlanta in his first start and
should not be looked over.
The Denver Broncos led by Peyton Manning look like they
will be right back in the mix to return to the Super Bowl. The San Diego Chargers are picking up
from the momentum from last season including beating Seattle at home this
season. Philip Rivers is playing at a MVP level.
Will the New England Patriots be relevant? I don’t think so. Tom Brady can only do so much. It is amazing what he has accomplished
in his career playing with only one Hall of Fame caliber receiver in his career
in Randy Moss from 2007-10. Their
defense is not as strong as years past.
They still will probably win the division because the AFC East is mediocre.
Buffalo has benched the struggling EJ Manuel for Kyle Orton,
Miami is inconsistent, and the Jets do not seem formidable. The Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati
Bengals are leading the AFC South and North respectively as expected. I am interested to see how the AFC
North plays out.
Baltimore and Pittsburgh could be battling for one playoff
spot if the Bengals win the division.
The Cleveland Browns have been competitive in every game as Brian Hoyer
holds off Johnny Football with his play.
The NFL is a week-to-week league. Opinions can drastically change just after one good or bad performance
by a player and/or team. After the
first four weeks Denver, Philadelphia, Seattle, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati
are living up to expectations. The
trendy pick of the Arizona Cardinals are 3-0 even with their starting
quarterback Carson Palmer missing two games. The next four weeks should give us more answers.
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