With Washington sitting out this week, Redskins fans were hopefully keeping a close eye on how our rivals were doing. In case you missed it, here's a quick summary of the three games:
New York Giants 17 Tampa Bay Bucs 3:
The Football Giants had no trouble taking out the now Redskinsesque 2-5 Bucs. The Giants, despite being out a number of starters (including former Skin Lavar Arrington, who is out for the season), had no trouble containing the Bucs to a dismal 174 total yards. The Giants weren't much better, at 251, but they won the turnover battle and took the game. The Giants are the anti-Redskins at 5-2 and looking very much like a repeat winner of this division. As the Redskins only play the Giants once, we are not in a position to meaningfully close this gap on our own.
Jacksonville jaguars 13 Philadelphia 6:
This turns out to be a huge game for the Redskins. With 2 games scheduled against the now 4-4 Eagles, the Redskins are still in control of their own destiny against Philly. The Iggles also looked fairly ineffectual against a Jags defense that gave up 36 points to the Redskins. Their rushing defense, which relinquished 209 yards (4.5 YPC) also looked porous. However, given our game plan of not running against bad rushing defenses (Tenn and Indy) this doesn't really help us at all.
Dallas 35 Carolina 14:
This was bad news for a number of reasons. A 3-4 Cowboys would've been within reach when they visit FedEx field next week; instead they best the Panthers decisively and are now 4-3. Furthermore QB Tony Romo appears (for now) to be the real deal. He was a respectable 24 of 36 for 270 yards, 1 pick, and 1 touchdown. Anyone hoping for a mistake-riddled performance by this newcomer in Washington might need to reevaluate.
We are firmly entrenched in last place in the East with four division games on our schedule. A strong showing against the Eagles could bump us into third, though we'll need help to catch the Cowboys. I fear that the Giants might be out of reach as they have games against Houston and Tennessee still on their schedule and face the Eagles and Cowgirls at home. The Wild Card battle in the NFC should be fairly competetive, as all divisions present legitimate contenders. The North has Minnesota (Chicago should take the division), the West has St. Louis or Seattle (whoever does not take division), and the South has Carolina, New Orleans, and Atlanta all challenging for that spot. The Redskins need to go on a tear to save this thus far disappointing season.
Hope everyone had a great weekend. Cheers.