Predicting the Washington Redskins Record: How Many Wins Can We Expect?

Commander in Chief, El Jefe Ken Meringolo and I have decided to both give our predictions for the upcoming season following the official schedule reveal tonight.  Ken's picks will come tomorrow morning to add a little Kool-Aid to your brunch. I'll be offering a slightly different take, and hopefully the Redskins can surprise this season with a quick turnaround with the help of GM Scot McCloughan and the new coaches and players.  I'm basing my picks on the state of the team over the last few seasons, instability at QB, and the belief that the Redskins are more than a few players away from contention.

First some quick observations about the schedule:

• Ending the season with 3 out of the 4 final games on the road, and the final two against division rivals is going to be a rough end to the year
• The Redskins open up the season against two very stout defensive lines at home with Ndamukong Suh and the Dolphins Week 1, and the Rams with multiple threats
• The Redskins then have two straight games against NFC East opponents and will need to come out with at least one win there to stay competitive in the division early
• The Week 8 bye should help with injuries and they have a weak opponent before the bye, but then travel to the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots after the bye.
• The Redskins have 7 games between their first back-to-back division games to their next set in Week 12.  Then finish the season with 4 division games in the last 6 weeks.

Preseason Schedule:

Week 1: Thursday, Aug. 13 -- @ Cleveland Browns

Win - Johnny Manziel accidentally flips off his own bench this year, and is subsequently thrown to the Dawg Pound, never to be seen again

Week 2: Thursday, Aug. 20 -- vs Detroit Lions

Loss - Haloti Ngata stalks Robert Griffin III and the Lions win by two scores

Week 3: Saturday, Aug. 29 -- @ Baltimore Ravens

Loss - Ryan Grant and Kirk Cousins combine for 115 yards passing and 2 TDs but still fall short.  Grant locks up his 2nd consecutive Mason/Brennan Award

Week 4: Thursday, Sept. 3 -- vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Win - 3 Future Grocery Baggers are the stars of the game, leading the Redskins on a miraculous 4th quarter comback

Regular Season Schedule:

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 13 -- vs Miami Dolphins, 1:00 pm CBS

Loss - Ndamukong Suh is too much for Kory Lichtensteiger and Chris Chester(yes they are both still starting) and the Redskins fall to the Miami Tannehills 24-13

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 20 -- vs St. Louis Rams, 1:00 pm FOX

Win - Nick Foles is picked off 2 times, and has 2 more fumbles as the Redskins defense secures the win 27-14

Week 3: Thursday, Sept. 24 - @ N.Y. Giants, 8:30 p.m., CBS/NFLN

Loss - Eli Manning's new favorite target, Amari Cooper scores 2 TDs as the Redskins struggles against the Giants continue. 34-24

Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 4 -- vs Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 pm FOX

Win - Somehow Kirk Cousins ends up playing the majority of the game, and unlike last season, the defense doesn't let him down. 38-30

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 11 -- @ Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 pm FOX

Loss - The defense falters in Atlanta and Matt Ryan is able to put up 400+ yards. 41-33

Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 18 -- @ N.Y. Jets, 1:00 pm FOX

Loss - The Redskins fall to first year head coach, and former Washington Redskins safety Todd Bowles and the Jets. 14-10

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 25 -- vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:00 pm FOX

Win - The Redskins get a much needed win heading into the bye, and fluster Jameis Winston. 24-21

Week 8: Sunday, Nov. 1 -- Bye

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 8 -- @ New England Patriots, 1:00 pm FOX

Loss - The Redskins have their worst game of the year, and the rest from the bye week doesn't help.  41-24

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 15 -- vs New Orleans Saints, 1:00 pm FOX

Loss - The Saints come into FedEx Field on a 3 game winning streak and make it 4 in a row with a close road win. 30-27

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 22 -- @ Carolina Panthers, 1:00 pm FOX

Loss - The Redskins drop to 3-7 after a last second Graham Gano field goal gives the Panthers the victory.  13-10

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 29 --  vs New York Giants, 1:00 pm FOX

Win - The Redskins get their first win in a long time against the Giants at home, getting them to 5-6 as they get ready to host the Cowboys. 28-24

Week 13: Monday, Dec. 7 -- vs Dallas Cowboys, 8:30 pm, ESPN

Loss - Todd Gurley runs for 120 yards and 2 TDs behind the Dallas offensive line for the win after Tony Romo is knocked out of the game.  31-17

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 13 -- @ Chicago Bears, 1:00 pm FOX

Win - The Redskins go into Chicago and once again beat the Bears with a strong performance from the Redskins defense.  21-13

Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 20 -- vs Buffalo Bills, 1:00 pm CBS

Loss - Another home loss for the Redskins as the Bills defensive line controls the game. 24-20

Week 16: Saturday, Dec. 26 -- @ Philadelphia, 8:25 pm NFLN

Loss - Philadelphia is in a must win situation, and pulls off the victory this time as Tim Tebow scores 4 two point conversions. 35-27

Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 3 -- @ Dallas Cowboys, 1:00 pm FOX

Win - Dallas enters Week 17 needed a victory to get into the playoffs but falls short due to several key injuries to the offense. 38-24

Redskins 2015 Record: 6-10, 4th place in the division