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The Redskins shot up the NFL Power Rankings last week after a dominant win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday Night Football. They faced another top opponent in prime time last night, and had every chance to come out with the upset win over the Chiefs. That win didn’t happen, and a fluke defensive TD on a last chance play inflated the score(and covered the spread), and made it look worse than it was.
The Redskins are in the 7 - 20 range in this week’s roundup of NFL Power Rankings. Washington and two other NFC East opponents(Cowboys, Eagles) still sit at or near the top 12 rankings after 4 weeks, with the Giants(0-4) the basement dwellers this season. The Redskins(2-2) have lot of injuries to deal with going into their bye week, and will need to get healed up for the rest of the season. Josh Norman is expected to miss a few weeks with a rib injury,
Redskins Week 4 Ranking Average: 12.5
Is their ranking too high or too low this week?
Not much of a drop for the Redskins. The record is worse than a couple of the teams behind them in this league hierarchy, though the .500 mark isn't indicative of the way they're playing. Jay Gruden's guys are competing hard. Literally. The defense, including the smallish defensive backs, are laying wood on every play. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has them running around like a pack of wild dogs making tackles. The issue Monday night was that Manusky ended up a couple cans short of a six-pack. Josh Norman went down. Then two more corners got hurt. Two safeties, too. Three linebackers exited at one time or another. Really, it's amazing the Redskins stayed afloat. They darn-near won, too. Last Week: 9
The narrative around this team would have changed drastically had Josh Doctson been able to come up with that near-catch in the end zone late in the game. Instead, Washington is 2-2 and will have to hope that mighty thin secondary (and especially Josh Norman) can get healthy on their bye week. Last Week: 13
9. USA Today
Could use more from wideouts, but they otherwise appear to have the ingredients to allow for serious run at NFC East crown. Last Week: 7
The Washington Redskins could easily be 4-0 or 3-1 right now. The defense has gotten better every week, and what Greg Manusky has done with that unit should earn him big-time credit. Washington doesn't have the most talented defense, but it plays physically and it plays hard.
Had defenders like Josh Norman and Quinton Dunbar not gone down with injuries on Monday night, the Redskins might have been able to fend off the Kansas City Chiefs. We'll never know, but the Redskins are undoubtedly banged up and in need of the upcoming bye week.
Washington's offense is terrific, and it's only going to get better with Jordan Reed healthy and Josh Doctson finally emerging. I still believe Washington should give the ball to Chris Thompson more, but this is one of the 10 best teams in the NFL for me as is. Last Week: 11
They showed some fight at Kansas City because the defense is getting better. They will be a tough opponent every week. Last Week: 6
Two big losses Monday night: a close game in Kansas City and cornerback Josh Norman to a rib injury. At least their record has a chance to get a little healthier with a home game against the 49ers coming up. Last Week: 11
12. NBC Washington
The Redskins were a few ill-timed injuries and dumb penalties away from snatching an upset from the NFL's best team on Monday night. But despite a gritty performance from Jay Gruden's guys, Washington faltered late and allowed Kansas City to escape with the win. Still, though, the team is 2-2 and it feels like they're trending in a very good direction. They get to catch their breath now thanks to an early bye. Last Week: 14
13. Chicago Tribune
Pain from hard fought loss at Kansas City could be felt for weeks as injuries mounted with cornerback Josh Norman going out among others. Last Week: 14
14. ESPN
The Redskins entered Week 4 with the third-best opponent Total QBR. Alex Smith's big Monday night knocked Washington down a few pegs, but Josh Norman's injury could knock them down even further if he ends up out for an extended period. Last Week: 14
14. Yahoo Sports
The Redskins defense has been very good to start the season, but they’ll miss cornerback Josh Norman. By halftime, ESPN’s Lisa Salters had reported that Norman’s rib injury might keep him out multiple weeks. Tough to lose a player like that. Last Week: 14
Last Week: 14
16. Washington Post
The Redskins nearly pulled it out Monday night in Kansas City. The key near miss was the late TD catch that wasn’t by second-year WR Josh Doctson. QB Kirk Cousins made the throw that he needed to make to give Doctson a chance. It would have been a very good catch by Doctson. He just couldn’t hold on. Last Week: 10
17. Sporting News
They looked great against the Rams and Raiders, but they struggled with the Eagles and Chiefs. That's about right given their offensive and defensive inconsistency.
This week: A bye, so Cousins and Terrelle Pryor Sr. can work on that chemistry Last Week: 16
20. OddsShark
Last Week: 6