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Professional power rankers love primetime wins, especially when an 18th ranked team completely dominates a top 5 contender. The Redskins changed a lot of opinions with their 27-10 win over the Raiders on Sunday Night Football. A win against the unproven Rams moved the needle slightly, but stopping the Raiders offense shot them into the top third of the NFL this week.
The Redskins are in the 6 - 16 range in this week’s roundup of NFL Power Rankings. Washington and two other NFC East opponents(Cowboys, Eagles) share the top 12 rankings after 3 weeks, with the Giants(0-3) the basement dwellers this season. The Redskins(2-1) visit the Kansas City Chiefs(3-0) this week, and look to prove they are contenders this year. An away win against the Chiefs moves the Redskins into the Top 10 in the league, and a loss will cause a lot of questions going into the early bye.
Redskins Week 4 Ranking Average: 11
Is their ranking too high or too low this week?
6. OddsShark
Last Week: 13
We expected the offense to be good, but that defense was impressive against the Raiders. If that continues, watch out for this team. Last Week: 19
The most impressive win of the 2017 season. That's what you can call the Redskins' complete decimation of the Raiders on Sunday night -- even more so than the Chiefs upending the Patriots on opening night. The only game in franchise history in which I remember Washington being quite this dominant was a playoff win over the Rams way back in 1983 (51-7, Riggins and the Hogs). Not sure I've ever seen the Redskins' defense play at quite that fever pitch. Holding Derek Carr, Beast Mode, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and a talented offensive line to a hair over a hundy was dazzling -- as was the physical manner in which Washington did it.
Random thought: Sure is nice to see Chris Thompson finally receive his due. He's been one of the league's most unheralded players for a minute. Last Week: 18
Is there a better third-down back in the game right now than Chris Thompson, who racked up 150 receiving yards on six catches Sunday night? Last Week: 18
Kirk Cousins was nearly perfect (25-30, 365 yards, 3 TDs) in a huge win over a tough Raiders team. Last Week: 16
What Greg Manusky has done with the Redskins defense has been outstanding. The unit plays with more toughness, it's more sound and it's putting some exciting film together. Sunday's film will be interesting to dig through, because the Raiders typically move the ball with much more ease.
Washington stopped the Oakland offense in a way we haven't seen during the Derek Carr era. Carr struggled to find open receivers, and he had two interceptions.
The Redskins won the physical battle up front on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Washington put on a show. Kirk Cousins had plenty of time, and he didn't make a bad throw all night. The running game found room when it needed to as well.
Washington is a team to watch. As Jay Gruden and the offense progress with him as the play-caller, this is a team that should be able to score points on anyone. With an improved defense, it's downright dangerous. Last Week: 19
14. ESPN
Kirk Cousins: 47.0 Total QBR. Cousins averaged nearly twice as many yards per attempt (12.2) in Week 3 than he did in the first two weeks of the season (6.3). He'll need more performances like last week's with upcoming road games against the Chiefs, Eagles and Seahawks. Last Week: 17
14. CSN MidAtlantic
How 'bout them Redskins? Washington checked off every item that has given them trouble over the years in this one: They won a primetime game at home against a contender, and they did it behind a defense that had zero problem getting off the field on third down and an offense that controlled the clock and scored TDs. This is one of the franchise's most encouraging efforts in the last decade, and totally changed the outlook of their 2017 campaign. Last Week: 18
14 Yahoo Sports
I get that Chris Thompson isn’t an ideal size for a lead back. He’s 5-foot-8, 191 pounds. However, I remember when Jamaal Charles (5-11, 199 pounds) was considered too small and Todd Haley kept giving Thomas Jones more touches because he didn’t think Charles could hold up. Charles did just fine when he got the majority of the carries. I’m not sure what it hurts to see if Thompson could handle, say, 15 carries in a game. Last Week: 19
Last Week: 19
14. Chicago Tribune
Greg Manusky making a real impact with defense that simply swarmed Derek Carr on Sunday night. Last Week: 21
What the heck was that? The Redskins' defense suddenly threw it back to their Super Bowl heyday, and Kirk Cousins officially emerged out of his typical early slump. But, sorry, Washington — Chris Thompson is no longer a secret weapon.
This week: at Chiefs, where it could get a little offensive. Last Week: 21