Can the Redskins pull off two-straight upsets?

Regardless of if you had the Redskins upsetting the Raiders last week or not, nobody saw the way they won coming. It was in dominating fashion and a momentum booster not only for this week but for the remainder of the season. With a win against the Raiders and post-game reaction from a few leaders that seemed like it was personal, can the Redskins pull off another upset against another top ten team in the league?

Here’s the deal when it comes to Washington in years past, the Redskins have won big before in recent years, but they would never amount to anything for the status and culture of the team. In other words, they weren’t the statement wins like many thought they would be. With this franchise, many can go on-and-on in regard to examples, but let’s just point to the freshest one in your head, the Sunday night game in 2016 against the Green Bay Packers. The Redskins finished 2-4 down the stretch following the “statement game” of the season for Washington and missed their bid to the post-season.

There has been mixed reaction following the Redskins victory against the Raiders. Many felt that the Raiders didn’t play their best game, which is true, and some who are familiar with the Redskins feel that many have just been underrating them to this point, which is also true. The truth is that the Redskins are better than many expected them to be and the Raiders are still a very good team who simply got manhandled.

Looking ahead to Kansas City, who are currently seven-point favorites, the Chiefs are 8-1 all-time against the Redskins with their last loss coming in 1983. So, to say they’ve had their way with Washington for a long time is the nicer way to put it. Playing in Arrowhead Stadium for visitors is one of the toughest feats for an opponent because the atmosphere is insane.

The crowd will be very loud Monday night, from the very start, and that is a great bonus in favor of the Chiefs. The Redskins, however, will have a good chance to get a victory on the road in Kansas City, and it’s because the team is a more balanced football team. Statistically, the Redskins are ranked top ten in points and yards, but to say they’re great is farfetched now, but they are a good unit. The offense of Washington has shown they can stick to the ground within the flow of a game, and the results have shown they can keep a defense off-balanced. If Josh Doctson’s 52-yard touchdown catch was the launch of his emergence in this offense, it’s likely that Kirk Cousins and Jay Gruden have found a viable and reliable downfield threat that they can trust this season.

Washington’s defense is the biggest factor in this game, the front seven has drastically improved since last year, and that is no fluke. The front seven of Washington has looked stout since training camp, but many questioned if it was legit due to the setting, but three games in they’ve proven that they were as good as advertised. When it comes to a game in Arrowhead, the front seven will have to generate constant pressure and keep Alex Smith in the pocket, and that’s something they can do. In three games this season Smith has been sacked 12 times. Smith’s best asset is ball protection, he’d rather take the sack than force a bad ball, but either way that is a plus for the Redskins. If the Redskins front seven can control the line of scrimmage, the Chiefs will have a difficult time scoring more than 20 points Monday night, and that is very good news for Washington.