That was a fun game to watch. The Redskins steamrolled the Packers early, and rode the game out for a 2 TD win. Washington has been up and down so far this year, and that has been reflected in the power rankings this year.
Are the Redskins just good at beating bad teams? Is their defense finally legit? Do the Redskins need Adrian Peterson to be great for them to be good? No one knows right now, and they won't know for a while. The Redskins enter the bye week and face the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.
Where should this year’s Washington Redskins team be ranked?
Highest Ranking: W1: 14 W2: 8 W3: 12 W4: 7
Lowest Ranking: W1: 26 W2: 23 W3: 27 W4: 20
Average Ranking: W1: 20.5 W2: 15.5 W3: 22.7 W4: 15.1
7. NumberFire
Last Week: 12
Last Week: 19
Wrote this about Washington prior to their win on Sunday: “I think it’d be very Washington of Washington to win this game after somewhat inexplicably losing at home to the Colts but I’m not going to just count on that.” Well, I should have counted on it. High variance team early on this season. Hard to rank. Last Week: 23
Adrian Peterson has been an outstanding addition, and Washington is tied with Philadelphia for first place in the NFC East. Last Week: 23
12. OddsShark
Last Week: 16
13. Washington Post
The Redskins can feel better about themselves on their bye week after a crisp victory over the Packers that followed Week 2′s dispiriting loss to the Colts. The defense is playing very well and the offense should remain functional if the Redskins can keep RB Adrian Peterson relatively fresh and productive. Last Week: 24
13. The Score
So that seals it, Alex Smith deserved to be taken ahead of Aaron Rodgers in the 2005 draft. No, seriously though, impressive win by the ‘Skins. Last Week: 22
13. NJ.com
It’s only been three weeks, but take a look at the top point differential totals right now:
-Rams: +66
-Ravens: +46
-Chiefs: +26
-Dolphins: +23
-Redskins: +20
Last Week: 22
15. Walter Football
I’ve been listing the Redskins as underrated, but in the wake of their victory over the Packers, the NFL Network analysts were opining that they are the best team in the NFC East. I guess Washington’s not so underrated anymore! The Redskins have a good chance to win the division for sure, especially if the Eagles’ complacency continues to linger. At the same token, the Redskins also have a good chance to be one-and-done in the playoffs, based on Alex Smith’s history. Last Week: 16
16. USA Today
After 50 years of alleged sellouts, on pace to sell 85% of home tickets, second-worst in NFC behind Rams and cavernous L.A. Coliseum. Last Week: 24
Last Week: 23
17. Bleacher Report
Good luck figuring out the Washington Redskins.
In Week 1, the Redskins looked lights-out in trouncing the Arizona Cardinals. Then, Washington came home and laid a big fat egg against the Indianapolis Colts. So, of course the next step was to again look very impressive in taking care of the Green Bay Packers with relative ease.
Maybe it’s a matter of which Adrian Peterson shows up. The Week 1 and Week 3 versions ran like a 25-year-old, piling up 216 rushing yards and scoring three touchdowns. The offense had balance, and Washington controlled both games throughout.
The Week 2 Peterson looked like he was 53 instead of 33, averaging 1.8 yards a carry—and the Redskins got thumped.
The Redskins are one of two teams that will be off next week, and had you told them they’d hit the bye with two wins in three tries, the team would no doubt take it.
The test comes when the Redskins get back—a trip to the Superdome to face the Saints followed by a home tilt with the Panthers. Last Week: 22
17. Sporting News
Alex Smith and Adrian Peterson keep turning back time, but the defense and the offensive line have been the backbones of the team. Now it comes down to more consistency. Last Week: 25
17. SB Nation
Last Week: 24
The most up-and-down, wonky team in this here league pecking order is yoooooooour Washington Redskins. Their fans are feeling half confident about Jay Gruden’s 2-1 group. Washington faithful are knowledgeable about their Redskins. The fugly loss to the Colts can’t be ignored. Nor can the highly controversial call on Clay Matthews. On the other hand, Washington didn’t win because of that free set of downs. The ground game carried its weight with Adrian Peterson, too -- that was key in a contest that carried elements. How about Daron Payne and fellow ‘Bama alum Jonathan Allen, with 10 tackles and three sacks between them? Gives me hope to not have to drop the Redskins into the 20s again. (Gulp.) Last Week: 24
This is why the NFL is impossible to predict sometimes: How can you reconcile the horrendous Week 2 home performance against the Colts with what we saw from Washington in Week 3 against the Packers? You wouldn’t even know that was the same team in both games. Also, 33-year-old Adrian Peterson is on pace for 1,259 rushing yards. Incredible. Last Week: 24
18. Athlon Sports
This might be the most enigmatic team in the league through three weeks. Adrian Peterson looks rejuvenated for two weeks but the team as a whole was all out of sorts in their loss to the Colts. Still, beating Green Bay is extremely impressive and Washington is rapidly growing into one of the bigger challengers to Philadelphia in the division. Last Week: 27
19. ESPN
Can the Redskins get their wide receivers going? They have been targeted a league-low 32 times this season and rank in the bottom third in receptions (23), yards after the catch (76) and first-down catches (14). Last Week: 21
19. Fansided
Washington is quietly 2-1, tied for the lead in the NFC East behind a solid offense. Last Week: 21
20. NESN
It’s been really tough to get a read on the Redskins through the first three weeks. The offense possesses a handful of capable weapons, though, so we’ll have to wait and see if Alex Smith can get everyone in sync. Last Week: 21
Difference separating the middle third of the NFL appears miniscule
Last Week: 25
Poll
Where should the Redskins rank this week?
This poll is closed
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14%
Top 8
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74%
9-16
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10%
17-24
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0%
Bottom 8