How the Washington Redskins Can Return To the Playoffs?
By:Tyrone Montgomery Jr.
Last season, The Washington Redskins finished 3rd in the NFC East at 7-9, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season. When circumstances like this happen, ownership and the coaching staff are wondering how can we make the playoffs again? What do we do!? They freak out and they lose their minds, and that’s when roster overhauls happens. Here are 5 ways The Washington Redskins will return to the postseason.
Stay Healthy
Last season, the Washington Redskins had injuries all across the board at nearly every position midway into the season. There is a lot of pressure on this training staff to keep this team healthy. With this team being thin with depth, it is especially important to keep their playmakers healthy. Staying healthy keeps your best players on the field. In turn, keeping your best players on the field gives you the best chance to win.
Run the Ball!
With the 59th Pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, The Washington Redskins select Derrius Guice, RB out of LSU. This was what you heard from The Commissioner on and Redskin fans loved it. Guice should have been a 1st Rounder, but somehow, he managed to drop to the 2nd round landing in our nation’s capital. This guy is just what the Redskins need. Derrius Guice is someone who can take the load off the QB and can be a bit of a workhorse. The NFC East is filled with backs like these, and The Washington Redskins finally got one of their own now.
Alex Smith
You like that!? You like that!??? Kirk Cousins told the media this after a 24-point comeback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in October 2015. Now, the team and media are telling him that. After several franchise tags, the Washington Redskins have now decided enough is enough. In comes a new QB, a proven veteran, Alex Smith. Smith always seems to get the short end of the stick. There were a series of unfortunate events. There’s the San Francisco injury, to the end of year and drafting a rookie QB in the first round, and now a tough division here in the NFC East. Look for improved QB play with Alex Smith as he proves to be a golden nugget. Everywhere he goes, he brings success. But they must protect him.
Stopping Teams on Defense
There’s no question The Redskins had a tough time on defense last year. They couldn’t stop anyone last season. They ranked 21st in yards given up per game with 348 Yards/Game and ranked dead last in rushing yards giving up 134 Yards/Game. Ezekiel Elliot, SaQuon Barkley, and Jay Ajayi are the RB’s that they will see not once but twice next season. They also face off against David Johnson, Leonard Fournette, and Alvin Kamara. If they want to win and be competitive next season, they must slow down these big time Running Backs. With 2017 1st Round Pick, Jonathan Allen coming back from injury and the addition of 2018 1st round pick Da’Ron Payne of Alabama, the Redskins should be better on defense this year.
Luck?!
We all know there’s a little bit of luck involved when teams are successful. Let’s dive into the NFC East and look at this thing called luck. Do you remember last season with The Dallas Cowboys? It was Jerry Jones vs. Roger Goodell. They fought on and on about the Ezekiel Elliot case, ultimately, resulting in a midseason suspension as The Cowboys were fighting for their playoff lives. What about the New York Football Giants? Eli didn’t look like himself last season. In fact, he got benched too. The benching only occurred after the firing of their head coach, Bob McAdoo. Let’s not forget about the injuries they had. And we definitely can’t forget about the on and off field drama with Odell Beckham Jr. That brings us to The Redskins. Injuries were the issues in Washington. All of these issues gave the Philadelphia Super Bowl Champion Eagles luck. Everything lined up perfectly right in line for them. Luck is sometimes needed, and hopefully the Football Gods will be with The Redskins.
