Monday Night Football: Statement Game in the Nation’s Capital
2016 may not be a “make or break” year for the Washington Redskins, but that doesn’t mean the 2016-2017 season can’t be a “statement” season for the Burgundy and Gold.
When General Manager Scot McCloughan took the reins in the Nation’s Capital, he inherited a team that has consistently been the joke of the NFL since the team was bought by current owner Dan Snyder in 1999. After all, since Snyder has taken over, the Redskins have had an unimpressive 5 winning seasons, and 5 playoff appearances.
Scot McCloughan is responsible for 20% of those winning seasons and playoff appearances after just one season in D.C.
To say expectations were low when McCloughan took over, would be an understatement.
However, it didn’t take long for McCloughan to win the hearts of Redskins Nation. Gone were the days of signing Fat Albert for 100 million dollars, and in were the days of “Fat Rob”, an undrafted rookie who looks like he could be primed for a year one impact for the defending NFC East champs.
So where are the Redskins heading into year two? It’s rather difficult to say honestly. Are the Redskins a legitimate title contender? I’d say they aren’t on the level of the Patriots, Cardinals, Packers and a few other “elite” NFL teams yet.
However, that’s not to say that the Redskins are “rebuilding” either. In simple terms, the Redskins are somewhere in between.
Entering 2016, the Redskins are a solid football team, with improved depth, who should be able to compete with anyone. They should compete for the division and make a playoff push, and they are a few players away from being a legitimate championship contender.
So how can the Redskins take that next step towards capturing their fourth Super Bowl victory, without actually winning it in 2016?
By beating good teams, like their week 1 opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Since 1999 when Mr. Snyder took over the Redskins organization, the Steelers have been everything the Redskins haven’t been: consistent (consistently good, that is).
For perspectives sake, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had 12 winning seasons, and captured two Lombardi trophies over that same span.
It’s no secret that the Redskins benefitted from a weak division in 2015 on their way to a playoff berth. However, it’s also pretty evident that this Redskins team just feels different. They seem primed to take that next step; they have a sense of swagger and confidence they’ve lacked in years past.
What better way to show the nation you’re not the “same old Redskins” than by knocking off a team like the Steelers in prime time?
There isn’t one. These are the types of wins we’ve lacked in the past (especially on prime time, but I’ll spare you all that painful topic). Last season, the only teams the Redskins beat that weren’t division opponents were led by Jeff Fisher, Rex Ryan, a rookie quarterback, a future hall of fame quarterback unluckily paired with a historically bad defense, and Jay Cutler.
Not an overly-impressive resume to say the least. How about we add a victory over Mike Tomlin and company?
Make no mistake about it; the Redskins absolutely can beat the Steelers. Pittsburgh will be without some major weapons due to suspensions and injury, and the Redskins possess the weapons to take advantage of a relatively weak Steelers secondary.
Don’t read too much into it, it’s not as if winning or losing to the Steelers will make-or-break their year or their continuing development moving forward.
However, this is the type of big, nationally televised win that can give a team with a lot of young talent who look to make an impact moving forward the confidence to know they can beat any team, any given Sunday.
Monday night could mark the signature win of the “Scot McCloughan era” thus far. It would be absolutely enormous for these young guys, the: Preston Smiths, Su’a Cravens, Bashaud Breelands, Kirk Cousins among others; the future of the Redskins to have this type of signature, resume building win.
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The Redskins feel like a different team than in years past, they look like a team ready to take the next step; let’s see if they can put their money where their mouth is and show the world they aren’t the “same old Redskins” of years past.
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