Vision Quest: One More for the Road

What the Redskins have done the last four weeks is nothing short of amazing. Going on the road they won in Arizona and St. Louis. They then hosted the Cowboys and for the first time in ten years they completed the sweep in stunning fashion. In fact they won 35-7, which is the most lopsided win in franchise history. Next the NY Giants came to town, complete with boxes of “NFC East Champion” t-shirts in boxes ready to go. They did not get a chance to open them as the Redskins avenged an earlier loss and brought the Giants to their knees with a 35-20 drubbing.

While the Redskins were taking care of business, other teams have fallen by the wayside. Everyone’s hot pick Minnesota cooled off considerably losing the last two games and getting eliminated sinking their playoff chances like the Love Boat hitting an iceberg. Atlanta also lost their last two proving that there is more to a Quarterback then athletic ability and Michael Vick has a lot of work to do. So combined with the Redskin victories they now have the ability to control their own destiny and get to the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

All of that means absolutely ****Censored by Spence**** if they do not win on New Year’s Day.

The Redskins season comes down to winning at Philadelphia on the last game of the season. This is always a dangerous proposition. Even though the Eagles are without Donovan McNabb, Michael Westbrook, and Terrell Owen, they are still a division rival and Lincoln Field is a very hostile environment. They have to bring their A game to win.

Normally I would be worried as hell about this game. Who am I kidding; I am worried as hell, but not as much as I would be in previous seasons. This game has “Let Down” written all over it. Four straight victories by the Redskins with some serious injuries including Randy Thomas, Carlos Rogers, and Mark Brunell as a result. A road game against a division rival with nothing left to lose. And during the week a “controversy” about Lava Arrington could be a big distraction. Normally I would be very very worried.

However there is something different about this Redskin squad. It can be summed up in one word, Character. There is one man who can be thanked for this, Joe Gibbs. This has not been a very easy season for our skins and many of us would have been happy with an 8-8 record. From the moment the schedule came out it looked like the deck was stacked against us, but the Redskins took everything in stride. In the opening game Ramsey was benched and the Redskins went with what many of us thought was the worst free agent signing in Redskin history, Mark Brunell to lead the squad. However the Redskins responded with winning not only the Chicago game but also the next two games at Dallas and against Seattle at home. After losing two tough road games at Denver and Kansas City, the Redskins respond with a 52-17 shellacking of San Francisco. After getting pummeled by the NY Giants 36-0 they return to Fed Ex and beat reigning NFC champion Philadelphia who at this point was only without TO and Donovan McNabb and Michael Westbrook were still playing.

The next three games though were the low point of the Redskin schedule. Losing to Tampa Bay, Oakland, and San Diego despite being ahead in the 4th quarter. Each loss was different and more debilitating losses. Not being able to stop Tampa’s mediocre offensive attack and a bogus 2 point conversion by Tampa, leading 16-3 on an Oakland squad that has in all accounts quit on the season and forgetting to run the ball in the 2nd half, and then San Diego where it seemed tackling was optional. The team went from playoff contender at 5-3 to left for dead at 5-6.

But like the Phoenix they rose from their ashes and were reborn. Gibbs called his veteran players into his office and gave the season over to them. He told them this is their season. He said that if they want to go to the playoffs, if they want to have a successful season, they would have to rise up and win the next 5 games. Gibbs didn’t just charge the players with a task and walk out of the meeting though. He listened to the vets who wanted to pound the ball more. So out of that meeting a TEAM was born, for the first time since 1992. A team that plays together and knows what it has to do to win.

The results we all know now. A 24-98 dismantling of St. Louis where Rock and Portis ran the ball with abandon. A 17-13 win in Arizona where the 12th man traveled and drowned out the Arizona faithless. The 35-7 demolition of the Dallas Cowboys giving us our first sweep over the hated rival in 10 years and one of the best moments in Fed Ex history. Then last weeks 35-20 revenge against the NY Giants where even an injury to Mark Brunell could not keep the Redskins down and Santana Moss beat Will Allen like he took his girlfriend.

Before Sunday’s game I just wanted to proclaim one thing. I love this team. Sure there are holes such as the lack of a 2nd receiver or a true pass rusher on the defensive line. And there are injuries to our best offensive lineman in Randy Thomas. But I love this team more then any other team since 1991. They play hard and show up for every game. I even love them more then the playoff team of 1999 that won 10 games but had no character or heart when it came to the big games.

I believe the Redskins will win because of who they are, a “Team” for the first time in years. I believe the Redskins will win because of who they play for, the fans that have supported them like no other Redskin team in recent memory. I believe the Redskins will win because of who they are coached by, Joe Gibbs a man of integrity and the only coach in the NFL with a bust already in Canton. But mostly I believe the Redskins will win because of I believe that this year is something special something that does not come along often. And this year’s Redskins are something very very special indeed.

Playoff Rooting Cards

Even though I know we are going to win to get into the playoffs there are still higher seeds to hope for. So with that in mind here is your playoff-rooting card.

NY Giants at Oakland. A NY Giants loss is the only way for the Redskins to win the division and get a home playoff game. A win by Norv Turner’s lackluster team would be the best thing he has ever done for the Redskins. I hope Kerry Collins wish for revenge and the loss of Jeremy Shockey and bruised ego will help NY choke. Go Oakland you rat bastards!!!!

Carolina at Atlanta. A loss by Carolina can help the Redskins by assuring us the 5th seed if NY wins and we win. And I just can’t forgive those damn panthers for allowing the Cowboys to be alive in the playoff hunt still. Go Atlanta!!!

New Orleans at Tampa Bay. No real help for the Redskins here, as Tampa owns the tiebreaker over them. But a loss by Tampa could put them in the wild card with us in the division and then they have to come to our house to play. New Orleans has not won one time I have rooted for them, this is what it must be like to be a Saints fan. Go Saints anyways!!!

St. Louis at Dallas. While I believe we will win a Cowboy loss will also assure us a playoff spot. Thus I hate the damn Cowboys and a 9-7 season may propel Bill Parcells into the retirement home and/or prompt Dallas to go get TO, two things that will assure a destructive season next year as well. Go St. Louis!!!!

That’s it guys. One more to go to the Promised Land.

Hail Redskins!!!

Redskin Playoff Scenarios for Week 17

Thought I would put a quick blog up here regarding playoff scenarios for week 17. Minnesota and Atlanta were eliminated from playoff contention because loses this week and the Redskins moved one step closer. Here are the scenarios including who we might face and where.

First for the Division.

Simple.

The Giants need to lose to Oakland and the Redskins need to beat Philly.

If the Panthers win the south by Tampa losing to NO and they win against then the Redskins would have the #3 spot where they will HOST the NY Giants.

If Tampa wins the South by beating NO and Carolina wins against Atlanta the Redskins will get the #4 spot and HOST the NY Giants.

If Tampa wins the south by Carolina losing against Atlanta then the Redskins will get the #4 spot and HOST the Carolina Panthers

Now for the Wildcard.

This gets complicated with so many permutations but I will try and sum it up.

If the Redskins win against Philadelphia and the NY Giants win against Oakland the redskins will be a wild card team in the playoffs.

& will be the # 5 spot if the Carolina Panthers lose to Atlanta and will play in NY if Tampa wins against NO or play in Tampa if they lose to NO.

& will be the #6 spot if Carolina beats Atlanta and will play in NY Giants if Tampa loses to NO or play in Tampa if Tampa beats NO.

If the Redskins lose to Philadelphia then the Dallas Cowboys MUST lose against St. Louis then the Redskins will be the #6 seed.If Tampa beats NO or Carolina, Tampa, and NY all lose will play in Tampa

If Carolina & Tampa lose and the NY Giants win we will play in NY Giants.

If Carolina beats Atlanta and Tampa loses to NO and NY Giants lose to Oakland will play in Carolina.

If Carolina beats Atlanta and Tampa loses to NO and NY Giants beat Oakland I am not sure where we play because it comes down to strength of victory as Carolina and NY would be tied in conf record and do not have enough common opponents to do a tiebreaker that way. It looks as though we will play in NY as they have the lead in that category having outscored their opponents in theirn victories by 145 points as opposed to Carolina’s 129. Carolina would have to beat Atlanta by 16 more points then NY beats Oakland by. Got that?

The Redskins will be eliminated from the playoffs if and only if, they lose to Philly and Dallas beats St. Louis.

The Redskins can no longer get the first round bye as that belongs to Seattle (#1) and Chicago (#2).

JUST BEAT PHILLY AND EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT!!!!!

Vision Quest: Destiny

Destiny.

It is one word that means so much. It brings up images pf prophets, heroes, wars, and victory.

Throughout history the thought of controlling one’s own destiny has been the pinnacle of human achievement. Men have given up wealth and power just to be able to determine their own destiny, to make their own way.

The Redskins, for the first time in a long time, have that same opportunity.

With Sunday’s thrashing of the hated Dallas Cowboys, and Atlanta and Minnesota each losing, the Redskins have fallen into a 4-way tie for the final playoff spot in the NFC. By virtue of their strong NFC record, they also hold the tiebreakers. If the Redskins win their final two games they are assured of a playoff spot.

In short, the Redskins control their own destiny.

Read more »

Vision Quest: 10 years, 15 days

December 3, 1995.

The Redskins, just two years into the Norv Turner experiment were suffering through what would end up a 6-10 season. The Dallas Cowboys under Barry Switzer were gearing up for another Super Bowl run to make it 3 titles in 4 years.

These were the Salad Days for the Dallas cowboys. The previous two years they sent a record 11 pro bowlers to Honolulu. They won Super Bowls in 1992 & 1993 and barely missed a chance at three-peating in 1994 losing to San Francisco in the NFC Championship game. Emmit Smith was on his way to a fourth rushing crown compiling a team record 1773 rushing yards and an NFL record 25 TDs.

The Redskins were in not so great of shape. Since Joe Gibbs retirement after the 1992 season the franchise seemed in disarray. The Redskins had managed earlier in the season to eek out a close 27-23 victory in RFK, but was suffering through what would end up being a 6-10 season and the fourth straight year with a losing record.

But the Redskins went into Dallas stadium and won 24-17. It was the one bright of an otherwise dismal season. To take two from the not only the eventual Super Bowl champions, but also our hated rivals the Cowboys. Sweeping the Cowboys felt so good, felt so right. The future was bright and we saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

Then reality set in. RFK closed and the Redskins moved to a new stadium. Norv Turner provided only one year of hope followed by a massively disappointing season. Schottenheimer came and hired is entire family and left in one year. Then there was Steve Spurrier who laughed at NFL convention until he was finally laughed out of the league. And even the return of the King, Joe Gibbs, could not immediately help this franchise and its fans.



But through all the losing in those ten years (only 3 winning seasons), and the lack of playoff births (only 1), what hurt the most was what had become of the Redskin-Dallas rivalry. The Redskins went on to post a pitiful 3-15 record against Dallas during those years, with the Redskins never winning at Dallas. Even the pitiful 5-11 Cowboys of 2000 and 2001 got 2 wins against the Redskins. A rivalry that was once as evenly matched as could be imagined, a Rivalry that defined the NFL for the entire decade of the 80's, which was much watch TV for not just Redskin and Cowboy fans, but every football fan in the nation, had become a joke. The Redskins had dropped 14 of the last 15 match-ups, only winning a meaningless final game of the season in 2002. It was a joke. The Redskins were a joke.

That was true until September 19th, 2005. In the second game of the season, mired in a QB controversy and down 13 points with only 4:48 to go in the game. The ball was on the Washington 21 yard line and it was 3rd and a very long 27. The Dallas fans were all rejoicing as the game was over. And like so many years past the Redskins would lose to Dallas and this time it would hurt, hurt bad.

But all of a sudden our 35 year old QB who last year was booed off the field in his home stadium, and this year only re-won the starting QB job by default, mad a play that crystallized our season. Dropping back to pass and finding no one open, again, he decided to run the ball and make something happen. Here was this old man running for his life, avoiding a diving Dallas defender and gaining an unbelievable 25 yards. On Fourth and 2 he completed a 20 yard pass to James Thrash to finally get into Dallas territory.

After a 3 incomplete passes and a silly false start penalty the Redskins found themselves at 4th and 15 and once again looking at defeat, however Moss darted past Roy Williams and Brunell delivered a perfect 40 yard pass to Moss to finally pout the Redskins on the board. All of a sudden the team looked alive, they believed they could win. The Defense held the Cowboys to one first down and only 45 seconds of play clock time. Then the moment that many Redskin fans still can’t get out of their head, Brunell delivered a beautiful 70 yard strike to Moss who again beat Roy Williams deep and ran all the way in for the go ahead TD. The defense then held the Cowboys, twice, including a vicious hit by Taylor on Patrick Crayton.

Some called the game the Monday Night Miracle, I called it Redemption. Whatever you call it, it revitalized our franchise. Sure we have stumbled along the way (San Diego, Oakland, and Tampa Bay) but Sunday it is all on the line. Unlike ten years ago we are not just playing for a sweep. We are playing for our playoff lives and theirs. A win by either team will virtually eliminate the other from playoff contention. Getting to the playoffs would be sweet. Getting to the playoffs by eliminating Dallas and sweeping them on the season would be Cooley and Smoot get together to run a Cheerleader Love Boat Company sweet.

Renaldo Wynn had a wonderful comment after the Dallas win earlier this season.

“Oh my God Man. I mean, we never gave up man. We never stopped believing. That’s all I can say man. We kept the faith, that’s one thing we did man. Everybody said ‘You gotta believe! We can do it.’ When nobody else believes in us man we can do it. Our fans, for the community man. Hey Redskin fans this is for you man! We brought it back! You guys always said ‘Beat Dallas!’ We did it baby. Without you guys man…we are all in it together, for the community man. We love you guys.”

Play it again Renaldo. Play it again.

With A Little Help from our Friends

Redskins need to win this week, but they also need some help. The Redskins got no help this last weekend despite being teased by both Kansas City and Philadelphia. We need help this week, and we need it bad. So without further ado, here is your rooting card:

Saturday Rooting Card.

Tampa Bay at New England. Ok part of me is wondering whether or not I should root for Tampa to win the division and Carolina to become the wild card. The question is whether or not I believe it would be easier for Tampa to lose all of its three games or Carolina to lose two of the next three. If this game happened after the Carolina game then I would know what to root for. A Carolina loss and I root for Tampa, a Carolina win and I root for New England. This is a toss up though, and to be safe I am rooting for Tampa to lose. Go Patriots.

Kansas City at NY Giants. Quite simply this is the most important game for the Redskins besides of course their game against Dallas. KC was robbed last week against Dallas first by a very late holding call and then by a very bad kick. They are fighting for the playoffs and will come into this game incredibly pumped. The Giants played horribly against a Philadelphia team without McNabb, Westbrook, and TO. You gotta think KC is going to come in with a chip on their shoulder and help us out. We need the Giants to lose this game if we want any chance of a division win. Otherwise we would have to win out and the Giants would have to lose to the Oakland “can’t beat the NY Jets” Raiders on the last week of the season. With MLB Antonio Pierce and DT William Joseph out it will be hard for them to stop that high powered KC offense. The time is now for the Giants to stumble. Go Chiefs!

Sunday Rooting Card

Carolina at New Orleans. Man I am getting sick of rooting for New Orleans. They disappoint me every time. NO is a mess, and it was a mess even before playing the NFL’s worse schedule. However there is hope here. Carolina did lose to NO in week 1, but that was then and this is now. Regardless of whether Tampa wins or not I am still rooting against Carolina. More then likely the South will be decided by the last game of the year. In the meantime I am rooting for every real football team in the NFC South to lose. I guess that means rooting for NO again. Damnit. Go Saints (for what good it will do you).

Pittsburgh at Minnesota. This may be our best hope for Minnesota to lose another game this season. I have never seen such a cream puff schedule for the stretch run. Oh how I long for the Redskins to play in the NFC North. Give it up for the Vikings though, they have been on fire and playing well. Who knew that what happened on the Love Boat was actually a pep rally? This time though they are playing a real opponent that is also playing for a playoff spot in the very tight AFC. This is an easy pick. Go Steelers!

Atlanta at Chicago. This is the late game on Sunday and will be my first conditional pick. If the Vikings somehow pull out a victory against Pittsburgh it would actually be better for the Redskins if they win the division and the Bear to lose two of it’s next three. So I am issuing my first conditional rooting card. If Minnesota wins earlier against Pitt, I am then rooting for Atlanta against Chicago. If Minnesota loses, I am rooting for the Bears. My reasoning? I really believe that Minnesota could win the NFC North if they can beat Pitt. Chicago is truly a flawed team and having them lose 2 of the next three would be more believable the Minnesota losing both of it’s last two, especially since they play at Baltimore and the Bears at home. If Minnesota loses then I look to Chicago to give a lost to Atlanta drop them into the 6 loss category along with Minnesota and hopefully Dallas and us. So I will pop a comment on this article after the Minnesota game.

Hail Redskins!!!

Vision Quest: Uh Uh UH UH Staying Alive, Staying Alive

The Redskin did their best to stay alive in the playoff race, dismantling the hapless St. Louis Rams 24-9. And with Atlanta and Dallas losing, the playoff picture looks a little brighter for the Redskins. But before we start telling the wives we will be unavailable for anything the weekend of January 7-8 a little dose of reality is in order.

This is not the 2000 Rams. Far from it in fact. Their Head Coach, Mike Martz, has been sidelined by heart problems. Their Quarterback Marc Bulger, did not play. Marshall Faulk is now a situational role player. And the Defense has more holes in it then Mexican border. And while losses by Atlanta and Dallas help, we still trail every wild card contender by one game and the NY Giants and Tampa Bay by two. We could still win every one of our remaining four games, by no means a certainty, and not make the playoffs.

We still need help. But the Football Gods help those that help themselves.



And that is what the Redskins did on Sunday. Clinton Portis helped himself to 136 yards rushing and 2 TDs and Rock Cartwright took another 118 yards on only 9 carries. Mark Brunell pitched in for 156 yards passing and a nice TD to Cooley. The Redskins helped themselves to a win and kept their playoff chances alive.

As I was looking over the NFC standings to see where the Redskins stood in the playoff race. I noticed something odd. After 12 games and 13 weeks in the NFL season the Redskins stand at 6-6. The odd thing is that they are the only team in the NFL that has achieved that level of mediocrity. Usually by now teams start defining themselves. There are good teams contending for the playoffs, there are bad teams sliding their way down to the Reggie Bush sweepstake.

And then there are the Redskins.

The Redskins have the talent to be good. And despite having 6 losses, they really have only been beaten once. That was the 36-0 throttling the Giants put on us that put a blunt end to our promising 5-2 start. Some could make a case that the Giants were playing with high emotion because of the loss of their owner and the score could have been closer. Maybe that is true, but the Giants were the first to figure out the right combination to stop the offense cold. They beat us fair and square.

The other losses are a mix of turnovers, bad decisions, and even referee error. So on one hand that is a positive thing the redskins can build from. If they could just turn it on there is no reason the Redskins can’t run the table and win out. Their victory in St. Louis shows that (btw our first road victory I must point out). A willingness to commit to the run early and often and an ability to stick with it throughout the whole game. This was a very positive first step.

Up next we have the Arizona Cardinals. Don’t chalk this up as an easy win. The redskins have proven that they find ways to pull defeat from the jaws of victories against Tampa, Oakland, and San Diego this year. And injuries are piling up, with Moss, Lavar, and Thrash still hurt and uncertain for Sunday. One could make an argument that those three are the MVPs for the offense, defense, and special teams respectively.

Arizona will almost assuredly rely on its passing game. They have two big physical wide receivers that excel in yards after the catch. Tackling has been a problem for Washington, until last week where they limited St. Louis to just 9 YAC. Arizona will not run the ball often and when they do the Redskins should stop them pretty effectively. But again it will come down to pressuring the passer, something we did effectively last week, but our Achilles heel all year.

Make no mistake about it, this is a must win for the Redskins. Although I do believe that a 9-7 team can make the playoffs in the NFC this year, it is no where near a certainty. With two tough games on the horizon in a revenge seeking Dallas and the same Giants that pummeled us earlier, we need this one. Kurt Warner must go down, and he must go down hard.

I just hope the Redskins don’t fall victim to Bird Flu.

With a Little Help From Our Friends.

In honor of the 25th Anniversary of John Lennon’s death I give you our playoff hopes rooting card:

St. Louis at Minnesota. A different St. Louis team better show up then showed up last week versus us. However Minnesota’s defense is not the Redskins D. Minnesota’s bubble has to pop sometime. Go St. Louis!!

Tampa Bay at Carolina. A win by Tampa will virtually assure that they will at least take one of the Wild Card spots and give them a chance at the NFC South. A win by Carolina will virtually lock up their hold on the NFC South and make Tampa vulnerable. This is easy, GO Carolina!!!

NY Giants at Philadelphia. God I hate rooting for Philly. However I really hate rooting for Philly when there is no chance they will help us out. No Donovan, No TO, No Westbrook, No chance. But I will still root for Philly, but I won’t pretend they have a prayer. Go Philly, I guess.

Kansas City at Dallas. Aieeee!!! I say Aieeee!! This war cry goes out to our Indian brothers at KC. KC needs to win this game to keep pace in the AFC wildcard race and that is bad news for Dallas. Dallas’s last stand comes next week, but perhaps KC can be the Sioux to our Cheyenne and end Dallas’s playoff chances over the next two weeks. Go Chiefs!!!

New Orleans at Atlanta. Man what I would give to be in the South and be able to play New Orleans twice in one season. Once would have been good as well. Vick will probably rebound and play very well on the NFL orphans. But maybe just maybe the Saints can provide some heavenly intervention. Go Saints!!

We don’t need all these match-ups to turn out our way but at least 2 or 3 have to go our way along with us winning to make the final three weeks more then just implausible scenarios.

Hail Redskins!!!!

Vision Quest: The Fat Lady Has Not Sung Yet

OK I am an optimist.

It is real easy to give up on the season. It would be easy to criticize the coach for his play calling. It would be easy to blame the players for their lack of heart. Most importantly it would be easy to rant and rave about Daniel Snyder. And a lot of fans right now are taking the easy road. And on some level I can’t blame them.

I am not a stupid man. I am just as demoralized by our 5 game slump as any fan. And that is really what it is. The major media markets like to say it is an 8 game slide, but don’t you believe it. The Redskin team that played and lost against Denver and Kansas City is not the same team that is losing today. This slide started with the NY Giants trouncing. And save for a win against a weakened Philadelphia team, every opponent of the Redskins have been following the same game plan since.

And what game plan is that? When we are on offense opponents are rolling their safeties towards Moss and ignoring the opposite receiver. An athletic LB or even the other safety and assign him to Cooley to limit his effectiveness. Attack the While the other defenses don’t sell out to the pass, they definitely are not afraid of the running game following a soft bend but don’t break attitude. When blitzing go on our left side and make Samuels try and cover for Dockery’s. And most importantly go for the strip after a Cooley catch or a Portis run.

When we are on defense opponents are exploiting our lack of pass rush. Knowing that our front four, especially without Griffin, generates no pass rush they simply wait for our blitz package. In anticipation of the blitz they stay in and max protect, keeping a TE or RB, in to pass protect, and in many cases both. They wait for the blitz and pick it up. Any NFL QB can complete a pass with 5 to 6 seconds to throw the ball, even with only a two-receiver route. Not to mention Walt Harris giving every receiver a 15-yard cushion. Sure the Redskins could still stop the run but the opponent would wait for the inevitable Lemar Marshall in single coverage against a streaking WR to get a big play.

So why am I an optimist? Because despite playing the worst football this season over the last few games the Redskins have a very realistic shot at making the playoffs and all we need to do is win five straight games and get a little help.

See told you I was an optimist.

Seriously though this is not as undoable task as many fans seem to think it is. Sure it is an uphill battle, but good teams dig themselves out of holes. Great teams never get into the hole in the first place. We are not a great team. But we are a good team. And a good team can make the playoffs.

This squad is better then any Redskin squad since 1999. The team remains united and still believes in the Coach. They have built a team first squad and it can do some major damage if they remain united. The record may say 5-6 but it is not unreasonable to think the Skins can finish 9-7 or 10-6. And if they do they can put themselves in position to get into the playoffs.

If you look at the Redskins Divisional and conference schedule they re in a good position to win tiebreakers. Right now the Redskins are 5-2 in the NFC and 2-1 in the division. If they were to win out they would be 10-2 in the NFC and 5-1 in the division and able to win any tiebreaker scenario against either divisional opponents or wild card rivals. However the Redskins also need a little more help.

The other divisional opponents (NY Giants and Dallas) and the Wild card rivals (Tampa Bay and Atlanta) are all 2 games ahead of us at 7-4. Worse off the Giants and Tampa Bay hold head to head tiebreakers against us. However there are ways, reasonable ways to win both the Wild Card and the Division.

First the Division. Ironically this may be the easiest way to the playoffs for the Redskins. It goes without saying that the Redskins must win the final five games for this scenario. But in doing so the Redskins will deal a loss to both the Giants and the Cowboys. And today the Giants and Cowboys will face each other and one of them will come away with another loss. In addition both the Cowboys (Kansas City, @ Carolina) and the Giants (Kansas City, Oakland, @ Philadelphia) have games left they can lose. Personally I am rooting for Kansas City to show some Indian love to their brethren on the east coast.

The most likely scenario for the Redskins would be a 3-way tie for the division at 10-6. The Redskins would then have a 5-1 division record and win the division as the Giants and Dallas at best would be 4-2. Thus giving the Redskins the divisional win. This is the easiest path to the playoffs and with the most reward, a home playoff game.

Second the Wildcard. This is a little harder because of the head to head with Tampa but it is still mathematically possible. Here we have 4 realistic suitors, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Minnesota, and the loser between Dallas and the NY Giants. Tampa has the hardest road to the playoffs and they are the worst team. Looking at their remaining schedule they have trips to Carolina and New England and a home game against Atlanta and both divisional games against New Orleans. I see at least two, maybe three losses in those opponents. Atlanta plays Carolina twice, at Chicago and Tampa Bay and one game against the Saints. Again Atlanta could lose 3, maybe 4 games here. Minnesota has less margin of error but has an easier schedule. They play @ Detroit and Baltimore, and have St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Chicago at home. There is at least one loss in the Pittsburgh game and Chicago may get them as well.

The biggest obstacle is the head to head loss against Tampa. Remember if the Redskins win out the Giants loss will not be a factor. The only thing the Redskins have to do is make sure that they do not get into a head to head tie with Tampa Bay for the last wildcard spot. The more likely scenario is that there will be three or more teams tied at 10-6. And that is where the divisional records come into play. If all the above teams finish with a 10-6 record their best NFC records would be as follows: Dallas 9-3, Tampa 8-4, Minnesota 8-4, New York 8-4 & Atlanta 7-5. The Redskins, if they win out, would be 10-2. They would win any multiple ties and any straight up head to head except for Tampa. With two spots open the Redskins could also go to 9-7 and have a reasonable shot at winning a tiebreaker and getting in. As long as the tiebreaker is not a head to head against Tampa or in the case of a second loss to the Giants and Dallas still winning the NFC East.

So the chances are there but you have to take it one week at a time. So here are the relevant games for the Redskins this week:

Washington at St. Louis: Obviously. A Redskins win is vital and a loss will put a nail in the St. Louis playoff hopes.

Atlanta at Carolina: Got to hope for Carolina here. A divisional win for Carolina is a big time help to us.

Dallas at NY Giants: Either way we win. I guess because of our head to head some would hope for Dallas to win. But If the Redskins win out and they must the head to head won’t make a difference. There is a part of me that realizes that I rather have the Giants win the division then the Cowboys, which would make the Wild Card race easier, especially if we lose to the Giants again, or one more game. Either way I am hoping for massive injuries. Either way we win here.

Minnesota at Detroit: A win by Detroit will sink the Love Boat II. But it is not likely. Still I am rooting for the Lions to do something.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans: Go Saints. I root for the Saints every week but it is usually futile. It is probably futile now. But I can hope damnit.

Those are the matchups that will help the Redskins. But the most important thing the Redskins have to do today is win. Just win. Everything else will fall into place.

Discuss it in THE CHEROKEE