Last word on Pro Football is ranking each team’s easiest and hardest games of the 2017 schedule. Games will be ranked in order of difficulty, with one being the most difficult. This series will be split up into the eight most difficult games (1-8) and the eight easiest games (9-16). In this article, the Washington Redskins easiest games will be discussed.
Washington Redskins Easiest Games in 2017
9. Week 15: vs Arizona Cardinals
David Johnson was the player that kept the Arizona Cardinals relevant in 2016. Offensively, the team is pretty old. Carson Palmer is past his prime and Larry Fitzgerald has his best days behind him. Arizona’s defense is loaded with talent, but had their own struggles last season. Expectations were high last season and should be high again this season for the Cardinals. Arizona will early get back to being a playoff team, or crumble again and have another bad season.
10. Week 16: vs Denver Broncos
Denver’s defense is arguably the best in the league. The team is filled to the brim with talent everywhere defensively. Although the Broncos look like a great team, their offense is anything but. Denver has yet to determine who will be their starting quarterback for 2017. Whoever that quarterback is will have a less than average offensive line and an inconsistent running game.
11. Week 10: vs Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota is another team with a great defense and a not-so-good offense. Minnesota’s running game should get better with draft pick Dalvin Cook and free agent Latavius Murray. Overall, the offense is inconsistent and if Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater starts at quarterback, they wont have much around them offensively. Washington’s defense should be good enough next season to slow down Minnesota’s offense.
12. Week 14: at Los Angeles Chargers
Philip Rivers is a gunslinger. The man finds a way to get it done without much around him. Los Angeles does have an overlooked defense which features Joey Bosa. Washington might struggle to slow down Rivers, but the Chargers always seem to find ways to lose games. Until the Chargers figure out how to win by putting it all together, they will not be very good.
13. Week 1: vs Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia has a good team that should be even better in 2017. Carson Wentz is only going into his second season in the NFL. A sophomore slump is possible, especially if the rest of the team doesn’t step up. Washington has the more experienced quarterback, and that should help them against an up-and-coming team like the Eagles.
14. Week 11: at New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees puts up huge numbers every year. On the other hand, the Saints defense is always really bad. New Orleans find themselves getting into shootouts nearly every week. Washington has a good enough offense to put up the points they need to win. Brees is a great quarterback, but the defense has to stop being a letdown for them to win games.
15. Week 2: at Los Angeles Rams
Jared Goff had a disappointing rookie season. The number one overall pick might not have started every game, but when he played it wasn’t pretty. Todd Gurley had his own disappointing season after a breakout rookie campaign. Los Angeles has a bad offensive line, and virtually no weapons in the passing game for Goff. The Rams now have a new head coach in Sean McVay, and should be trying to rebuild a team with Goff. Los Angeles might not be good for a couple more seasons.
16. Week 6: at San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco has begun a full rebuild. Many players are gone and the new players are either young guys or rookies. Washington shouldn’t have much of a problem against the 49ers. This is one of the easiest games for Washington. San Francisco looks to have some pieces on defense with DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas. The 49ers offense is riddled with holes everywhere, including quarterback. Teams in the NFL can’t win meaningful games without a franchise quarterback. San Francisco needs to keep on building that team.
Be sure to check out the eight most difficult games on the 2017 Washington Redskins schedule.
