Is the glass half full or half empty? That pretty much summarizes the uncertainty over the Washington Redskins 5-3 mark at midseason.
The five wins match last year’s final number so progress can’t be denied. The young quarterback is working out, the defense is pretty good and special teams are winning games.
So why do only die-hard fans believe the Redskins are heading to the playoffs? They have plenty of talent. The schedule is balanced with four games against contenders and four versus also-rans. Nine wins should get a wild card in the NFC.
“We feel like we control our own destiny,” coach Joe Gibbs said.
The Redskins should beat Philadelphia on Sunday while Buffalo and Chicago are winnable games. It may come down to the season-ender versus Dallas in a rivalry that always brings surprises.
Optimists say the team should have beaten Green Bay and the New York Giants for a 7-1 mark. Critics counter two overtime wins and Arizona could have been losses for a 2-6. The Redskins are what they should be — 5-3.
Are the playoffs probable? The last 15 years have shown midseason success means nothing more than any other trend.
The Redskins were 7-1 in 1996 after losing the opener. True to coach Norv Turner’s tenure of torment, Washington finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.
Washington was 6-2 in 2000 with five straight victories. Remember how Deion and Co. flamed out so badly Turner didn’t even finish the 8-8 season? The Redskins lost six of seven over one stretch.
Gibbs opened 3-0 in 2005 and was 5-3 at midseason, then lost three straight. The Redskins needed five straight wins to reach the postseason — the highlight of Gibbs II.
The Redskins were 5-3 in 1992 in Gibbs’ final season of his first tenure. They finished 9-7 with a playoff win just one season after winning the Super Bowl. Who knew that was the end of an era with Gibbs leaving two months later?
The upside of the current Super Bowl chase is the Redskins have a pressure kicker. Shaun Suisham has won two games this season. Washington may have finally settled on an offense when running for 296 yards against the New York Jets. Granted, the Jets defense is awful, but the Redskins offensive line seems to be meshing.
And whenever you have a good defense, you have a chance to win every game. Well, every game except New England. But that’s past and Dallas and Minnesota pose the only daunting offensive threats.
Conversely, the Redskins still have a patchwork offensive line. The receivers are doing so little that no one even cared Brandon Lloyd was suspended for the last game. The team won’t win any shootouts.
Once again, where are the Redskins heading — playoffs or purgatory? Maybe 9-7 as a wild card — if they beat Dallas at the end.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
