2018 Washington Redskins Season Odds & Predictions

It’s a new era for the Washington Redskins. For several years, Kirk Cousins brought plenty of excitement but not enough wins to Washington. Last year’s 7-9 campaign was the end of the road for him. Rather than trying to work out an extension with Cousins, the Redskins made a bold move by trading for Alex Smith, another quarterback who has struggled to find success in the postseason.

With Smith under center, the Redskins will set out to win their first playoff game in over a dozen years. Meanwhile, head coach Jay Gruden is starting to feel the heat after back-to-back third-place finishes in the NFC East. Does Smith turn out to be the missing piece that allows Gruden to Washington back to the playoffs or will it be another disappointing season in the nation’s capital?

Washington Expected Win Total & Super Bowl Odds

The oddsmakers are showing little respect for the Redskins, who are listed at +7500 to win the Super Bowl. Considering the franchise’s troubles just getting to the playoffs and Smith’s poor playoff record, picking Washington to win the Super Bowl is a sucker’s bet. Meanwhile, the Redskins are projected to match last year’s win total of seven. With the Trade for Smith being the only significant change to the roster, it’s hard to believe Washington will top that number.

Obviously, the Redskins are banking on Smith being a considerable upgrade over Cousins. To his credit, Smith has been part of a lot of winning teams during his career. However, he’s rarely been looked at as a catalyst for that kind of success. At times, he’s looked like a borderline-elite quarterback. But Smith typically needs a strong supporting cast around him in order to win games on a consistent basis.

In terms of Smith’s supporting cast in Washington, it’ll be up to young receivers like Josh Doctson and Jamison Crowder to grow into prominent roles with Ryan Grant and Terrelle Pryor out of the picture. Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis should also be useful targets for Smith, who loves throwing to tight ends. Of course, Davis is not so young anymore and Reed is frequently hurt, so there will be tons of pressure on Doctson and Crowder to be consistent playmakers.

Meanwhile, with rookie Derrius Guice suffering a serious knee injury during the preseason, it may be up to Chris Thompson, Rob Kelley, and Samaje Perine to lead the ground attack. Thompson had a promising 2017 campaign before being derailed by injury. But he may not be enough to give the Redskins a viable running game. On paper, the Redskins have an offensive line that should be better than average. However, starting tackles Trent Williams and Morgan Moses are both coming off injuries, so there’s a little uncertainty about whether the line can play up to their potential.

Defensively, the Redskins have a nice collection of young talent along the defensive line, led by first-round pick Da’Ron Payne and last year’s first-rounder Jonathan Allen. Washington needs those young men to grow up in a hurry in order to improve one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL. If that group can show improvement from last year, the Redskins should benefit from returning all four starters at linebacker, including pass-rushing menace Ryan Kerrigan. Washington also brought in Pernell McPhee to give them an extra pass-rushing threat.

The Washington secondary was actually one of the best in the league last year. However, they have to replace Bashaud Breeland, Su’a Cravens, and Kendall Fuller. Fortunately, Josh Norman remains at one of the cornerback spots. The Redskins should also have good depth at that position with the addition of Orlando Scandrick and the return of Quinton Dunbar and Fabian Moreau. At safety, D.J. Swearing and Montae Nicholson are back, although the depth behind them could become a question mark. 

In some ways, the Redskins seem to have improved from last season. They should be better at both running the ball and stopping the run. However, they don’t have as many proven playmakers on offense as they would like, nor do they have a secondary that’s particularly intimidating outside of Norman. Even if Smith turns out to be an upgrade over Cousins, it’s tough to see vast improvement from the Redskins in 2018.

Redskins Schedule & Game-by-Game Predictions

Date Opponent Time
Sep 9 @ Arizona Cardinals 4:25 PM
Sep 16 Indianapolis Colts 1:00 PM
Sep 23 Green Bay Packers 1:00 PM
Oct 8 @ New Orleans Saints 8:15 PM
Oct 14 Carolina Panthers 1:00 PM
Oct 21 Dallas Cowboys 4:25 PM
Oct 28 @ New York Giants 1:00 PM
Nov 4 Atlanta Falcons 1:00 PM
Nov 11 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 PM
Nov 18 Houston Texans 1:00 PM
Nov 22 @ Dallas Cowboys 4:30 PM
Dec 3 @ Philadelphia Eagles 8:15 PM
Dec 9 New York Giants 1:00 PM
Dec 16 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 PM
Dec 23 @ Tennessee Titans 1:00 PM
Dec 30 Philadelphia Eagles 1:00 PM

The pressure is on Washington to start fast. Their schedule gets tough in October and then gets brutal down the stretch. Much like last season, it could be difficult for them to string wins together.

Week 1: at Cardinals – Loss

Smith and his young receivers just aren’t on the same page in the season opener. Against a tough Arizona defense, the Redskins get off to a slow start.

Week 2: vs Colts – Win

Smith has a nice afternoon against an Indianapolis defense that is likely to struggle early in the year. Meanwhile, the Redskins benefit from Andrew Luck having plenty of rust to shake off.

Week 3: vs Packers – Loss

Smith has a good day against the Green Bay defense, but Aaron Rodgers has an even better one against the Washington defense, as the Redskins fail to get off to a fast start before their bye week.

Week 4: Bye

Week 5: at Saints – Loss

Even with the extra prep time, the Redskins don’t have an enjoyable Monday night in New Orleans. The Saints make Washington’s offense one-dimensional, and Smith doesn’t have it in him to outshine Drew Brees.

Week 6: vs Panthers – Loss

Washington puts up a fight in this game. However, the Carolina defense travels well, so Smith and company can’t make plays in crunch time.

Week 7: vs Cowboys – Win

The Redskins benefit from a couple poor turnovers from Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, helping them get back on track with a division win.

Week 8: at Giants – Loss

Despite a win last week, the Redskins struggle to turn it into two in a row. Once again, the Washington offense struggles to get much going on the road.

Week 9: vs Falcons – Loss

The Falcons come into Washington rested and refreshed after their bye week. The Redskins actually play a good game, but Matt Ryan and company are just a little better.

Week 10: at Buccaneers – Loss

This game gets a little out of control in terms of scoring. Unfortunately for the Redskins, a shootout doesn’t exactly play into their favor, especially against Jameis Winston. The Bucs win a high-scoring affair, as Washington’s season spirals out of control.

Week 11: vs Texans – Loss

The Texans have a bye week coming into this game. Those fresh legs pay off in the 4th quarter, as Deshaun Watson and company pull out a close game.

Week 12: at Cowboys – Loss

Having a road game in a short week is never easy. The Redskins can’t get anything going against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.

Week 13: at Eagles – Loss

A Monday night game in Philadelphia is not a winning formula for the Redskins. This makes six straight losses for Washington in what has become a nightmare of a season.

Week 14: vs Giants – Win 

To their credit, the Redskins haven’t gotten discouraged. They come home and hand a loss to an unsuspecting Giants team.

Week 15: at Jaguars – Loss

Playing Jacksonville’s defense on the road is no picnic. The Redskins can’t generate much offense, and so this game ends up being a little lopsided in favor of the Jaguars.

Week 16: at Titans – Loss

The Washington defense struggles to contain Marcus Mariota while the Tennessee defense doesn’t have that problem against Smith.

Week 17: vs Eagles – Win

The Eagles could have the NFC East wrapped up by this point. Much like last season, Philadelphia chooses to rest their starters in Week 17, allowing Washington to score a consolation win against their division rivals.

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