The Washington Redskins face off with the Philadelphia Eagles for a Week 1 matchup between divisional rivals.
They head into the year with a lot of people marking them down as one of the worst teams in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Eagles are considered to have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL and are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
However, projections aren't always right. The Redskins have a lot of talent themselves. They have an elite-level defensive line, that's young and talented. They're already a great unit, but have room to grow even more.
The entire defense for that matter, is pretty stacked. It's the offense that's bringing them down. Are they really that bad though? Maybe, maybe not. We'll have to wait and see. For now, the focus is on Week 1.
Here are four bold predictions for the Washington Redskins in Week 1 vs. the Philadelphia Eagles.
4. Derrius Guice Reaches 100 Rushing Yards
Going into his rookie year the there was a pretty clear consensus – Derrius Guice is really good. That narrative hasn't changed much despite him missing his entire rookie year due to a torn ACL.
The reason for that is simple. He's shown nothing to dispute it. Guice looked incredible in his lone preseason game this year and it's already been announced he's the starter. The offense will run through him as the passing game isn't going to be the biggest threat in the world.
That means Guice should get a pretty solid number of carries. With his talent, even going up against a great defense in the Philadelphia Eagles, he can put up numbers.
The Washington Redskins will rely on the running game and short passes. So you might think the defense will be ready for the run. However, the short passes could help set up some draw plays or RPOs that yield big yards.
Washington likely won't light up the scoreboard, but Guice will get his yards.
3. Pass Rush Gets to Carson Wentz
The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. While that's a deserving title, don't sleep on the defensive line of the Washington Redskins.
Da'Ron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Matt Ioannidis create a deadly trio. Tim Settle is a great prospect, while Ryan Kerrigan and Montez Sweat on the outside is just unfair.
Although the Eagles have a great offensive line, they'll have their hands full on Sunday. The Redskins just have too many weapons and Carson Wentz might find himself in some trouble.
All four defensive linemen are getting better by the day. Sweat's an unknown but the potential is through the rough. Then, of course, there's Kerrigan. He knows a thing or two about bringing down a quarterback.
If the Redskins want to win this game, it's going to be on the defense to do so.
The pass rush will set the tempo by getting to Wentz early and often.
2. Jordan Reed Is Back
Jordan Reed is one of the best tight ends in football when healthy. I've said it one million times and I'll say it one million times more. His skillset is ridiculous. He's just never healthy.
Reed's never played more than 14 games in a season – and he only did that once. Last year he appeared in 13 games, but he wasn't always healthy in that time. A lot of those games saw him miss action due to injury.
Banking on him staying healthy all season in 2019 seems like an extremely risky (at best) bet. However, Reed will remind everyone how good he is when he is healthy on Sunday. The tight end has shown he can light up any defense and with him being the only truly dangerous target should get a ton of looks this week.
Case Keenum will lean on Reed heavily and he's known to reel in a hefty majority of his targets.
This will lead to Jordan Reed putting up big numbers, even if the rest of the passing game is pretty stagnant.
1. Redskins Win 13-10
The Washington Redskins defense will carry them to a few wins this year. Although they're going up against a great team in the Philadelphia Eagles, this is definitely a candidate to be one of those wins.
The reason for that is as simple as this, they're fresh. Yes, every team will be fresh, but this means a lot more to the Redskins defense.
If we're being honest, the Washington offense likely won't do them all that many favors this year. That means the defense will be on the field a lot and will soon wear down. However, that wear probably won't hit them nearly as hard in week 1, when everyone's relatively rested and healthy compared to how they'll be later in the season.
The Washington offense will move the ball at times, leaning on Derrius Guice and Jordan Reed. Meanwhile, the defense will get in the backfield often. They'll completely stifle the run and they'll create issues for Carson Wentz in the passing game.
This will lead to the Eagles being kept off the board for the most part, and the Redskins walking out of Week 1 with a surprising win.
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