THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS PLAYOFF DATE WITH THE GREEN BAY PACKERS

By Mark Bacon

Washington DC is a very happy town right now. Slowly, cautiously, citizens are appearing in Redskins gear walking to Metro, at happy hour after work, jogging along the Potomac—flying colors, wearing Skins T-shirts to casual Friday at some offices. And the NFC East Champions shirts are flying off the shelves. The city long unaccustomed to their NFL franchise winning. Suddenly, Skins fans find themselves in the weird position of cheering for a team no longer considered a laughing stock of the League.

One salient detail is the rise of the Skins coinciding with their hiring a TRUE GM, not a puppet of owner Dan Snyder. Enter new GM Scot McLoughan. McLoughan is well known in NFL circles as an architect of winning rosters. Witness his past achievements with The Seahawks and Niners. This season he assembled a solid cadre of free agents, not merely “names.” Plus he drafted one of the best rookie classes in the League.

NICE GUYS FINISH… FIRST?

Much of the credit goes to QB “Captain Kirk” Cousins. Cousins arrived in Washington as a footnote; he was cast as a career backup when the Skins chose him in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft. Until this season, when he replaced Robert “Bob” Griffin III as the starting quarterback, Cousins’s limited appearances only earned him a reputation for committing costly errors, particularly throwing picks, at inopportune times.

Ah, but what a difference the past 10 weeks has made. That former backup QB has led the Redskins to a stunning reversal of fortune. Led by Cousins, they have followed up a 2-4 start with a 7-3 finish that clinched Washington’s first NFC East championship since 2012 and a first-round playoff date with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in DC. Much credit goes to Cousin’s meticulous attention to detail, and preparation prior to each game.

Now, talk around town is all Cousins. Cousins finds time to foster dogs during the season! Cousins can be a recording star with his great singing voice!! Cousins for President!!!

RUNNING GAME DOA

While Cousins' offense has looked fantastic over the past two months, the passing game hasn't done much to get a near-dead Washington rushing attack going. Since the "You like that!" game against Tampa, Washington's rushing attack has averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. It is 28th in the league. It’s bad. The best way to attack the Packers is to go after them on the ground. Green Bay has the sixth-best pass defense in the NFL.

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?

When experts pick the Skins to beat opponents, Washington loses, feeding the belief among some fans that it’s a bad omen when their team are favorites. I know. I am one of those people.

Well, here’s the good news. Many analysts, including four out of five members of the NFL Network’s pregame show, picked the Redskins to beat the Eagles on Dec. 26. The Redskins did win.

If you’re the superstitious type, like me, who still isn’t convinced that fortune has changed for the Skins, here’s more good news: The experts are pretty split about who will win Sunday’s wild-card game against the Packers. More pundits like the Redskins, but they’re not the overwhelming favorite. The game is a pick’em in Vegas.

Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post picked the Redskins. He writes:

“Washington is a different team at home. Its passer rating balloons from 88 to 115.6  and it rushes for 1.3 more yards per carry. The defense allows fewer yards per rush at home, as well (4.3 vs. 5.5).

And the Packers are limping into the playoffs, not producing an above-average number of yards per play since Week 8.”

So, my prediction? Do I have to?? Washington by one. That’s as far as I’ll go for now.

Remember, I’m a superstitious fan, unaccustomed to my team finding success on the gridiron. Like they have this season.

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