Another revenge game storyline, a game where Kirk Cousins got to beat on a Redskins team that did not believe in him. A team that let him go and went in a different Quarterback direction. Case Keenum got a chance to do the same for a Vikings team that also allowed him to sign elsewhere. However, he suffered a concussion and was replaced by Dwayne Haskins, negating his opportunity to inflict some type of revenge on his old team. Although, I do not think his chances of pulling off a victory were high, considering how badly this team is playing. The final score was 9-19 for the Vikings.
We are now 1-7, and this team is now inconsequential as far as the NFC East division goes. I do not think I can remember a recent time when a Redskins team was this irrelevant 8 weeks into a season. Even when we had a losing record in previous seasons, this team was somewhere in the middle of it all, fighting it out week after week, making things difficult for our opponents, especially for our division rivals. Management and ownership seem unaware and clueless about how awful this team is. On paper, this team should be a hell of a lot better. The product out in the field is a disaster. They cannot stop anybody on defense, even though they are loaded with young talent on the defensive side. Terry McLaurin is our only star in the making. I get the sense from listening to Bill Callahan discussing Dwayne Haskins that he will be inserted into the starting line up after the bye week, and then a clearer picture of the future of this team will develop.
It is evident to me that this team is playing better under Callahan than under Jay Gruden, but they need to start winning games soon. Things are not getting any easier for us, next week, we play the Bills. They have an outstanding defense, but if we follow the Eagles game plan and run the ball well as coach Callahan likes, then we have a shot at pulling the upset. We got to establish our running game early and stick to it no matter what the score is. We have to play old school football; run the ball down their throats type of football.
My current disposiiton regarding my Redskins: Desperate for a win.
And now for the rest of the league….
WEEK 8:
Eagles 31-Bills 13: It was all about running the ball down Buffalo’s throat, and the Bills defense did not have an answer to Philly’s running game. The Eagles needed this victory badly after being embarrassed last week by the overrated Cowboys. Next week the Bills play my Redskins, and I hope we can duplicate Philly’s success running the ball.
Lions 31-Giants 26: The Lions are still chasing a playoff spot, with this win they are now 3-3, and they are pretty much still in it. Their defense played much better, and Matthew Stafford had an outstanding game. Matt Patricia is developing this team into future contenders. The Giants are losing close games, and I am not sold on Daniel Jones yet.
49ers 51-Panthers 13: This 49ers squad is undefeated at 7-0, Kyle Shanahan is another former Redskins Assistant coach lighting up the league, similar to how Sean McVay lit up the league last year. Kyle Allen had a day to forget, where he threw 3 interceptions and struggled to get this offense going like in the previous 5 games. Christian McCaffrey continues to be the lone offensive threat for the Panthers. Next week Carolina plays an important divisional game against the Titans, and Maybe Cam Newton could be ready to return.
Texans 27- Raiders 24: The fourth quarter belonged to the Texans. The Raiders were ahead in the scoreboard for three-quarters of the game until Houston put up 14 points in the fourth and held the Raiders to just one field goal. The Texans are just one game behind the Colts for 1st place in the AFC South. The Raiders fell to 3-4 for the season, they play the Lions next week, which will make for an exciting game. These are two teams building for the future.
Rams 24-Bengals 10: The NFC West is getting hotter and hotter, the Rams are in third place behind the Seahawks and 49ers. They already lost to both teams, so they will have to put together some wins heading into the December rematch games against Seattle and San Francisco to have a shot at grabbing a playoff spot. The Bengals are a disaster, they are not as bad as the Dolphins, but they are still pretty damn bad.
Colts 15-Broncos 13: Joe Flacco threw Denver’s coaching staff under the bus, calling out their playcalling. The Broncos are a mess, and maybe it is time to start looking at John Elway as the problem here. The Colts are 5-2 and making a solid run at the division title.
Patriots 27-Browns 13: Cleveland keeps getting prime time games, and they keep on losing badly. Freddie Kitchens will be fired by the end of the season. He is not the guy for this over-hyped team. The Patriots are all about their defense, and Tom Brady is looking completely disinterested; he seems to be going through the motions. Next week’s game against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens should be an interesting one.
Packers 31-Chiefs 24: Kansas city needs to improve on defense ASAP, picking up someone by the trade deadline to boost their defense should be a priority. Pat Mahomes should be back soon, but their main issue is the inability to stop anyone on defense. The packers are now 7-1, and their next three games will be against tough teams.
Chargers 17-Bears 16: The Bears cannot catch a break, and Matt Nagy decided to kneel on a 1st down before a field goal attempt, fans, and the media are heavily questioning his decision making, the field goal attempt failed, and it cost them the game. Trubisky continues to struggle, and changes are in order for this team; maybe it is time to start looking at their GM Ryan Pace and some of his decisions. The Chargers refuse to go down into the night quietly, they are a tough, scrappy team, and they will make games difficult for anyone facing them.
Saints 31-Cardinals 9: Drew Brees came back and looked great, throwing for over 300 yards and 3 TDs. The saints seem to be destined to run away with the Division. Nobody expected the Cardinals to be 3-4 up to this point in the season. Next week they play the 49ers, and I do not expect much from Arizona in this game.
Titans 27-Buccaneers 23: Ryan Tannehill has now won 2 straight games since taking over for Marcus Mariota as the starting QB. This is a perfect example of why it is essential to have a capable and experienced backup quarterback in your roster. Mariota’s time in Tennessee might be over, which is a strange parallel, but it feels like James Winston’s time in Tampa Bay is also winding down.
Jaguars 29-Jets 15: Sam Darnold continues to “see ghosts” throwing 3 picks if you count the 4 picks he threw last week against the Patriots, that is 7 picks in two weeks, Adam Gase was hired to develop Darnold into a starting QB, but not much progress seems to be occurring here. Garner Minshew and the Jaguars have won two in a row, bringing them to 4-4 for the season, next week they play a dangerous Texans team but without their best defensive player JJ watt who is out for the season. I like Jaguar’s chances here.
Seahawks 27-Falcons 20: Atlanta is 1-7, and they cannot get anything going on offense. Matt Schaub replacing Matt Ryan threw for over 400 yards but only 1 TD, and there was no ground game. Dan Quinn surprisingly has not gotten fired yet. The Seahawks got an easy win, and next week they play a 2-5 struggling Buccaneers team, which should be another easy win for them before going up against the 49ers on week 10.
Steelers 27-Dolphins 14: Miami scored 14 points in the first quarter, and that was it for the whole game. The steelers got going in the second quarter and never looked back. The Steelers are now 3-4, two games behind division leader Baltimore, so they need to start winning some games now to have a shot a the playoffs.
Rod Rioja 