NY Jets: Do not underestimate the Redskins

The NY Jets must stay focused on the task at hand as the Washington Redskins are sitting at 2-3 and with the New England Patriots on tap, this could be a trap game.

As the NY Jets return from their bye week; rested and rejuvenated, I have some immediate advice to consider: do not underestimate this Washington Redskins team. It’d be easy for the Jets to say on the surface they’re facing their third straight dysfunctional team in a row in the Redskins (after playing the desperate 0-2 Eagles and the 1-2 Dolphins who ended up firing their coach after the game).

Todd Bowles in his first press conference of the week (post-bye) gave his thoughts on the bye week via their Media Relations Department:

On if he feels that players are recharged after the Bye Week…

I think some of them were refreshed. We have to get refocused. I thought we had a decent practice today. We still have to get refocused and get ready for the game plan Wednesday, Thursday and Friday because we have 12 games straight. It’s going to be a long haul and there’s going to be a lot of guys that we have to count on if injuries occur. We just have to be ready.

The Redskins were the face of ineptitude this off-season with a fumbling quarterback situation that made their front office look bad. Somehow they went from saying Robert Griffin was their savior and announcing that Kirk Cousins was the starting quarterback for the entire season in the same off-season.

Again it’d be easy for the Jets to take a sneak peek ahead at the New England Patriots match-up in Foxborough in two weeks, but the Jets can’t let this be a trap game. This team can’t afford to lose to ‘beatable’ opponents at home, it’s unacceptable.

Oct 11, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Redskins 25-19 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

As bad as this Redskins team seems on the surface it is all hogwash, despite the tumultuous off-season, the Redskins field a sneaky-good team in 2015. This Redskins team is led by their gritty defense and their stout rushing attack.

According to ESPN stats and information…

"The Redskins have the 9th best rushing attack in the NFL with 609 yards on the ground (the difference between 9th and 1st place is slightly over 100 yards rushing) The Redskins are tied for 10th in the league in sacks with 12 take-downs But Washington is ranked 19th in the league in terms of turnover differential with (-3)"

So there is some good and some bad with this Redskins team, let’s start with the good which is their running game. Led by the combination of Alfred Morris and Matt Jones, the Redskins have been able to force teams to respect their run game. In turn it has opened up the passing game with Cousins sitting at the helm. Though Cousins holds an extremely high completion percentage, it’s a bit deceiving in the sense that it would seem Cousins is quite accurate. While it seems on the contrary in regards to his touchdown-to-interception ratio which is 5:6.

Let’s take a look at who the Redskins have had to play this season and how they fared:

Week 1: 17-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins

Week 2: 24-10 win over the St. Louis Rams

Week 3: 32-21 loss to the New York Giants

Week 4: 23-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles

Week 5: 25-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons

It took a late special teams touchdown for the Dolphins to edge the Redskins. Then the Skins bounced back with a strong win over an up and coming Rams squad. Then they layed an egg vs. the Giants on Thursday Night Football. Then they came back in dramatic fashion to beat the Eagles and as we saw last week bringing the undefeated Falcons to the brink in overtime.

So long story short this Redskins team has been hot and cold all season, but what’s been consistent is their defense and Cousins consistently throwing interceptions at inopportune times. It’s imperative for the Jets to be able to get this win against a tough Redskins team who will be looking to play spoiler on Sunday.

You can argue how important certain aspects of the game are from the game of thirds between: offense, defense and special teams. But what can’t be argued is the fact that the world of the NFL is certainly physical, but it’s also mental. This game will prove more than just a W or an L on the schedule, it’ll prove whether this Jets team has really changed and whether they can come out of the bye week focused and come out fast.

Next: NY Jets: What to expect after the bye week

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