Washington Redskins' 2008 Schedule Breakdown

I’ve heard some groaning about how difficult the schedule is for the Washington Redskins this year. Certainly, the premise of having to face all three division rivals on the road within the first five weeks is not pleasant, but that doesn’t make it insurmountable.

I have looked at the Redskins' schedule, and to be honest, their three division opponents seem to be the toughest opponents on their schedule.

Of the remaining 10 non-divisional opponents, the only ones that concern me are Pittsburgh and Seattle.

So, if we consider that the Redskins get swept by all three divisional opponents, and lose to Pittsburgh and Seattle, that leaves the team a potential 8-8.

The remaining eight teams on their schedule are:

New Orleans Saints

This team seemed to have found the missing piece of their puzzle two years ago, when they drafted Reggie Bush, but last year they returned to form as they faced tougher opponents and finished with a 7-9 record. I don’t expect that they will be much better this year.

Arizona Cardinals

The Redskins managed to squeak out a victory versus the Cardinals last year with a last-minute field goal, but many fans (including myself) believe that the only reason this game was even close was due to conservative play-calling that allowed Arizona back into the game.

The Cardinals managed to finish 8-8 last year, but some of the credit for that would certainly be the fact that they play in the weakest division in the NFC.

St. Louis Rams

Were it not for Miami’s 1-15 season, the Rams would have finished dead last in the league last year. As it is, they did manage to finish last in the weakest division in the NFC. They have welcomed back Al Saunders as their offensive coordinator, but I seriously doubt he will improve them much this year.

Cleveland Browns

Cleveland surprised a lot of people with what appeared to be a high-powered offense, but also gave up a lot of points last year on defense. They managed to put together a respectable 10-6 record, even though one of their six losses came at the hands of the 4-12 Raiders. I think they will struggle this year, as they face some serious NFC East competition.

Detroit Lions

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