Washington Redskins 2009 Schedule: An Early Look

The NFL schedule was released a couple days ago, and it's never too early to start speculating on how teams will do. I read that the Redskins have the 13th toughest schedule.

But if they get off to a quick start and avoid the late season collapse of 2008, they have a legitimate shot at a playoff birth, if they can manage to play .500 ball in the always brutal NFC East.

So here's how the schedule looks.

Sept. 13- at New York Giants

The Skins open the season at the Meadowlands, where they haven't played very well of late. They do have some things going for them though. For starters,  the Giants are lacking a true No. 1 receiver.

They might pick up either Braylon Edwards or acquire Anquan Boldin, but if the season began today, they'd be looking at Dominic Hixon and Steve Smith as their top wideouts. Also, they lost Derrick Ward, and while they still have Ahmad Bradshaw, not to mention Brandon Jacobs, they don't have the three-headed monster of last year's team.

I like the way the Skins usually play in openers, and I fully expect Zorn to be more prepared coming out this season than last year's opener. I could see the Skins pulling out a victory here, but I'll err on the side of caution (a.k.a. better judgement) and pick the G-men by a field goal. Giants 23, Redskins 20.

Sept. 20- vs. St. Louis Rams

The Rams are a mess. Don't forget though, that they notched one of their two victories last season over the Redskins. Damn Donnie Avery! The Rams return with quarterback Marc Bulger, their on-again-off-again quarterback of 2008, and of course Steven Jackson, provided he's healthy.

Aside from those two, the Rams are pretty much a work in progress. Avery is their legitimate deep threat, but not much else jumps out at you. They do have the No. 2 pick in the draft, and are expected to go offensive tackle with that pick, so the Skins might have a wee bit of a tougher time getting to Bulger.

Ultimately, Haynesworth should have his way with Eugene Monroe, or Jason Smith or whoever and the Skins should be able to overwhelm the Rams, winning by a touchdown or two. Redskins 24, Rams 13.

Sept 27- at Detroit Lions

Ah...the winless Lions. With games at New Orleans and at home versus Minnesota, the Lions should be riding a 18-game losing streak heading into their tilt with the Skins. They have the No. 1 pick in the draft and provided they take Matthew Stafford, he should be the starting quarterback headed into the season (PLEASE! No more Dan Orlovsky!).

They also have Calvin Johnson, THE premier wideout in the league and he proved in college that it doesn't take a genius to get him the ball (see, Reggie Ball), so Stafford should be able to get it to him as well. All in all, the Skins have way too much (see, offense and defense) and the Lions have way too little (see, offense and defense). Redskins 28, Lions 13. 

Oct 4- vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Really, the only thing you have to worry about when you play the Buccaneers is their defense. For years, the Bucs had one of the premier defenses in the game. Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, Warren Sapp...wait, those guys are all old, retired, or not playing for the Bucs anymore.

My point is, that the Bucs defense is old, and not what it used to be. Their offense seems to have a little stability with the signing of Byron Leftwich, who I was hoping would come home to Washington. But Leftwich was rather unimpressive as a starter late in his career in Jacksonville, so I have no reason to believe that he'll come into Tampa and turn things around. Also, Raheem Morris is REALLY young, and I think it will take him longer than four games to get the Bucs on track. Redskins 17, Buccaneers 7.

Oct 11- at Carolina Panthers

The Panthers showed what they're capable off when they're healthy last year, before shutting down in the playoffs. They should be good again this year, with Delhomme to Smith as strong as ever, so I expect a good game here.

The fact that it's in Carolina, I'd give the edge to the Panthers. Assuming Julius Peppers is still a Panther, their defense should be pretty solid and on offense they have possibly the best one-two running back tandem in the league in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. They should give the Skins their first true test on defense. Panthers 27, Redskins 17.

Oct 18- vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs made the biggest offseason splash, trading for Matt Cassel. They were already a team that was getting better towards the end of the season and few quarterbacks were as hot as Cassel in the last few weeks.

While the franchise quarterback won't have the same weapons in Randy Moss and Wes Welker, as well as offensive wizard Josh McDaniels, he does have the underrated and very talented Dwayne Bowe, tight end Tony Gonzalez, and Larry Johnson.

The Chiefs will try to make their game scoring points to make up for the fact that their defense, while it should be much improved, is not a top-notch unit. Redskins 31, Chiefs 17.

Oct 26- vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are always a tough match, and this game should be a good one. Donovan McNabb has been great the past two years, Brian Westbrook is super exciting, and DeSean Jackson is a true gamebreaker.

If the Eagles can manage to get either Edwards or Boldin, whichever one the Giants don't get, the Eagles will have their most complete team in years. They did lose Brian Dawkins on defense, and they will surely miss Tra Thomas on the O-line, but the Eagles game is all about offense.

McNabb should throw the ball 30-plus times, and hopefully the Skins corners can pry a couple of those away. As always, the two teams will probably split the series. I'll give this one to the Eagles in a mini-upset at Fed Ex Field. Eagles 28, Redskins 17.

Nov 8- at Atlanta Falcons

The Matt Ryan and Michael Turner show hosts the Redskins. The Falcons were a super surprise from last year, and they look poised to build on their 2008 behind the super poise of their sophomore quarterback.

Matt Ryan was possibly the best rookie quarterback to take the stage in 20-plus years, and you just know he's going to get better. He has one of the league's best backs in Michael Turner, and Jerious Norwood provides a great supplement to the running game.

Roddy White is a legit No. 1 guy and Michael Jenkins showed last year he might not have been a bust after all. On defense the Falcons are still a work in progress, but they're getting better, and look to be a solid overall team in a few years. I'm still taking the Skins here though. Redskins 24, Falcons 20.

Nov. 15- vs. Denver Broncos

What appeared to be a really good game two months ago now looks like a pretty easy Redskins win. Let's face it. The Broncos defense last year was AWFUL. They haven't gotten much better, and they lost their franchise quarterback to boot.

Kyle Orton isn't awful, but he's no Jay Cutler and with no apparent running back to lead the offense, I see a very frustrated Brandon Marshall, and a very inefficient offense. The Skins should have a field day here, their one blowout of the season. Redskins 38, Broncos 10.

Nov. 22- at Dallas Cowboys

I hate playing the Cowboys, even more than I hate the Cowboys themselves. They could have a dreadful season or a Super Bowl caliber type one, either way, one thing is for sure. They'll give the Redskins a game.

The Skins have let Tony Romo eat them up the past few years, and Marion Barber showed he could simply run over the Skins' D in last year's meetings. They did lose T.O., which is a good and bad thing. Good, because he averaged about a touchdown a game versus Washington, and bad, because him leaving might make for a more unified team and locker room.

While I'm not really afraid of Miles Austin, I am of what Roy Williams has the potential to do against the Skins' defense. Cowboys 17, Redskins 13.

Nov. 29- at Philadelphia Eagles

Here comes the yin to the yang. The Eagles usually win one game while the Redskins win the other. The Eagles should put together a good year, pushing for a playoff spot, and this game late in the season should be an important one. I expect Jason Campbell to have done a lot of growing up by this point, and he leads the team to a revenge victory here in Philly. Redskins 21, Eagles 16.

Dec. 6- vs. New Orleans Saints

As an attendant of the Skins-Saints game last year, the Saints had the game won, in the bag, game over. Then the Skins got lucky, nabbed a few turnovers, got a couple HUGE plays from Santana Moss, and escaped with a victory.

It's always an interesting thing when Reggie Bush comes to town, like last year when he returned a punt untouched for a touchdown, and you know Drew Brees will be ready to go. I like the Redskins defense to make him pay for throwing the ball 50-plus times again. Redskins 27, Saints 20.

Dec. 13- at Oakland Raiders

If the Skins can tame the Eagles and Saints in back-to-back weeks, you would think that they could easily take care of the Raiders, right? Right. The Raiders should still be a bottom-dwelling team, but remember how the 'Skins performed against bottom-dwelling teams last year (see, Rams and Bengals)?

Let's hope they can turn on the jets against a team that should give the Skins an opportunity to take many mistakes and turn them into points. I expect them to pull away in this one, but the Raiders will put some drama into the game late. Redskins 30, Raiders 28.

Dec. 21- vs. New York Giants

Riding a three-game winning streak is just about the only way to have any sort of momentum going into a tilt with the G-men.

The Redskins have played some of their worst football the past few years against the Giants, home or away. They have killed rallies, streaks and momentum, and if the 'Skins can manage to reel off a couple victories, they can probably make it close, but that's about all.

Eli Manning seems to have the Redskins number these days, and he'll find a way to pull it out. The Giants will find a way to complete the season sweep. Giants 22, Redskins 7.

Dec. 28- vs. Dallas Cowboys

Dallas AT Washington. I love it! The 'Skins have owned the Cowboys at home the past few years. I love watching them make Tony Romo miserable. If they can contain the running game of Barber and Felix Jones, they will dominate. But can they do it? Yeah, they have to win at least one from the Cowboys. No biased Redskins fan could pick them to go 0-2 versus the evil empire of the NFL. Redskins 27, Cowboys 23.

Jan. 3- at San Diego Chargers

The Redskins always throw one stinker every season. See the game versus the Steelers last year and the game versus the Patriots the year before. Yuck! After an emotional victory over the Cowboys the week prior, the 'Skins should be all tuckered out after traveling cross-country to take on the Chargers, who always make a late-season push. Chargers 33, Redskins 13.

So there you have it, the Redskins season preview in a nutshell. Looks like I have them finishing up their season 10-6. Probably good enough to make the playoffs, but in this NFC East, who knows?

Can't wait to find out how the rest of the offseason goes. I'll definitely check in with a 2.0 to this 1.0 after the draft and minicamps. We've still got a long way to go before opening kick.