Tim Hightower Predicts That the Washington Redskins Will Make the Super Bowl

At the start of training camp, Washington Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman boldly predicted that his team would finish first in the NFC East. Many at the time thought that his prediction was asinine. However, Washington currently entering their bye week with a solid 3-1 record, sitting atop the NFC East. 

With the team entering what's supposed to be a relaxed week away from football, the team's starting running back, Tim Hightower, decided to make his own prediction—but this wasn't just making the playoffs. Hightower actually is predicting the Redskins to win the NFC and make it all the way to the Super Bowl. 

Let's pause for a second: How crazy are these predictions? Could it actually happen? 

Sure—it could happen.

The Redskins are certainly a surprise at this point of the season, with quality victories over the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams. With only one heart-breaking loss against the Dallas Cowboys, the Redskins look to be in good shape.

Grossman has played relatively well, with a solid 78.7 quarterback rating with six touchdowns thrown versus five interceptions—but his success wouldn't be as it is right now without the team's physical running attack led by Hightower and Ryan Torain.

The 'Skins are tied for sixth most in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars in total rushing yards, with Hightower leading the way with 233 on the year. 

The team's offense is certainly serviceable, but if the team is going to go anywhere special, it'd be because of their defense—which ranks fifth best in the NFL. 

So to conclude: How far off are Hightower's and Grossman's predictions? 

Well, I could see the Redskins actually winning the NFC East. We all know that the Giants are almost good for a December collapse with Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin, that Tony Romo and Dallas will find away to choke and Michael Vick and the Eagles are the biggest frauds in the NFL right now—so yeah, the Redskins have a very good shot at winning the NFC East. 

But addressing Hightower's predictions: I'm not sure, but it is possible. 

With such a small sample size, only a quarter of the season, the Redskins have looked good. However more importantly, they look like a cold-weather football team that will pound opposing defense's with their ground game. 

Taking a look at Washington's schedule from here on out, the 'Skins have to play Philadelphia twice, New England, Dallas once, Giants once and the New York Jets. By just analyzing their top competitors on their remaining schedule, if you take away their divisional games, their toughest matchups are against AFC teams, no NFC teams—meaning that it's certainly going to be hard to measure if the 'Skins are actually good enough to make a deep post-season run. 

All in all, the Redskins appear to be a solid football team that's balanced on both sides of the ball. 

With Mike Shanahan as their head coach, the Washington Redskins have a coaching advantage against most teams in the league and could possibly make some noise in the 2011 NFL playoffs—believe it or not. 

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