Early reactions to the Washington Redskins 2016 schedule

Even though the Washington Redskins have known this year’s opponents since the end of 2015, last night’s schedule release gives the organization and fans a more complete look at the ‘Skins upcoming season. Here is the schedule:

Home games in bold

Some observations:

Cleveland Browns vs. Washington Redskins at FedEx Field

Robert Griffin III will make his return to Washington on October 2. By signing with the Cleveland Browns this offseason, RGIII finally put an end to his tumultuous Redskins career. Griffin was always a lightning rod for debate among fans: should the team have given up so much to get him, is he getting hit too much, should he play after injury, what offense is right for him, is he better than Kirk Cousins. The list goes on and on. Well, that’s all in the past now. RGIII deserves nothing but adulation from fans in his return. After all, he gave DC its most memorable season since the first Joe Gibbs era, and while the following few years got ugly at times, things are finally over. Washington has their franchise quarterback, and Griffin found another spot where he could potentially snag the starting job. Remember the good times, and give the man some love.

Difficult Stretch

The Redskins have an extremely tough eight-game stretch in the middle of the season, starting Week 7 at Detroit, and finishing with Carolina at home in late December. The Lions are a talented team who were an illegal bat and an Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary from finishing 20-12 over the last two years; the Panthers obviously showed what they are capable of in their run to the Super Bowl last season.

In between those two matchups are six critical games, all against divisional opponents or 2015 playoff teams. The Bengals went 12-4 last year, even with Andy Dalton missing almost four games with a broken hand. Minnesota won 11 games in 2015, and should only get better as Teddy Bridgewater improves. The Packers were 10-6 in a down year, and still thrashed the Redskins in the playoffs. With Tony Romo back, Dallas is potentially the NFC East favorite again. Arizona cruised to a 13-3 record, and no game against the Eagles in Philadelphia is ever easy.

Need to Start Fast

This eight-game run means the Redskins will need to start fast, which has not been their strong suit. Their last four playoff seasons (2005, 2007, 2012, 2015) have all come from stringing together several late season wins. That can’t be the case this year. Washington struggled last year against the better half of the NFL, going 0-5 against teams .500 or better. At best, they will make it through this difficult stretch at 4-4. They need a hot start over the first six weeks, which will give them a bit of a cushion as the schedule toughens.

Short Weeks

Unfortunately, the Redskins were stuck with three short weeks this season: a Monday going into a Sunday between Weeks 1 and 2, a Sunday going into a Thursday between Weeks 11 and 12, and a Monday going into a Saturday between Weeks 15 and 16. Those last two shorts weeks are particularly troublesome because they only allow for three or four days rest. Not only are the shorter weeks brutal on the players, especially this late in the season, they also create more sloppiness as many players are just not physically 100 percent yet. The Redskins figure to be in the playoff hunt down the stretch, but these quick turnarounds could cause Washington to slip up and lose a winnable game at a critical time.