Press Release: #REDSKINS ANNOUNCE 2016 SCHEDULE

[TK]

For Immediate Release

April 14, 2016

REDSKINS ANNOUNCE 2016 SCHEDULE

European debut in London, Thanksgiving game vs. rival Cowboys

included in 2016 slate

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The National Football League announced its 2016 regular season schedule tonight, and the Washington Redskins will once again be in the national and international spotlight. The team’s 2016 schedule features three prime-time contests (all at home) in addition to the franchise’s regular season London debut against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8 and a Thanksgiving date with the division rival Dallas Cowboys in Week 12.

The Redskins will open the 2016 season at home on ESPN’s Monday Night Football when the team faces the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 12 at FedExField at 7:10 p.m. It will be the 11th time that the Redskins have kicked off the season on Monday Night Football since the program’s debut in 1970. For the second consecutive season, the Redskins will play their first two games at home, hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 18 for a 1 p.m. game at FedExField to air on FOX.

For a second straight year, the Redskins will make their road debut in Week 3 against the New York Giants. That game at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 25 is scheduled to air on FOX at 1 p.m. The following week, the Redskins will begin their first of two consecutive bouts with AFC North opponents, including a 1 p.m. home game against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 2 on CBS and a 1 p.m. road tilt against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 9 on FOX.

The Redskins will return to FedExField on Oct. 16 to seek their fourth consecutive victory against the rival Philadelphia Eagles in a 1 p.m. game on FOX. A week later on Oct. 23, FOX will air the Redskins’ game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field at 1 p.m.

In Week 8, the Redskins will make their European regular season debut when the team travels overseas to face the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 30. The game, which will air on FOX beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET, will be the second regular season contest played by the Redskins outside of the United States all-time, joining the team’s game in Toronto in 2011. Fans can find more information on the Redskins’ trip to London by visiting www.redskins.com/london.

After a bye in Week 9, the Redskins will return to action with back-to-back home games against NFC North opponents. On Nov. 13, the Redskins will host the Minnesota Vikings for a 1 p.m. game on FOX. The following week, the Redskins will appear on NBC’s Sunday Night Football for the first time since 2013 when the Redskins and Packers face off in an NFC Wild Card rematch at 8:30 p.m.

One of the NFL’s most storied rivalries will take center stage on FOX in Week 12 when the Redskins and Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium in front of a national television audience at 4:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24). The Redskins will attempt to secure their second consecutive Thanksgiving Day win against Dallas after having defeated the Cowboys in a memorable 38-31 victory on the holiday in 2012.

The Thanksgiving game will be the first of three consecutive road games for the Redskins, the team’s first three-game road stretch since Weeks 9-11 of the 2002 season. On Dec. 4, the Redskins will face the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium in a 4:25 p.m. game on FOX. The following week, the Redskins will return to the site of their division-clinching victory from a season ago when they face the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field for a 1 p.m. FOX broadcast.

The Redskins will make their second Monday Night Football appearance of the season in Week 15, as the team is set to host the Carolina Panthers for an 8:30 p.m. kickoff at FedExField on Dec. 19. The Redskins’ holiday theme will continue in Weeks 16-17, as the team plays Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) at Chicago and New Year’s Day (Jan. 1) at home against the New York Giants. Both games are slated to air on FOX at 1 p.m.

Redskins fans interested in attending 2016 Redskins home games at FedExField are encouraged to visit www.redskins.com/tickets, where they can join the season ticket waitlist and request premium seating information.

A select number of games across the league will be “cross-flexed,” moving between CBS and FOX to bring potentially under-distributed games to wider audiences. Some of those contests were announced today while the remainder of “cross-flexed” games will be decided during the season.

“Flexible scheduling” will be used in Weeks 10-15 and 17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-9, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-15, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights.

A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game. For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to January 1. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives “surprise” teams a chance to play their way into prime time.

NOTES ON THE REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:

Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

· The Redskins will open the season on Monday Night Football for the 11th time since the introduction of the broadcast package in 1970. The Redskins will be seeking their first season-opening Monday night win since defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 35-16, in their 1993 opener.

· The Redskins are 40-40-4 all-time in season openers, including a 24-22 record in openers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

· Including the Redskins’ season openers against the Houston Texans in 2014 and Miami Dolphins in 2015, the Redskins will open the season against an AFC opponent for the third straight year for the first time since the formation of conferences following the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

· The Redskins will open the season at home for a second straight year, marking the first time the franchise has played consecutive season openers at FedExField since 2010-11.

· The Redskins are 17-12 in Week 1 home games since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Washington is 8-4 all-time at FedExField on Kickoff Weekend.

· The Redskins are 30-16 in home openers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The Redskins have won 11 of their last 16 home openers, including most recently in 2014 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

· The Redskins are 42-32-3 all-time against the Steelers, including a 20-12-3 record at home.

· The Redskins will attempt to snap a current five-game losing streak against the Steelers and earn their first victory against Pittsburgh since 1991.

· The Redskins enter the 2016 season riding an active four-game regular season winning streak. A win in the season opener would give the team victories in five straight regular season contests for the first time since a seven-game streak in 2012.

Week 2: vs. Dallas Cowboys

· The Week 2 meeting between the Redskins and Cowboys will mark the teams’ earliest meeting in a season since the Washington defeated Dallas, 13-7, in Week 1 of the 2010 season.

· A home win against Dallas in 2015 would pull the Redskins’ all-time home record against the Cowboys to 29-30, including postseason play.

· The Redskins are seeking their first home victory against the Cowboys since a division-clinching 28-18 victory against Dallas in Week 17 of the 2012 season.

Week 3: at New York Giants

· The game will mark the second consecutive year that the Redskins and Giants have faced each other at MetLife Stadium in Week 3.

· The Redskins and Giants enter the 2016 season having previously played each other 168 times. The Giants are the Redskins’ most-common opponent.

· The Redskins will look to secure their 67th all-time win against the Giants, their third-most against any opponent in franchise history.

· The game against the Giants and Head Coach Ben McAdoo will be the Redskins’ first against a head coach hired during the 2016 offseason. The Redskins play five games against newly hired head coaches this season, including one vs. Cleveland’s Hue Jackson and two each vs. McAdoo and Philadelphia’s Doug Pederson.

· The Redskins are seeking their first road win against the Giants since a 23-10 victory against the eventual Super Bowl Champions at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 18, 2011.

Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

· Despite an 11-33-1 all-time record against the Browns, the Redskins have earned victories in six of the teams’ last eight meetings dating back to 1975.

· The Redskins won each of the teams’ last two meetings (2008 and 2012). Washington is seeking its first three-game winning streak against Cleveland since the 1975-85 seasons.

· The Redskins are 2-1 against Cleveland since the Browns’ return to the NFL in 1999.

Week 5: at Baltimore Ravens

· The Redskins will face the Browns and Ravens in consecutive games again in 2016 after Washington swept Baltimore and Cleveland in back-to-back weeks in 2012 (the most recent season in which the Redskins faced AFC North opponents) en route to winning the NFC East title.

· The Redskins will attempt to even their all-time series with the Ravens at 3-3.

· The game will be the teams’ first meeting since 2012, when the Redskins defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion Ravens, 31-28, in overtime.

· The game will be only the second regular season contest between the Redskins and Ravens in Baltimore all-time. The Redskins are seeking their first win against the Ravens in Baltimore.

· A victory would be the Redskins’ first regular season win in the city of Baltimore since defeating the Baltimore Colts, 14-13, at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 23, 1955.

Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

· Including postseason play, the Redskins are 84-73-5 all-time against the Eagles, including a season series sweep in 2015.

· The Redskins’ 84 all-time wins against the Eagles are their most against any opponent.

· The Redskins have won three consecutive games against the Eagles dating back to 2014. This year, the Redskins will seek a fourth straight victory against Philadelphia for the first time since posting a four-game winning streak in the series across the 1985-87 seasons.

· The Redskins are 43-35-3 all-time in home games against the Eagles, including home wins in three of the last four seasons.

· Including a 23-20 home win against the Eagles in Week 4 last season, the Redskins have won each of the teams’ last two meetings at FedExField. The Redskins are seeking their first three-game home winning streak against Philadelphia since the 1997-99 seasons.

Week 7: at Detroit Lions

· The Redskins are 30-13 all-time against the Lions, including postseason play.

· With a victory, the Redskins can even their all-time road record against the Lions at 10-10.

· The Redskins are seeking their first win in Detroit since 2008.

· The game in Detroit represents the Redskins’ only guaranteed indoor game of the season. Including postseason play, the Redskins are 32-25 all-time in games played indoors, including games contested in stadiums with closed retractable roofs.

Week 8: at Cincinnati Bengals (Wembley Stadium in London)

· The contest at Wembley will mark the Redskins’ European debut in regular season play.

· The game is the Redskins’ second regular season game outside the United States all-time. In their only other international regular season game to date, the Redskins faced the Buffalo Bills at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on Oct. 30, 2011.

· Previously, the Redskins twice appeared overseas in preseason competition, once at the former Wembley Stadium in London in 1992 and once at the Osaka Dome in Osaka, Japan, in 2002.

· The game will be the NFL’s 17th regular season game played in London since the formation of the NFL International Series in 2007.

· A victory would even the Redskins’ all-time record against the Bengals at 5-5.

· The Redskins are seeking their first victory against the Bengals since 1991.

Week 10: vs. Minnesota Vikings

· The Redskins will seek their 13th win in a game directly following a bye week since byes were instituted in 1990.

· The Redskins are 12-12 all-time against the Vikings, including postseason play. A victory by the Redskins would even the team’s regular season series with the Vikings at 10-10.

· The 2016 contest between the Redskins and Vikings will mark the teams’ sixth meeting in the last seven seasons. The teams faced one another every year during the 2010-14 seasons.

· The game will be the Redskins’ first time hosting the Vikings since a 38-26 victory over Minnesota in 2012. The Redskins are 6-6 all-time in home against the Vikings, including postseason play.

Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers

· The Redskins will appear on NBC’s Sunday Night Football for the first time since Dec. 1, 2013, vs. the New York Giants.

· The Redskins will be seeking their first win on Sunday Night Football since their NFC East-clinching 28-18 victory against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17 of the 2012 season.

· With a win, the Redskins would even their all-time Sunday Night Football record at 17-17-1 since the introduction of the broadcast package in 1987.

· The game will be a rematch of the teams’ meeting in the NFC Wild Card Round at FedExField in January.

· The Redskins are 9-9 all-time in home games against the Packers, including an 8-7 all-time record in regular season home games.

· The game will mark the Redskins’ first regular season home contest against the Packers since Redskins defeated the eventual Super Bowl-champion Packers in overtime in 2010.

· The Redskins have won four of their last five home regular season games against the Packers dating back to 1972.

Week 12: at Dallas Cowboys

· The Redskins are 2-6 all-time in games played on Thanksgiving, but the team won its most recent Turkey Day contest, 38-31, at Dallas in 2012.

· Including a victory in their most recent Thanksgiving game in 2012, a win would give the Redskins victories in consecutive Thanksgiving contests for the first time in team history.

· The Redskins are currently riding a two-game winning streak at AT&T Stadium and have earned victories in three of their last four road games against Dallas.

· A road win against the Cowboys would give the Redskins victories in North Texas in three consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1987-89 seasons.

· Last season, the Redskins posted record-breaking performances in a 34-23 victory in the regular season finale at Dallas. Quarterback Kirk Cousins broke the team’s single-season passing yardage record on a 28-yard pass to Jamison Crowder in the second quarter. Later in the game, Crowder surpassed Art Monk’s franchise record for receptions in a rookie season with his 59th catch of the year.

Week 13: at Arizona Cardinals

· The Redskins and Cardinals have faced each other 121 times. It represents the Redskins’ third-most games played against any opponent and the most against an opponent in which the series does not include a postseason game.

· The Redskins are 74-45-2 all-time against the Cardinals. The Redskins’ 74 wins against the Cardinals are the team’s second-most against any opponent.

· The Redskins have won 10 of their last 12 games against the Cardinals dating back to 1999, including eight of the last nine contests.

· The Redskins are 27-25-2 all-time in road games against the Cardinals, including a 7-4-1 record against the franchise in Chicago (1932-59), a 13-12-1 record against the franchise in St. Louis (1960-87), and a 7-9 record against the franchise since its move to Arizona (1988-present).

Week 14: at Philadelphia Eagles

· The contest will conclude the Redskins’ first three-game road stretch since Weeks 9-11 of the 2002 season.

· The Redskins are 41-38-2 all-time against the Eagles in Philadelphia, including postseason play. The Redskins’ 41 road wins against the Eagles are their most against any opponent.

· In their most recent visit to Lincoln Financial Field, the Redskins earned a 38-24 victory to clinch the NFC East title in Week 16 last season.

· With a win in Philadelphia in 2016, the Redskins would earn consecutive road wins against the Eagles for the first time since the 2007-08 seasons.

· The Redskins have reached the 30-point mark in each of their last two visits to Lincoln Financial Field. Prior to the 2014-15 seasons, the last time the Redskins scored 30 or more points in consecutive games in Philadelphia was in the 1969-70 seasons at Franklin Field.

Week 15: vs. Carolina Panthers

· The Redskins are 7-5-0 all-time against the Panthers, including a 5-1 series record at home.

· The Redskins will attempt to snap a four-game losing streak against the Panthers and earn their first win against Carolina since 2006.

· The Redskins enter the 2016 season with a 28-38 all-time record on Monday Night Football since the introduction of the broadcast package in 1970.

· With their Week 1 contest vs. Pittsburgh and their Week 15 matchup with Carolina, the Redskins will have two opportunities to earn their first home Monday Night Football win since Dec. 3, 2012, vs. the New York Giants.

· The Redskins are 20-19 all-time against defending NFC Champions since the formation of conferences following the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. A win would be Washington’s first against a team that represented the NFC in the most recent Super Bowl since defeating the New York Giants in 2012.

Week 16: at Chicago Bears

· The Redskins 25-24 in Saturday games all-time, including postseason play.

· Including a Saturday victory against the Eagles in Week 16 of both the 2014 and 2015 seasons, the Redskins will be seeking their third consecutive Saturday victory. The Redskins will attempt to record a three-game Saturday winning streak for the first time since 2004-05 seasons (Week 15 in 2004, Week 16 and NFC Wild Card Round in 2005).

· The Redskins are currently riding a six-game winning streak against the Bears. The six-game unbeaten streak is the Redskins’ longest active streak against any opponent.

· The Redskins defeated the Bears, 24-21, at Soldier Field in 2015. The 2015-16 seasons will mark the first time the Redskins have played at Soldier Field in back-to-back years since 2003-04.

· Including postseason play, the Redskins have won seven of their last eight games at Soldier Field dating back to the 1987 postseason. The Redskins have won three consecutive contests against the Bears in Chicago and are seeking their first four-game road winning streak against the Bears since the 1986-97 seasons.

· The Redskins are 25-23-1 all-time against the Bears, including postseason play.

· Including postseason play, the Redskins are 11-11 all-time against the Bears in games played in Chicago.

Week 17: vs. New York Giants

· The Redskins are 46-36-2 all-time in regular season finales.

· After winning their regular season finale at Dallas last season, the Redskins can earn victories in consecutive regular season finales for the first time since the 2004-05 seasons.

· The Redskins earned a 20-14 victory in the Giants’ most recent trip to FedExField in Week 12 of the 2015 season.

· The Redskins are seeking a second consecutive home victory against the Giants for the first time since winning two straight across the 2011-12 seasons.

· The first victory in Redskins franchise history was secured in a home contest against the New York Giants when the Boston Braves defeated the Giants, 14-6, at Braves Field.

Games vs. 2015 playoff teams: 6 (vs. Pittsburgh, at Cincinnati in London, vs. Minnesota, vs. Green Bay, at Arizona, vs. Carolina)

Games at Domes: 1 (at Detroit)

Games at Retractable Roof Stadiums: 2 (at Dallas, at Arizona)

Games Outdoors: 13 (vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Dallas, vs. New York Giants, vs. Cleveland, at Baltimore, vs. Philadelphia, at Cincinnati in London, vs. Minnesota, vs. Green Bay, at Philadelphia, vs. Carolina, at Chicago, vs. New York Giants)

Games on Grass: 12 (vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Dallas, vs. Cleveland, vs. Philadelphia, at Cincinnati in London, vs. Minnesota, vs. Green Bay, at Arizona, at Philadelphia, vs. Carolina, at Chicago, vs. New York Giants)

Games on Turf: 4 (at New York Giants, at Baltimore, at Detroit, at Dallas)

[Leonard Washington]

Am I the only one that thinks this is a tough schedule?

[hail2skins]

Well, we knew who the opponents were going to be and where we were going to play them, so this just tells us when.

 

Again.......first two games at home, and first four out of six at home. And two of those home opponents should be wins against Cleveland and Philly. The three away games in a row towards the end stinks, but all in all, you can't be too unhappy.

[SkinsGuy]

Interesting schedule. Gets very difficult after the bye.

 

Folks should take note of the start time of the game vs. the Bengals (in London).

Am I the only one that thinks this is a tough schedule?

 

 

You might be the only one to think it.

 

The rest of us KNOW it is.

[wit33]

Potential for a hot start

[Bonez3]

Weeks 12-15 are rough... Gonna see what this team is made of there

[mossomo]

Folks should take note of the start time of the game vs. the Bengals in London

A little taste of how it feels to be a Redskins fan in S.Cal.

[Cooleyfan1993]

Odds of Griffin being healthy still by week 4 when we face the Browns?

Another thanksgiving of turkey, pie, alcohol and redskins football!!! Can't get better than that. Also, redskins football on Christmas Eve day!! And waking up to redskins football at 9:30 in week 8? Sign me up!!!

Sigh....is it September yet?

[Koolblue13]

Looks great. Starts soft, but gets tough after our bye and rhythm is set and we're rolling.

We will win the east again.

[TheGreatBuzz]

Hmmm......to go to Dallas for turkey day or Baltimore to see game and family?? Thoughts?

Edit: should be noted that I don't like my family but feel obligated to see them.

[SkinsGuy]

Hmmm......to go to Dallas for turkey day or Baltimore to see game and family?? Thoughts?

Edit: should be noted that I don't like my family but feel obligated to see them.

 

I'd say the Thanksgiving game.

 

Cowboys stadium is supposedly a really nice stadium to go to.

[hail2skins]

Yeah, road trips I was looking forward to don't seem like they are gonna pan out this season due to holidays.

 

Dallas was choice #1, but that's on Thanksgiving.

 

Chicago was choice #2, but that's Christmas Eve.

 

Maybe a trip to MetLife is in the cards this year.

[The Rook]

Tough, but it is professional football - win it and you have earned it.

 

Like where the bye is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rook

[adamyesme1111]

I knew it was going to be more difficult because we were first place in the NFC East, but I did not expect it to be THIS difficult; we are going to be in for one hell of a year.  

 

PS: I know the teams we were playing were basically already released before this, but I never really actually realize the difficulty of our schedule until this time of year.  Hail.  

[Cooleyfan1993]

I see 16-0 written all over that schedule

[fwo40]

Pittsburgh plus primetime? UGH.

[hail2skins]

When I think of tough schedules to open the season, somehow I always remember what the Giants started out with in 2006. Now granted, NY had gone 11-5 in 2005, but this was their first 6 games in '06:

 

home against Indy (14-2 in '05)

at Philly (6-10 in '05, but had gone to 4 straight NFCCGs before that)

at Seattle (13-3 in '05)

home against Skins (10-6 in '05)

at Atlanta (8-8 in '05)

at Dallas (9-7 in '05)

 

Talk about a murderers row. The Giants were actually able to go 4-2 in this stretch, but finished 8-8.

[Wyndorf25]

I see 8-8. Even so, this may possibly a "better" team than last year's 9-7 squad but I could see this team 0-3 to start and maybe 4-4 going into the bye but that is a tough stretch with 3 straight road games against Cowboys, Cardinals and Eagles only to be "rewarded" with a home game vs. the Panthers. I don't think they will, but If they went 0-4 in that stretch, I don't think anyone would be especially surprised as that is a tough draw with 2 division opponents and 2 NFC Division Champs.

 

LIKE THAT:

-Bye week in week 9

-NFC East Division opponents are sprinkled evenly throughout the schedule, as opposed to being clumped into the last 4 weeks

-Bengals game in London is an "away" game but really, its a neutral field

-Home game vs. the Browns relatively early in the schedule because, yes, I want the best possibility that RG3 is the starter and comes back to duel with the Redskins and Cousins.

-They open and close with home games...hopefully they will be in position to at least take advantage of hosting the Giants in an effort to make they playoffs.

-Playing on Thanksgiving.

 

DON'T LIKE THAT:

-Brutal opening stretch even though 2 of the first 3 are home games. The Steelers may have the best offense in the NFL this year and divisional games are always tough especially when the Cowboys figure to be much better with romoSUCKS healthy. I also think the Giants will be much improved.

-Weeks 10-15. Just brutal. Its not like its 3 road games vs the cream-puffs of the NFL sandwiched between other bottom-dwellers. Its Vikings, Packers (both playoff teams) then road games vs Cowboys, Cardinals and Giants then the Panthers. Ouch. Needless to say, how this team performs during this stretch will determine whether or not the 2016 Redskins go to the playoffs, IMO

-Overall, a VERY tough first place schedule

[Cooleyfan1993]

How in the world do the Giants have SIX nationally televised games? I thought teams are only allowed 5 nationally televised... They have week 4 MNF, week 5 SNF, London game week 7 (NFL Network at 9:30 AM), week 10 MNF, Week 14 SNF and week 16 TNF.

[hail2skins]

They probably don't count the London game as a national telecast.

 

They need to somehow make it so that teams have their obligatory Thursday game right after their byes. And that the teams that have to go to London are exempt from Thursday games that season.

[CBass1724]

Let's open up a whole can of kick ass and kill 'em all, let the paramedics sort 'em out.

[Commander Chaaarmnder]

What's up with having to play the Cowboys TWICE on short weeks, anybody else notice that?

[Nfcbeasts4721]

Am I the only one that thinks this is a tough schedule?

nope not at all..Steelers..pukes, vagiants ravens phinkle matters all before bye..ehh I mean if we're that improved I see us at best 3-5,2-6 before the bye..than as usual the second half we explode and we upset both the panthers and cardinal's haaa

[goskins10]

What's up with having to play the Cowboys TWICE on short weeks, anybody else notice that?

 

 

How about playing Carolina on Monday night then having to go to Chicago fro a Saturday game! Gives us another short week!

[RedBeast]

You want a SB? Hard schedules are won by good teams. Nut up and go head on into the deep...Half a league, half a league, half a league onward!