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6-3 vs. 7-2 at the BYE


kleese

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Lots of chat this week about "what this game means" or "what we'll find out."

I think it's an interesting topic.

First of all, let me state once again that this is NOT a must-win game.

IMO, a "must win" game is a game that if you lose, your realistic chances of success the rest of the season are finished.

SOMETIMES you can bounce back if you lose a "must win" but it takes a herculian effort. I thought the Buffalo game last year was "must win" and we lost and still made the playoffs... but we had to win our final 4 games. At the time, losing the Buffalo game appeared to end our realistic chances. The final 4 games were all "true" must-wins and we won them all.

So, right now, at 6-2 and with a 2-1 divsion and 5-2 conference record, this game isn't anywhere on the radar of must-win. We could easily lose this game and still finish with double-digit wins and have a strong hold on a playoff spot come the end of this season.

So, let's please put the "must win" talk to rest until we get to that point (hopefully, we won't).

But here's how I view this week:

--If we lose, I will be disappointed of course, but I would consider a 6-3 record going into the BYE a pretty big success. Especially considering we got two road division wins in our pocket and our toughest remaining games ALL at home.

6-3 at the bye under these circumstances tells me that the Redskins are a VERY legitimate playoff contender and still a decent contender for the East. As a matter of fact, I'd consider us solidly on the inside looking out of the playoff race and very LIKELY headed to a 10-6 or 11-5 record.

On the downside, 6-3 would signal to me that at this point, we're probably not quite ready to catch the Giants or enter 12-4/13-3 discussion. We could possibly work our way into that discussion, but we wouldn't be there yet.

If we win.....

Honestly, I think it means "bring it on" to the Giants. At 7-2, I think we could be considered going toe to toe with the Giants for the East at this point. I think having dreams of 12-4 would be very realistic and we could also start dreaming about bye weeks and home playoff games. All of that would be legit thinking.

Before the year, if you asked me to predict, I probably would have said we'd be 5-4 at the BYE, but could just as easily be 4-5.

So, either way, we're ahead of the game... and the fact that we won TWO of those road East games would have left me quite surprised and pleased.

I guess you could say, that in a way, I view this as somewhat of a "bonus" game. We're already in the discussion of good teams in the league this year-- win or lose. But if we win, we might enter the fray of the next level of discussion.

My gut tells me we're not quite ready for that level yet, but I'm certainly not convinced.

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This might not be a huge game but it's a game I think will go along ways there still doubters out there . Plus you want to stick to the Giants like glue. You know the Giants is not going to lose to the Cowboys so that does put added pressure on the Skins to continue to win.

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I agree. A game vs. an AFC opponent isn't nearly as important as playing an NFC opponent, and FAR from as important as a divsion game.

This being said, there are 10 NFC teams with 3 or less losses (WSH, NYG, DAL, PHI, CHI, GB, ATL, TB, CAR, and ARI)...the NFC is tough this year, and it won't be easy to get a wildcard berth (or division win). 4 of those teams will probably win their divisions, leaving 6 battling for 2 wildcards. We need as many "W"s as possible.

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Didn't you already post a thread just like this and were clowned relentlessly? Give it up man. Of course it's a must win. We're in our own damn house under the bright lights. Time to represent.

So, are you ready to say the season is over if we lose?

Because if not, it isn't a "must win."

And I am NOT saying the players should lollygag or not "bring it" on MNF. I think that is simply assumed that the players and coaches should ALWAYS do their best no matter the situation. I would be VERY disappointed if the team came out and laid down against the Steelers.

Just taking the approach from a FAN'S standpoint as to what this game would truly mean to the rest of the season.

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It is a Must-Win from a confidence perspective... All of Pittsburghs' losses were against NFC East teams (Eagles and Giants)... If we belong in the Division Champ or Playoff discussions, this game is a statement game...

Exactly !!!!. They have had their problems with two NFC East teams already if we're a serious contender for the title this is a must game . This game is not that important to them they have a little easier time in a couple of games after this one they face the Bengals and The Colts.

After seeing the Colts monday nite it's safe to say these are not the same Colts.

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every game is nice if we win. However, the next to prime time games, if we can go 1-1 with the, i'll be happy. I'd definitely prefer winning over Dallas than Pittsburgh, not only for the obvious reasons, but because Dallas would be a division and conference win whereas a loss to Pittsburgh doesn't mean much in the long run.

Either way, it sems that we have done well when the pressure is on (wins on the road against Dallas and Philly), and this may be another time to see that happen. 8-2 would be a helluva lot nicer than 7-3 or 6-4.

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It is a must-win and for alot of reasons. Just to name a few i would say that we are in our own house, on prime time tv, and that losing this game would do alot of damage to the confidence level of the team. Also, we dont want to only make the playoffs; goal number one is to win the division. Losin this game puts us even further behind the Giants; which means winning the NFC East title would be theirs to lose and not ours to win. I hav had enuff of teams controlling our destiny at the end of the year. I would rather put the pressure on the rest of the division to keep pace with us bcuz we keep winning and not vice versa. We also need this game becuz after the bye we hav Dallas(that game speaks for itslf) and our other division games @ home. If Steelers come in here and steal a win, that would give the other 3 teams in the East alot of confidence about playin us @ FedEx. We need to protect our house!!

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