The Washington Redskins’ season ended with an embarrassing 24-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday. For the third straight season, the Redskins will miss out on the playoffs. Now, the focus shifts towards the 2019 season.
There will be plenty of questions and needing answers as they enter the off-season in preparation of 2019, however, the teams they’ll face are now set in stone.
The Redskins will face off against each NFC East divisional rivals the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Eagles twice with one game at home and one game on the road, totaling six games.
The rest of the schedule is set from year to year on a rotation by divisions. For example, the Redskins and their NFC East division rivals will each face all four teams of one predetermined division from the NFC and one from the AFC for a total of eight games. For 2019, the divisions the Redskins will face are the NFC North and AFC East.
Additionally, the Redskins, who finished in third-place of the NFC East with a 7-9 record will play the third-place team the NFC West and NFC South — the two remaining intraconference divisions not part of the divisional rotation. The process was established in 2002 when the NFL expanded to 32 teams and eight four-team divisions.
Here’s a breakdown of the Redskins’ opponents for the 2019 season:
HOME
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ROAD
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Looking ahead the Redskins will get to host the rising Chicago Bears, who won the NFC North division behind a strong defense led by Khalil Mack. They also will possibly face the legendary Tom Brady and Bill Belichick (barring any retirements) as the New England Patriots come in town for a visit at FedEx Field.
The Redskins will travel to meet an old friend in Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings in what is slated to be Cousins’ first game against the team that drafted him in the fourth-round of the 2012 NFL Draft and he threw for 4,000 yards in three straight seasons. Washington also will travel to Lambeau Field to face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Counting division opponents, the Redskins will have nine games against teams that had a losing record in 2018, including the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets, who were both tied for the second-worst record in the NFL at 4-12. They will have six against teams that reached the playoffs, including the Cowboys and Eagles who they will play twice.
Facing the 49ers will also mean a return visit from former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
Every season is different and barring injuries, the Redskins will face the likes of Cousins, Rodgers, Jimmy Garoppolo, Mitchell Trubisky, Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, and oh Tom Brady in addition to a healthier Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott. That’s a pretty solid slate of quarterbacks. All while the Redskins face uncertainty at the most important position in sports with Alex Smith rehabbing from a compound fracture in his leg.
With opponents now set, finding out who will be part of the Redskins as players and on the coaching staff.
