Deja Vu All Over Again vs Carolina Panthers

The Washington Redskins are fresh off a dominating performance against New Orleans that saw their offense hang 47 points on the Saints porous defense. After a game in which Washington’s defensive unit limited QB Drew Brees and the high-scoring Saints offense to 14 points and 209 yards through the air, the team now finds itself back in a familiar situation.

Just two weeks ago the Burgundy and Gold were looking to upset an undefeated team in the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots on their home turf. The Redskins committed a myriad of mistakes in that contest and were embarrassed on national TV. Afterward they would, of course, have to answer questions about their ineptness in performing on the big stage.

It is now two weeks later and the Redskins have a chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of many as they travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers come into the game the lone undefeated team (9-0) in the National Football Conference (NFC), and one of two remaining undefeated teams in the league alongside New England  (AFC) who also sport a 9-0 record.

For the Redskins, the task is similar to the one they faced two weeks ago where they were at a crossroads in their season. A victory over the Patriots would have shown critics that maybe they had turned the corner. A loss would prove that they still are not striking fear in the hearts of opponents.

The team did not answer the bell and New England did basically nothing in securing the victory. They left Washington to take themselves out of the game with dropped passes, botched assignments and a lack of preparation in its approach to the game.

Is it possible that the Redskins were already mentally defeated before they even walked out onto the field at Gillette Stadium? Should this be expected this week at Bank of America Stadium?

The odds will tell you no, of course. But odds are not needed to tell anyone that this game has the makings of an upset.

The Panthers, for everything that they have done right this season, are primed to be picked off because history has shown us that only two undefeated teams in the regular season (the Miami Dolphins in 1972 and the New England Patriots in 2007) have remained so in the history of modern football (since 1920).

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton — although his stats don’t jump off the charts — is a winner and he has his team believing that they WILL win every contest. If the game is on the line in the fourth quarter, then Newton is the signal-caller who has proven he can win when it matters most.

For the Redskins (4-5) to be successful, they have to believe they can win and then go out and execute their game plan.

This team has yet another shot to quiet the critics who will argue that it has not won a game on the road all season. It has also not won two consecutive games all season and so will have to fight off some past transgressions in order to move forward.

Players and coaches alike understand the magnitude of the game considering that they are one game out of the NFC East division lead, trailing only the New York Giants (5-5).

A win against the Panthers could help usher in a higher set of expectations and perhaps spring board the Redskins well into December football… which means a playoff hunt.

Head Coach Jay Gruden has mentioned that higher expectations need to be anticipated and met at the same time. He is looking forward to the challenge of trying to knock off another undefeated team on its home turf again.

“It’s a great challenge,” he said to reporters. “You know, we haven’t been very effective on the road this year. We go to the Giants; we laid an egg early. We played at the New York Jets and played a good first half and then laid an egg in the third quarter. Obviously, New England, we didn’t play our best football there. We have a lot of games that we can look back on and say, ‘Why did this happen on the road?’ But we have to treat this as another game. We’re a developing football team. We’re a different football team than we were two weeks ago. We are a different team than we were Sunday. So, we’ve just got to continue to develop and do what we do best and have the confidence that we can show up and play good on the road. That’s the biggest thing.”

Come game time Sunday, the odds will be stacked against the Redskins as they play a Panthers team which has a stingy defense that ranks 10th in total defense in the league. Carolina’s pass defense is 11th and its rushing defense is 14th.

As the NFL has seen over the past few weeks, however, it’s not safe to be undefeated. The Panthers and the Patriots are the only ones left so it will get tougher every week to remain there.

For Washington to pull off an upset they will need to believe they can accomplish the task at hand. Limiting turnovers and making plays when they’re there to be made will also determine the outcome.