Wednesday to Saturday during the season Fabian Moreau Jersey , and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isnr17;t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.A quick peek backwardsBefore we move forward to look at the challenge the Redskins will be facing when they visit the Titans today, letr17;s take a final quick look back at last weekr17;s gritty win over the Jaguars in Jacksonville.Combined with the outcomes of several other games, the Redskins playoff opportunities were maintained, and possibly expanded, by the victory over the Jaguars.Philadelphia unexpectedly beat the Rams, but that didnr17;t actually hurt the Redskins at all, since any playoff scenario for Washington includes beating Philly at FedEx Field in Week 17, which will have the effect of knocking the Eagles out of contention.Dallas was shut out by the Colts, leaving the door just slightly ajar for the possibility of the Redskins winning the division.To do that, Washington needs to win its final two games while the Cowboys lose their last two.Unlikely, but possible.Seattler17;s unexpected loss to the 49ers opened the same door for a wildcard spot.If the Seahawks lose out while the Redskins win out, then Washington would get a wildcard seeding over Seattle.Minnesota remains the best chance of a team faltering and letting the Redskins take advantage.If the Vikings lose to either the Lions or the Bears while while the Redskins win out, then the Skins would get a wildcard seeding over the Vikings.Last weekend, ahead of the Jags game, 5 or17;clock club readers were invited to vote on over-under predictions for the game. Letr17;s see how we did.Predictions & actual results for last weekr17;s Jacksonville Jaguars gameJacksonville scores 13.5 points against the Redskins on Sundayprediction: over (70%)actual:The Redskins defense played the way it had early in the season, limiting the Jaguars offensive point scoring while forcing two turnovers r12; a fumble and an interception.Jacksonviller17;s offense, which has struggled for several weeks now, managed only two field goals, though the special teams for Jax did put a touchdown on the board with a punt return in the closing seconds of the first half.Jacksonviller17;s final point total of 13 was UNDER the mark, and lower than their season-long average.Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY SportsLeonard Fournette rushes for 65 yards against the Redskins on Sundayprediction: more (79%)actual: Once again, Hogs Haven readers underestimated the Redskins defense (or overestimated the Jaguars offense), as Washington limited Leonard Fournette to 46 yards on 11 carries.The Jaguars tried to change things up a bit by handing the ball to David Williams 5 times, and he managed 32 yards, so the two running backs did put up 78 yards between them.Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty ImagesThe Jags leading rusher for the day, though, was quarterback Cody Kessler, who ran 6 times for 68 yards, choosing to tuck the ball and run on several called pass plays.While he was able to rack up a lot of yards and move the chains several times, Kesslerr17;s rushing ultimately didnr17;t help the offense get the ball across the goal line Samaje Perine Jersey , while his two turnovers (fumble, interception) were integral to the Redskins victory.Jacksonviller17;s leading receiver puts up 69 yards against the Redskins defense on Sundayprediction: over (68%)actual: Jacksonviller17;s offense was no more successful through the air than it was on the ground.Just as Fournette was held in check, so too were the Jacksonville receivers.Dede Westbrook led all Jaguar receivers with 3 catches for 21 yards, though he did gash the Redskins special teams with a 74-yard punt return for Jacksnonviller17;s sole touchdown of the game.Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY SportsJosh Johnson will get 2 TDs (passing, rushing, receiving) in the game against the Jaguarsprediction: Exactly 2 (43%)actual: Redskins fans showed a surprising amount of faith that Josh Johnson would be productive against one of the better defenses in the NFL, predicting that he would put the ball across the goal line twice.He managed one touchdown on the day r12; a pass to #3 tight end Jeremy Sprinkle r12; though that proved to be enough.He did lead three other scoring drives that resulted in field goals, including the game winning drive inside the final two minutes to set up Dustin Hopkins for the coup de grace as the final whistle blew.Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY SportsJohnson could have been more productive with a little more help from his receivers.Vernon Davis, for example, suffered another of his too frequent dropsright after the two-minute warning in the second quarter; he was unable to haul in what wouldr17;ve been a first down catch and possibly a 60-yard touchdown on that third-down play.Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsIn addition, the Redskins patch work offensive line struggled all day to handle a good Jacksonville defensive front seven, with the right guard position looking particularly bad.With Brandon Scherff on IR and Tony Bergstrom out injured, the Redskins started Luke Bowanko, who is the subject of this James Dorsett summary:When Ty Nsekhe, starting at left guard in place of the injured Jonathan Cooper, who had in turn replaced the injured Shawn Lauvao, hurt his knee, the coaches turned to the recently-signed emergency backup guard, Zac Kerin.Report from James Dorsett:As far as Redskin linemen go, Austin Howard was active, but did not play on offense, and Kyle Fuller, formerly of Baylor University and the Houston Texans was inactive for the Jacksonville game.There are reports of the Redskins equipment managers painting burgundy & gold jerseys on a pair of traffic cones for use in emergency, and lengthy discussions among coaches about whether to rely on Bowanko, Kerin & Fuller this week, or simply go with the cones.Josh Johnson, whose life may depend on the decision against a fierce Titans defense was asked for his opinion, but reportedly couldnr17;t decide, and suggested to Jay Gruden that he r0;flip a coinr1;.How many 2-point conversions will the Redskins attempt on Sunday against the Jaguars?prediction: zero (66%)actual: This question was a test to see how many people were paying attention.I have no idea what the four people who voted r0;4r1; were thinking.Did anyone actually think the Redskins were gonna score 4 touchdowns?Redskins rush for 118 yards against the Jacksonville defense on Sundayprediction: under (64%)actual: The readers got this one right Montae Nicholson Jersey , but it was close.The Redskins actually rushed for 109 yards.I donr17;t know how many fans considered the Josh Johnson factor when voting.Washingtonr17;s starting quarterback rushed 9 times for 49 yards (and still rushed for the lowest yardage of any QB in the game).Combined with his 151 passing yards, JJ accounted for 200 yards of the Redskins total offensive production of 245 yards.Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsOh, yeah.Adrian Peterson ran for 51 yards on 19 carries.He had very little success for most of the game, but showed the value of sticking with a running game when he picked up tough yards and first downs on the r16;Skins final, game winning drive.Shifting the focus to the Tennessee TitansThe Titans are one of three AFC teams fighting for the #6 seed in the playoffs.Due to a relatively weaker AFC W-L record, the pressure is on the Titans (as it is on the Redskins) to win their last two games.A loss in either Week 16 or 17 will likely result in Tennessee players watching the AFC playoffs from the comfort of their living rooms.The team that takes the field at home against the Redskins is talented, and should be highly motivated to win on Saturday afternoon, but, while they are undoubtedly skilled, they can be beaten, and have been 6 times already this season.The Titans have been streaky in 2018, winning three, losing three, winning two, losing two, winning three.They look ripe for the picking, as a two-game losing streak in Weeks 16 & 17 would be in keeping with the rest of the season and would give them a perfectly symmetrical 8-8 season record.While a three-game win streak sounds impressive, when you look at the opponents r12; the Jets, Jags, Giants r12; itr17;s perhaps less intimidating.Thatr17;s not to say the Titans donr17;t have r16;qualityr17; wins this season, because they do.Theyr17;ve beaten the Cowboys and Patriots post-bye week, and they split with the Texans.But the Tennessee Titans, while a very good football team, are not an unbeatable juggernaut.Saturdayr17;s game pits two teams against each other who each desperately need the win.I wrote this in an article I published on Friday:The Titans are 7th in overall defense (one spot behind last weekr17;s opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars) allowing 329 yards per game.In the past three games r12; all Titans wins r12; the Tennessee defense gave up: 280 to the Jets, who scored 22 points255 yards to Jacksonville, who scored 9 points260 yards to New Yord, who were shut outTennessee ranks 2nd overall in scoring defense, at 18.1 points per game (The Redskin defense is 13th Josh Doctson Jersey , at 22.1 ppg).The Redskins offense is ranked 28th in the league, at 265 yards per game, and is also 28th in scoring, at 18.9 ppg.Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsOver the past three games, Redskins offense has produced:235 yards, 13 points in a loss to the Eagles288 yards, 16 points in a loss to the Giants245 yards, 16 points in a win over the Jaguars WASHINGTON (AP) r12; The Washington Redskins have provided Dwayne Haskins with a familiar target to begin his NFL career.After selecting the Ohio State quarterback in Thursdayr17;s first round, the Redskins picked up another Buckeye Friday, taking wide receiver Terry McLaurin with the 76th overall pick in the draft.McLaurin caught 35 passes for 701 yards and 11 touchdowns during his senior season with the Buckeyes.The connection with his college teammate continued during a phone call Thursday night shortly after Washington used the 15th overall pick on Haskins.Haskins r0;actually told me he was going to push them to draft me,r1; McLaurin said during a conference call Friday night. r0;And you know so much can happen on draft day, I didnr17;t necessarily put too much merit into it. But I thought it was a possibility, so Ir17;m just honored to be a part of this great organization.r1;Haskins never lobbied for McLaurin to Jay Gruden, but the Redskins head coach had previously recognized the chemistry during Ohio Stater17;s pro day.r0;You could see them communicating,r1; Gruden said. r0;Terry runs every route like itr17;s his last route. .itr17;s a natural fit.r1;After selecting McLaurin, Washington traded the 96th overall pick to the Buffalo Bills for selections 112 and 131.Washingtonr17;s offense lacked speed last season. The 6-foot McLaurin ran a 4.35 40-time at the NFL Combine. The current depth chart lacks proven threats at receiver beyond Josh Doctson and Paul Richardson, who ended last season on Injured Reserve with a clavicle injury.r0;Eventually her17;ll be a starter without a doubt,r1; Gruden said of McLaurin.The route to becoming a productive NFL receiver perhaps becomes smoother with a recognizable presence throwing McLaurin passes.Haskins r0;brings to the table that competitive edge. He makes my job a lot easier,r1; McLaurin said. r0;When Ir17;m out of my breaks, the ball is already there. Itr17;s in great spots for me to make plays,r1; McLaurin said. r0;I felt like we really complemented each other at Ohio State.r1;The Redskins also added defensive help Thursday by selecting defensive end Montez Sweat after trading second-round picks in 2019 and 2020 to the Indianapolis Colts for the 26th overall selection.r0;The way pro football is going, speed is the name of the game,r1; Gruden said. r0;Adding Sweat is going to be a big help. Hopefully, (Saturday) wer17;ll add a couple of more guys that can really run on defense and maybe some more on offense.Washington enters Saturdayr17;s final rounds with seven picks, including two in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds. The Redskins traded their fourth-round selection last season for safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears this off-season.
