Don’t look now, but the Washington Redskins might be on a hot streak.
After notching their first victory of the season on Sunday with a 17-16 win over the Miami Dolphins, the Redskins are now continuing their winning ways by moving up two spots in the USA TODAY Power Rankings, coming in at No. 30. After seeing their head coach Jay Gruden fired last week following a brutal loss to the New England Patriots, there was nowhere to go but up in Washington, and they did just that.
Redskins did a few things right. They played the Dolphins, one of the few teams whose offensive and defensive performances have been less impressive than their own this season. And rookie receiver Terry McLaurin continued his fine season with four catches on seven targets for 100 yards and two touchdown catches. Interim head coach Bill Callahan kept first-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins on the bench for now (probably a good idea) in favor of Case Keenum, who managed just 13 completions in 25 attempts for 166 yards on the day. Washington’s addled defense let Miami back in the game far too often and nearly lost the Ineptitude Bowl on a failed Dolphins two-point conversion near the end of the game, but hey — a win is a win, and at least the Redskins have one this season.
Up next on the schedule, the Redskins play host to the San Francisco 49ers, one of two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL. It will be hard to secure a performance worthy of another jump in the rankings, but at least there’s not a long way for them to drop should things go wrong.
