Way back on Sept. 6, when Aaron Rodgers was healthy, Andrew Luck was on the mend and the Vegas books had the Los Angeles Rams' season win total at six, I locked in predictions for all 256 regular-season games. It seemed futile ... until the early returns came in.
Week 1 came and went: 11-4.
Week 2 was even better: 13-3.
An 11-5 showing in Week 3 pushed my three-week total to 35-12.
It has been a tougher slog since then, and one that will lose traction as injuries mount, which makes this the right time to account for how all 32 teams have fared in relation to what I expected from them on a game-by-game basis before the season, and explore what's next.
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAC | KC | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | OAK | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WAS
They are who I thought they were!
I've got a 28-4 record on preseason picks through Week 7 for the Redskins -- entering Monday Night Football -- Colts, Browns, 49ers and Broncos.
Washington Redskins (3-2)
Games picked wrong so far (0): None
Full-season prediction: 9-7
I picked the Redskins to beat the Raiders at home in Week 3 without knowing before the season that Oakland would struggle to find its way offensively. The Raiders' issues played a role in Washington winning that game 27-10. My projection had the Redskins ultimately getting to nine wins -- above Vegas' 7.5 over-under total -- even though I had Washington losing twice to Philadelphia.
The fear was that Kirk Cousins' contract situation and a decline in talent at receiver might cause this season to unravel.
That could still happen, but Washington has supported Cousins in other ways. Last season, the Redskins ran the ball less than half the time on early downs when tied or leading outside the final two minutes of halves. The rate is above 60 percent this season, taking pressure off the quarterback. Meanwhile, the Washington defense has improved from 28th last season into the mid-teens this season, as measured by expected points added.