The Washington Redskins didn't play last week due to a bye, but they still managed to do enough to move into the top 10 of ESPN's NFL Power Rankings. The Redskins were at No. 12 last week and have moved up to No. 10 this week. Here's the explanation from ESPN's NFC East blogger Dan Graziano.
Not a bad spot for a team that began the season ranked 28th in this poll. Now, when the Giants were here last week, I expressed some mild skepticism about their ability to hold the spot. I feel somewhat the same about Washington, though not as strongly. They run the ball better than the Giants do, and they play better defense. Their offense is intentionally vanilla, but they've committed the fewest penalties in the league and are second in the league in average time of possession. Basically, if everyone around them keeps being so wildly inconsistent, I like the Redskins' chances to stay steady and take advantage of that.
Here are the nine teams ranked ahead of the Redskins on the list:
- Green Bay Packers
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
- Detroit Lions
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- San Diego Chargers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- San Francisco 49ers
For more NFL Power Rankings, visit SB Nation. For more on the Redskins, visit Hogs Haven.