With the hiring of General Manager Scot McCloughan last year and a renewed focus on player development and building through the draft, the Redskins have further distanced themselves from the “Offseason Champs” label that has defined the team throughout much of the Daniel Snyder era. That’s not to say Washington didn’t have a fine offseason; heck, this summer even featured a flashy free agent signing in Josh Norman. Over the last six years, however, there’s a more apt description of the Burgundy and Gold: “Preseason Champs.”
With their 20-13 win over the Bucs last Wednesday, the Redskins finished the 2016 preseason 3-1. That makes six consecutive years that Washington has won at least three of its four preseason games. Since 2011, the Redskins are 19-5 in the preseason, the best mark in the NFL. The Eagles are 18-6 during the same time period, while the Lions, Seahawks and Texans are all 17-7. Oakland is an NFL-worst 6-18 over the last six preseasons, while Buffalo, which played five preseason games in 2014, has gone 7-18.
Redskins Preseason Record (2011-16)
2011: 3-1 (Point Differential: 24)
2012: 3-1 (39)
2013: 4-0 (53)
2014: 3-1 (26)
2015: 3-1 (24)
2016: 3-1 (10)
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The Redskins’ run of preseason success includes an eight-game winning streak from 2012-14, the franchise’s longest since at least 1961. Washington’s loss to the Falcons on Aug. 11 snapped its streak of six consecutive wins in preseason openers. Over the last six years, the Redskins have outscored their preseason opponents by more than a touchdown per game.
Preseason Records, 2011-16
So, with the NFL regular season set to kick off on Thursday, what does yet another strong Redskins preseason mean for the games that count? Ask the 2008 Lions, who went 4-0 in the preseason and didn’t win a regular season game, or the 1982 Redskins, who went 0-4 in the preseason and won the Super Bowl. It means nothing, as preseason records don’t correlate to regular season performance. Still, it’s more fun to be Preseason Champs than Preseason Chumps.
Thanks to @_JakeRussell.
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