Redskins -Eagles opener shows NFL means to play all 16

It was supposed to be a safe schedule that could be shaved should the pandemic delay the season. By having NFC East foe Philadelphia in Washington on Sept. 13, though, the NFL declared it’s fully expecting a 16-game season.

America needs football this fall . . . badly thanks to the pandemic. Maybe there will be no fans in the stands, which is business as usual at FedEx Field, but no matter. Still, the NFL was supposed to play it safe. Have non-conference games first so if forced to play only 12 games, the last tie-breaker games were discarded first. Division games were supposed to be back loaded so if the schedule went to eight games the most important tiebreakers remained.

But, the NFL said screw it – here’s our schedule and we’re playing it.

Well, we’ll see. Strong-arming COVID-19 hasn’t worked out too well yet. Not with 76,503 U.S. deaths en route towards 100,000-plus. But the NFL isn’t flinching. If the schedule needs to be revised later, well whatever. Putting marquee games like Baltimore-Pittsburgh and Dallas-Los Angeles Rams on the opening weekend of what could be an insanely full fall sports calendar is the NFL’s way of saying the big dogs still rule.

As far as NFC East opponents, the Redskins-Eagles finale is Washington’s only divisional game after Thanksgiving. By the way, the Redskins-Cowboys game is on Thanksgiving again. The NFL needs big ratings this year and that game always draws very well no matter the teams’ records.

The Redskins have no prime-time games, not even a Thursday aside Thanksgiving, which in past years didn’t count towards the mandatory midweek obligation. Guess TV execs have seen enough late-night, lopsided losses to give the Redskins a break. At least no one has to leave FedEx early to catch the metro before it closes.

Three straight road games starting with Dallas on Thanksgiving before on to Pittsburgh and San Francisco would normally be worrisome. But, the Redskins aren’t a playoff contender so it really doesn’t matter much.

The bye comes after seven games so there’s not much whining about being too early or late. Mostly, the team’s bye has been around midseason for several years.

The schedule is a bear at the beginning and end. Opening against Philadelphia, traveling to Arizona and Cleveland before returning against Baltimore and the Los Angeles Rams isn’t any easier than last year’s 0-5 start. Playing five expected playoff contenders in the final six weeks with Dallas, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Philadelphia plus visiting Seattle is pretty rough, too.

The only “easy” game is Carolina, but come week 16 former Panthers coach Ron Rivera is going to be too beat down in Washington to care about his old team.

But that sweet midseason spot – two New York Giants games, Dallas and Cincinnati at home and traveling to Detroit with a bye in the middle may bring a nice 3-2.

Every coach looks at the schedule, cries who made this mess and then worries about them one at a time. This year, the difference is just being happy to play them all.

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Rick Snider is an award-winning sports writer who has covered Washington sports since 1978. He first wrote about the Redskins in 1983 before becoming a beat writer in 1993. Snider currently writes for several national and international publications and is a Washington tour guide. Follow Rick on Twitter at @Snide_Remarks.