2018 NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Eagles lose tough battle of NFC Championship rematch

16. Washington Redskins (Play Monday Night)

The bye week came at a perfect time for the Washington Redskins since they most likely will need all of the extra rest possible for Monday’s meeting down south against the New Orleans Saints. Despite their impressive 2-1 start, the Redskins are still one of those teams that football fans are trying to figure out since it’s difficult to determine if this team is actually the real deal, and can be an actual contender in the NFC.

So far, the decision to bring Alex Smith on board during the offseason seems like the right move since Washington knew it was going to be possible to bring Kirk Cousins back for another year after using the franchise tag on him in each of the previous two seasons. And even though there are still questions surrounding Smith working with this young group of receivers, at least the presence of Adrian Peterson in the backfield is helping take off some of that unnecessary pressure.

Peterson seems to be playing with a ton of extra motivation after signing with the Redskins late since no one else believed he was still capable of making an impact as a veteran running back. Also, let’s not forget how things played out for Peterson during last year’s short stint with the Saints, as it will be interesting to see if he ends up playing with a little extra motivation Monday night.