Washington Being Disrespected by NFL.com Preseason Power Rankings

The Washington Football Team took over a weak NFC East division in 2020 and ended up making the playoffs for the first time since 2015. They have all the momentum to keep their success going heading into the fall, but are being disrespected in NFL.com's preseason power rankings.

NFL Power Rankings

Washington checks in at the No. 22 ranking and that is simply way too low. In fact, that is two spots behind a divisional rival in the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are surrounded by question marks and lost both games against Washington in 2020 by a combined 47 points.

Head coach Ron Rivera knows what it takes to get the most out of his team and sports a roster filled with playmakers. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin is searching for his second straight season of 1,000+ yards, while second-year running back Antonio Gibson will look to build off his successful rookie year (1,042 yards from scrimmage).

Don't forget this team added a veteran quarterback to run the offense in Ryan Fitzpatrick, too. However, Washington's success is going to be driven by its dangerous defense.

Pass rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat provide a scary duo along the line after they combined for 16.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles last season. Overall, Washington brings back a defensive core that stifled opposing offenses by giving up just 304.6 yards per game in 2020 (No. 2 in NFL).

Washington may not be the flashiest team in the league, but it wouldn't be shocking to see them repeat as division champions. They currently have odds set at +260 to earn the NFC East crown and odds set at +5000 to win the Super Bowl, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.