Should Arizona be considered as a “Must Win” game for Washington in week 1?

I am sure you know it had to be asked, the previous years with head coach Jay Gruden led to the legitimacy of this question at hand. How important is the game against Arizona?

The first month of the season has not been kind to Gruden – Washington is 0-4 in season openers under Jay Gruden and 5-8 in September collectively. It is something that will need to change if he expects to remain a head coach in Washington for the years to come. Here is the kicker though: in the grand scheme of things losing the first game does not ruin the season for Washington, as there are still 15 games left. However, the importance of having an excellent start to a season rather than playing catch-up in the division like the Redskins have over the past four seasons is what makes the Arizona Cardinals game much more paramount.

It has been noted (not reported, there is a difference) by daily beat reporters that players were not aware of previous years when the opening day record was brought to their attention. That is a good sign; players are not dwelling on the past heading into week one of 2018, which tends to ease the pressure for a lot of players and coaches. Their mentality right now is in a good place, but that is just one aspect of getting off to a good start in 2018.

Washington has three games in September against the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Green Bay Packers. If Washington wants to be considered amongst the teams that need to be respected in 2018, they have to be able to beat the teams in which they are equal in talent or slightly better than consistently this year. They have that opportunity against three teams they face in September, including two games at home.

Although the Redskins have a new makeup offensively with veteran quarterback Alex Smith at the helm, Washington will live and die by their defensive unit. The Redskins have a bolstered defensive line and front seven as a whole entering the season, a unit that will headline the team as they will be heavily depended on to win games for Washington. They will have a good test in their first game for sure.

So, is this a must-win game for Washington? For what it is worth, I say yes.