The Redskins took over first place in the NFC East with Sunday’s 20-14 home win over the Giants.
Ricky Jean Francois has his sights set a lot higher than the division title, however.
The defensive tackle said Monday on ESPN 980, via the Washington Post, that the Redskins are capable of winning the Super Bowl.
Ricky Jean Francois: “We have the team to win it all.” I hear Santa Clara is nice in February. https://t.co/HXWTL6fLaE
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) November 30, 2015
Critics might laugh this off as a euphoria-driven claim from a guy on a 5-6 team that suddenly finds itself atop its division, but Francois said this at the Redskins’ team meeting the night before the game.
The Redskins have the good fortune of playing both of their games against the Cowboys with Tony Romo on the sidelines, including Monday night’s game at home. They also close the season at Dallas. In between are games at Chicago, home against Buffalo and at Philadelphia.
A 9-7 NFC East champion won the Super Bowl in 2011, but Kirk Cousins isn’t a proven winner like Eli Manning. Cousins has thrown five touchdown passes and eight interceptions on the road this season, and if the Redskins win the NFC East, they’ll have to win some road games to get to the Super Bowl.
The Redskins haven’t beaten a team with a winning record and flopped against the NFL’s best, losing 27-10 at New England and 44-16 at Carolina.
Of course the Redskins would get one home playoff game if they win the NFC East. If they win that, they’ll almost certainly have to go back to Carolina in the divisional round.
If the Redskins reach that point, Francois might want to speak up again when they meet the night before the game.