This isn't to remind everyone just how bad the Washington Redskins are viewed. My guess: You already knew they would be low in the rankings -- and, besides, you also know the rankings don't mean anything when it comes to the playoffs. But it does offer a barometer of how teams are playing.
Sure enough, the Redskins fell four spots to 27th in the league after last week's loss to the New York Giants. My Giants colleague, Dan Graziano, had this stat today: Since the start of the 2013 season, the Giants are 5-0 vs. Washington and 9-21 vs. everyone else. So, perhaps, that game was way too predictable. And maybe it should just be viewed as a bad game vs. a team that had its number. For many fans, it beats the alternative in thinking it was more indicative of who they are than the win over St. Louis one week earlier.
But there's the good news for Washington. Three of the five teams still on the schedule are ranked below the Redskins: Tampa Bay (30th), New Orleans (31st) and Chicago (last). Of course, there's bad news to this as well. The Redskins still play four games against teams currently in the top 10: New England (first), Atlanta (sixth), Carolina (ninth) and Buffalo (10th). Dallas ranks 11th, though with Tony Romo and Dez Bryant sidelined, that ranking is more likely to go down than up. But by the time the Redskins play them in December, Romo and Bryant likely will have returned. Lucky Washington.
Meanwhile, the one team the Redskins beat, the Rams, stayed at No. 19 after losing to Pittsburgh, which lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a knee injury in the third quarter. The Rams' offense has managed 16 combined points in the past two games. That win over Seattle lingers.
Finally, the two teams to beat Washington went in different directions. Miami dropped eight spots to 23rd while the voters bumped New York 10 spots to 16 after beating the Redskins. Who knew a win over Washington would create such a bounce?
Sunday's opponent, Philadelphia, ranks 17th. Too early to buy them as having recovered, however.