Washington, with its new nickname-less state, made the NFL playoffs for the first time in five years in 2020. Despite a 7-9 record in the first season under coach Ron Rivera, the Football Team won the weak NFC East.
WFT had a wide spectrum at quarterback, from Dwayne Haskins to Alex Smith with youngsters Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke somewhere in between. Haskins is no longer on the roster and Smith has since retired. Ryan Fitzpatrick is Washington's new bridge QB for Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner.
The backbone of the team remains the defense, with the offense adding more weapons to boost Fitzpatrick. Here is a complete breakdown of the Washington Football Team's 2021 schedule, including dates, start times and analysis for all 17 games.
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Washington Football Team schedule 2021
Here is the Washington Football Team's complete schedule for 2021.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Kickoff time | TV |
| 1 | Sept. 12 | vs. Chargers | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 2 | Sept. 16 | vs. Giants (Thursday) | 8:20 p.m. ET | NFLN |
| 3 | Sept. 26 | at Bills | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 4 | Oct. 3 | at Falcons | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 5 | Oct. 10 | vs. Saints | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 6 | Oct. 17 | vs. Chiefs | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 7 | Oct. 24 | at Packers | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 8 | Oct. 31 | at Broncos | 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 9 | Nov. 7 | Bye | — | — |
| 10 | Nov. 14 | vs. Buccaneers | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 11 | Nov. 21 | at Panthers | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 12 | Nov. 29 | vs. Seahawks (Monday) | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| 13 | Dec. 5 | at Raiders | 4:05 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 14 | Dec. 12 | vs. Cowboys | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 15 | Dec. 18 or 19 | at Eagles (Sat. or Sun.) | TBD | TBD |
| 16 | Dec. 26 (SNF) | at Cowboys | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC |
| 17 | Jan. 2 | vs. Eagles | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 18 | Jan. 9 | at Giants | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
Washington will get its usual six games in the NFC East and try to hold off the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants for a repeat title. WFT also gets all of the NFC South and the entire AFC West.
The first-place schedule comes with games against the Saints and Chiefs based on that rotation. That extends to the Packers and Seahawks in the NFC and the Bills in the AFC, who represent the 17th-game opponent.
MORE: Strength of schedule for all 32 teams in 2021
Washington Football Team strength of schedule
WFT is tied with Houston for the 15th-hardest schedule in the NFL. Washington's 2021 opponents went a combined 136-134-2 in 2020, for a winning percentage of .504.
Washington doesn't have another above-.500 or playoff team coming back in its division. In the other 11 games, it faces six fellow returning playoff teams.
Toughest tests: Washington has it roughest on the road at Buffalo and at Green Bay. But home is much more daunting with Kansas City, New Orleans, Seattle and Tampa Bay all coming to town.
Biggest breaks: Washington has some breaks on the road at Atlanta, Carolina, Denver and Las Vegas. The team can also try to enjoy the pair against the in-transition Eagles.
Bottom line: The projected win total for WFT calls for a slight improvement with a chance to finish with more wins than losses. The reality is the Cowboys and Giants are much improved and the NFC interdivision slate is brutal. Getting the Chiefs, Bills and surging Chargers from the AFC isn't helpful, either.
Record prediction: 5-12
