Jay Gruden occasionally has to remind people his team is in

“That’s a heck of deal after nine games L.J. Collier Jersey ,” the Washington Redskins‘ coach said. “But I’m also excited with the fact that we have not played our best yet, and I think the best is yet to come.”It wasn’t been a flawless ride, but when the roller-coaster Redskins host the rolling Houston Texans on Sunday, it’ll be a showdown between two surprising division leaders. Washington has gotten into first place in the NFC East alternating strong and weak performances, and Houston has won six in a row to also reach 6-3 and sit atop the AFC South.Led by veterans Alex Smith and Adrian Peterson, the Redskins come into the matchup motivated by a lack of respect. Second-year quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Texans are full of confidence after digging out of an 0-3 hole.“Winning helps,” Houston coach Bill O’Brien said. “Everybody has confidence in their ability to go out there and play well, but I also think our team understands that this is a very humbling league. This is a league, it’s a short walk. It’s a short walk from where you are right now to where you were when you were 0-3.”It’s a very short walk for the Redskins from their best to their worst. A three-game October winning streak and last week’s victory at Tampa Bay didn’t show their best.So there’s reason why, despite leading the division by two games, Washington isn’t getting the same buzz as other playoff contenders. Players are just fine with that.“Nobody’s really looking at the Redskins or anything,” middle linebacker Zach Brown said. “For us, we’re just going to keep trying to stack up the wins and see where we can take it. For us Johnathan Abram Jersey , we just need an invite to the dance because you never know what might happen.”Peterson figures it’s too early to think playoffs, but said: “You can definitely have it in the back of your mind and understand how important each and every game is.”Coming off their bye week, the Texans fully understand the value of every game to their chances of winning a third division title in four seasons.“We have to win against the Redskins to even keep conversations like that alive,” defensive end J.J. Watt said. “If you start to look that far ahead and you start to think about things like that, that’s when you get blindsided.”Some things to watch when the Texans visit the Redskins:WHAT A COMEBACKWatt and Peterson are top candidates for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award after turning in strong performances in their return from two straight seasons that were cut short by injuries.Watt played just eight games in the previous two seasons because of back surgeries and a broken leg. Peterson missed 19 games in the 2016 and 2017 seasons combined because of knee surgery and a neck injury.Watt is tied for third in the NFL with nine sacks and tied for first by forcing four fumbles. He also has 16 quarterback hits, 11 tackles for losses and has swatted down two passes.Peterson is tied for fifth in the league with 672 yards rushing and has scored four touchdowns.Watt raved about Peterson’s comeback.“He’s obviously one of the great running backs of the game,” Watt said. “What he’s been able to do in his career, but then to be able to come back the way he has and have the type of season he’s having — obviously, I know how difficult it is from firsthand experience to come back from injuries, so I’m extremely impressed by what he’s been able to do. I have a ton of respect for his game. It’s always a good challenge to play against him and I enjoy the competition.”SWEARINGER REVENGE GAMERedskins safety D.J. Swearinger, who was drafted by the Texans in the second round in 2013 and cut after the 2014 season, has not been shy to rip O’Brien. He posted on Instagram this week about “unprofessional actions” by O’Brien that led to his release, which his former coach responded to by saying he didn’t know what Swearinger was talking about.“D.J. made a lot of plays for us here Maxx Crosby Jersey ,” O’Brien said. “He’s a very instinctive, tough, competitive player. He’s obviously gone on to Arizona and now in Washington and I think he’s a captain there and he’s (second in) the league in interceptions, doing a great job, has got excellent ball skills, good tackler, tough, competitive guy.”WATSON DOWNOnly the Giants‘ Eli Manning and Cowboys‘ Dak Prescott have been sacked more this season than Watson. The Texans quarterback said he tries to get back as close to the line of scrimmage as possible so as not to lose yardage on his 30 sacks.Brown has noticed on film that defenses can force sacks on Watson when they lock down on coverage because the young QB holds on to the ball so long trying to make something happen.“I think he’s just trying to make plays,” Brown said. “He’s still young. Eventually he’ll get that clock ticking in his head.” INDIANAPOLIS — Pat McAfee watched those two agonizing bounces in Chicago on Sunday and immediately tried to put Cody Parkey‘s missed field goal in perspective.He thought about the 27 death threats he received after missing a couple of costly kicks during one game in college. He felt horribly for the friend who sometimes slept on his floor when they were training camp teammates in 2014 with Indianapolis. And then McAfee, the Colts’ former punter, contemplated how he would have described the situation to a television audience.“It (the kick) was literally 4 inches away from him having a completely different night and the Chicago Bears having a completely different season,” McAfee said Monday. “I would like to think I would have noticed it got blocked before the Internet did, but I think we have to remember that is a human being out there.”The descriptions are something McAfee has thought about a lot lately as he embarks on the next chapter of his post-NFL life — and perhaps his most daring venture yet.In a world full of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Foster Moreau Jersey , record-breaking running backs and receivers and popular pass rushers rife with star power and brand-name recognition, McAfee hopes to become the first ex-punter to do on-air work for FOX Sports.The list of specialists on network television is short. Former punter Dave Jennings, former kicker Morten Andersen and former long snapper Dale Hellestrae all did broadcast work for NFL Europe. Hellestrae even did some work for FOX in 2006. Jay Feely, a longtime kicker, currently works for CBS, and FOX employed center and long snapper Trevor Matich in 1997 and 1998. Matich now works for ESPN.But McAfee offers a different perspective.He promises to bring the wisecracking personality that has turned him into one of Indy’s popular and prominent former players with intimate knowledge of all facets of the kicking game.Plus, his experiences as a punter, placekicker, kickoff specialist and emergency quarterback help him understand the high stakes and emotions involved when players such as Parkey step onto the field with the game on the line.“I think the game of football, from a commentating standpoint, is missing something,” he said. “I think it should be a celebration and I think it should be enjoyable, and I’m trying to make it that way.”McAfee’s experiences could help in such a transition.After successfully taking his comedy routine from the locker room to the stage and hosting his own radio show on Barstool Sports Joey Bosa Jersey , a gig he left in August, he’s taping six podcasts per week and running his own small business, Pat McAfee Inc. Yet he wants to add color commentating to the mix.In November, he made his debut at the Texas Tech-Baylor game and made his pro debut during Green Bay’s regular-season finale against Detroit — a game that played into McAfee’s strengths when kicker Matt Prater threw a touchdown pass. McAfee responded by immediately changing the inflection of his voice and describing, in detail, what Prater saw and why he reacted the way he did.“That was a gift from the football gods,” McAfee said. “I’ve spent the last two years waiting for a big special teams play so I could do a voiceover on my phone. I was doing a lot of cool stuff with the football (when I played) and the color commentator had no idea what was going on because it’s usually a star quarterback or something. I got lucky with a magical play.”So far, FOX is the only network to give McAfee an audition.But those who have seen McAfee’s work believe he provides a quality others don’t — football with a twist of comic relief — and rare insight into some of the biggest moments of games.“I’ve been watching games a lot differently lately and with a little more understanding than I’ve had of what it takes (in the booth),” McAfee said.“But that moment with Cody Parkey was pretty big and I think I would have gotten a little emotional about it. I look forward to watching the Cody Parkey vengeance story next year.”97<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:2018-19 NBA cheerleadersJoe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports | Joe Camporeale