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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Redskins Landing In London Friday Before Facing Bengals

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For the first half of the workweek, the Redskins' schedule will remain the same. It will change on Thursday night, though, when the team boards a plane for London before their game against the Bengals.

The Washington Redskins' practice week will begin like any other during the regular season, as the team will continue with normal preparations on Wednesday and Thursday at the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park in Loudoun County, Va.

Then, because of the team's very first regular season game overseas, the Redskins will board a plan Thursday evening and take a redeye to London, where they'll land on Friday morning.

"We wanted to get a couple good days of practice here first and get our guys honed in on the Bengals before we left without the travel, without the time change," Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said.
"I think the most important days of the week are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of your preparation, so if we could knock those out here, fly out there Thursday night, get there Friday morning, have a walkthrough, practice, a little bit of meeting time, get them some rest, Saturday have another walkthrough in the stadium, get them some rest and then play Sunday… I thought that was the best way to go."

While some teams have extended their stays in London for an entire week (the Los Angeles Rams just did this before last Sunday's game at Twickenham Stadium), the Redskins feel the shorter stay will actually be a little bit better for the team.

As part of the NFL's International Series, the Redskins will be playing in London next year. Check out photos from the Redskins' previous games outside the United States.

"We'll have Friday night to adjust, all day Saturday," Gruden said. "We'll get back on London time. I think they'll be fine. We've talked to some other teams that have done it that way and they said that's the best way to go." 

The Redskins have a tough task in front of them on Sunday with a Bengals team coming off a big win over the Browns.

Yes, Cincinnati is 3-4 on the season, but three of their four losses have come against playoff teams from a season ago.

Wide receiver A.J. Green is piecing together yet another All-Pro season, as the University of Georgia product is currently second in the NFL in receiving yards (775).

For Gruden, who was the Bengals' offensive coordinator for three seasons prior to being hired by the Redskins, he simply "can't wait" to face his old team at one of the world's most iconic sporting structures.

"It's such a big game for us, really," Gruden said. "I really don't care where we play them. I just can't wait to play the game. We've got to get this taste out of our mouth and get ready to strap it up and play against a team that's been in the playoffs five years in a row that I know extremely well. It's going to be fun to play against them, no matter where it is, when it is. We look forward to the challenge."

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