3 reasons why the Redskins can win Super Bowl 50

The Washington Redskins are not expected to contend for the Super Bowl, with Las Vegas pinning their odds at 40-1 - lowest of all qualifying playoff teams other than the Houston Texans.

But, "anything can happen, just get in the tournament" is a popular coaching refrain around the NFL at this time of year and, the Redskins could ride a hot second half to a surprising Super Bowl victory. Crazier things have happened.

Kirk Cousins could morph into Tom Brady

It could happen. ... It could!

He is a low draft pick out of the state of Michigan that came out of nowhere to supplant a high-profile franchise quarterback. He's also been very good of late.

Cousins has been on fire since Week 15, throwing 11 touchdowns over three games. More importantly, over the last half of the season, Cousins has thrown 19 touchdowns against two interceptions.

With Cousins at the helm the Redskins have suddenly become a dangerous offense and he even captured the storied franchise's single-season passing record in Week 17. His command of head coach Jay Gruden's system is what has gotten the team to the playoffs.

Defense no longer wins championships

Teams like the 2011 New York Giants and 2012 Baltimore Ravens are good examples of teams lacking elite defenses that won the Super Bowl. It's no coincidence that both of those teams were on no one's radar prior to getting hot in the playoffs.

The Redskins will need their efficient streak on offense to continue, as winning the turnover battle is far more important to Washington's success than shutting team's out. And the Redskins can take the ball away.

They finished in the top-10 with 26 takeaways on the season, and were tied for first with the vaunted Carolina Panthers in fumble recoveries (15). Maybe the Redskins' best road map to a Super Bowl is the 2009 Saints who got lit up all season on defense but gained eight turnovers during the playoffs en route to a Lombardi Trophy.

They can definitely beat the Packers

The Redskins opened as 1-point favorites over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers and that's not a surprise considering, right now, the Skins boast a better offense than the historically explosive Packers.

Head coach Jay Gruden appears to have found the magic he had in Cincinnati when he installed the Bengals' offense in 2011. The Redskins have found a way to exploit the talents of Jordan Reed (11 TDs) because Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are constantly threatening secondaries with the deep ball. They also have a trio of running backs (Alfred Morris, Matt Jones, Chris Thompson) that are used situationally to great effect.

Getting to the divisional round is looking more and more likely for a team that was written off after a 2-4 start. That's only step one, but anything can happen.