NFL preseason odds on Saturday favor the Washington Redskins as they host the Baltimore Ravens. You can call it a rivalry if you want, but the reality is that neither of these two teams cares much about winning this game. Both teams do look to be improved this season and the game should be competitive in NFL preseason betting.
NFL preseason odds at the SBGGlobal Sportsbook list the Redskins as 2.5 point favorites with a total of 38.5. The Redskins rolled last week as they routed the Buffalo Bills 42-17 in Mike Shanahan’s debut as head coach. It doesn’t figure to be as easy this week against a real football team. Shanahan was not thrilled with his team even though they got the win. He realizes that they played a rotten Buffalo team and that the competition will get better. The Redskins are worth watching as they have a different offensive look with Donovan McNabb at quarterback. The defense was solid for Washington last week and even the overpaid Albert Haynesworth showed up for a little while.
Super Bowl contenders: Baltimore had little trouble last week with Carolina and they are one of the teams thought of to be a real Super Bowl contender this season. NFL preseason odds on the futures board list them at 8.5 to 1 to win it all in 2010. The Ravens are the co-second choice to win the AFC at NFL preseason betting odds of 5-1. New wide receiver Anquan Boldin didn’t do much last week for the Ravens but he should get more action this week as the Baltimore offense led by quarterback Joe Flacco plays for a few series.
Subplots: There are a couple of interesting subplots in this game. The Ravens new quarterback coach is Jim Zorn so it will be interesting to see how he is received in Washington. Will the Ravens want to win for Zorn against the team he used to coach? The other interesting story is McNabb playing against the Ravens. The last time he faced them while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles he was benched because he played so poorly. He may want to redeem himself on Saturday night and with Baltimore’s defensive secondary injuries he could find some open receivers.