The Washington Redskins need not blush anymore after two straight wins, but they’re not quite favored by fans who bet on NFL at an online sportsbook as they prepare to visit the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, October 9th.
Redskins +4 (-115) 46 (-105)
Ravens -4 (-105) 46 (-115)
The Redskins made the most of several trips to the Cleveland Browns’ red zone in week 3 win. Washington QB Kirk Cousins certainly accumulated frequent flyer points, throwing for 183 yards in the air with two scoring passes to tight end Jordan Reed and one more to running back Chris Thompson. Moreover, RB Matt Jones ran for 117 yards on 22 carries with one score – which was prompted by Josh Norman intercepting Cleveland QB Cody Kessler.
Defensively, the Redskins forced three TOs in the second half (that aforementioned interception plus a fumble forced by LB Will Compton, and Ziggy Hood knocking the ball out of Duke Johnson’s hands) to beat the Browns 31-20 and improve their record to 2-2. All told, the Redskins scored more TDs in the red zone against the Browns than in the first three regular season games.
The Ravens went 3-0 by flooring it in the fourth quarter, but they ran out of gas against the Oakland Raiders and lost 28-27. Baltimore faced the league’s worst defense and yet only managed to reach the Raiders’ end zone until late in the third quarter. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley left QB Joe Flacco to a lot of pressure in the pocket – there are tailors for that, though.
The Ravens trailed 14-3 in the second quarter but closed to 14-12 with 2:41 to play in the third quarter when Flacco complete a 72-yard drive that took seven minutes. However, the rally lost momentum when Oakland OLB Bruce Irvin sacked Flacco, forcing a fumble that the Raiders recovered on the Baltimore 29. A 52-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to wide receiver Steve Smith made it 21-19, but it was all for naught.
As mentioned above, the Ravens are the favorites of people who bet on NFL this Sunday. Then again, they were the favorites against the Raiders as well and we all know what happened. On the other hand, the Redskins are in the midst of two-win momentum. That being said, consecutive victories over the New York Giants and the Browns – especially the Browns – is not quite a 7-10 split, either. Like the Jets, the Redskins tend to bully lesser teams but they lose their nerve against better teams.
And while Washington has been statistically better on offense (24.8 points and 380 total yards per game to the Ravens’ 21 points and 346.2 total yards per game), it’s Baltimore’s ranked 4th defense that could make the difference for fans who bet on NFL. The Ravens are allowing 18 points and 256 total yards per game, to the Redskins 28 points and 413.5 total yards per game. Also, Cousins has never beaten a team that finished a season with a winning record, so it’s do or die for Baltimore.