The Washington Redskins head to Minnesota on Thursday to take on the Vikings in a game where Adrian Peterson, Case Keenum and Kirk Cousins will get a crack at their former teams.
The Redskins lost 0-9 to the 49ers last week and fell to 1-6 SU. However, they improved to 2-5 ATS and became the second team in the last 25 years to cover despite not scoring a single point. The Vikings won their third straight game with a 42-30 victory over the Lions. They have covered their last three games and are 5-2 ATS overall.
The Redskins were the first team to fire a head coach when they gave Jay Gruden the pink slip after a winless start to the 2019 season. Offensive line coach Bill Callaham is calling the shots on an interim basis and he has done better, getting a win against the Dolphins and holding the 49ers to just 9 points in a losing effort.
Case Keenum has thrown for 1,213 passing yards with 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, with three of his picks coming in one game ( against the Chicago Bears ). With Minnesota allowing the 8th most passing yards per game during their three-game winning run, the Redskins may be able to at least keep up in this game.
Washington ranks 31st in passing yards at 182.9 yards per game and they are 24th in rushing at 84.7 yards per contest. The Redskins are scoring just 12.9 points per game this season while allowing their opponents to score 25.1 points per outing this year.
The Minnesota Vikings looked headed for a disaster season when they opened at 2-2 SU and tension started to emerge from the locker room after players called out each other. But they have gotten things together and are on a roll with three straight wins with an average winning margin of 16 points.
Since his run-in with the receiving group, Kirk Cousins has turned things around with 13 touchdowns after seven games. He is completing 70.6% of his passes and leads the league with 9.1 yards per pass attempt. Running back Dalvin Cook rushed for 142 yards on 25 carries in their last game and may have another good game here with Washington ranking sixth from the bottom at 134.4 rushing yards allowed.
Minnesota ranks 17th in passing at 231.0 yards per game. The Vikings rank 3rd in rushing with an average of 160 yards per contest. Minnesota is scoring 27.4 points per game this season while only conceding an average of 17.6 points per night.
Washington is 1-8 SU in their last nine games played. The Redskins are 2-5 SU in their last seven games played on the road. Minnesota is 4-1 SU in their last five games played. The Vikings are 4-1 SU in their last five games against the NFC East Division and 10-1 SU in their last 11 games played in October. Head to head, the Vikings are 5-2 SU in their last seven games played against the Redskins.
Washington isn’t just losing games, they are also hurting right now. Cornerback Josh Norman is dealing with a thigh injury and missed the game against the 49ers. He is again questionable for this contest. Running back Chris Thompson has a toe injury and is also questionable here. Add tight end Vernon Davis who suffered a concussion and fellow tight end who was placed on the Injury Reserve last week.
The Vikings too will head to this game with a big question mark, probably even bigger. Pro Bowl wide receiver Adam Thielen exited the Vikings’ win over the Lions with a hamstring injury. Thielen has scored four touchdowns in his last three games and he is tied for the NFL lead with a total of six receiving touchdowns this season. NFL.com reported that although his MRI didn’t show anything significant, he is unlikely to play on Thursday.
But even if Thielen won’t play, there is no question that the Vikings have more than enough firepower to beat the Redskins at their home field. Washington allows the sixth-most rushing yards per game at 134.4. With Thielen possibly out, Minnesota’s rushing game should give Kirk Cousins a boost. Dalvin Cook rushed for 142 yards on 25 carries against a Lions defense that ranks one spot behind the Redskins so he should have another big game here. I’m picking the Minnesota Vikings to beat the Washington Redskins on 10/23/19. Washington is 0-8 SU in their last 8 games as underdogs.
PREDICTION: MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The Redskins are 1-5 ATS in their last six games played. Washington is 2-7 ATS in their last nine games against the NFC Conference. The Vikings are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. Minnesota is 6-1 ATS in their last seven games played at home. Head to head, the Vikings are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played against the Redskins.
Both teams averaged 25.5 points per game in their last 10 meetings. The Vikings outscored the Redskins by an average of 1.67 points per game in their last three games played. These teams have been competitive in their previous 10 meetings but the Redskins have been struggling this season. They are 1-5 ATS in their last six games played. If you like football betting trends, the Vikings are 12-4-1 ATS in their last 17 home games against opponents with a losing record. However, I think that +15 may be too much to give to an opponent, even if it is the Redskins when you play without the league’s top receiver. If Adam Thielen does miss this game, that takes a lot from Kirk Cousins’ offense and Minnesota may run the football more here. I’ll take the plus points and the underdogs here.
PREDICTION: REDSKINS +15.5
The total has gone under in four out of the last five games played by Washington. The under is 2-1 in the Redskins’ last three games played. The total has gone under in nine out of the last 13 games played by the Vikings. The under is 8-2 in Minnesota’s last 10 games against the NFC Conference. Head to head, the total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 games between the Redskins and Vikings. The over is also 4-1 in the last five games between these teams in Minnesota.
These teams have combined to score an average of 51 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 56.33 points per game in their last three outings. The Redskins have not seen the total go over 40 points in their last four games played and they have not scored more than 17 points in a game during that period. The Vikings are the 6th highest-scoring team in the league this season with an average of 27.4 points per game. They have not scored below 28 points in their last four outings. Again, I will go back to Adam Thielen. If he doesn’t play here, I think the Vikings will run against the 6th worst rushing defense in the NFL. That should kill time and produce fewer points. Washington isn’t expected to score too many points to help here too.
PREDICTION: UNDER 41
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
