The Washington Redskins travel on Sunday 12/16/18 and take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at the TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida.
Washington went from division front runners to being booted out of the playoffs in just weeks, thanks to a series of quarterback issues. The Redskins have lost four games in a row and five out of their last six games. Alex Smith went down with a season ending injury then back up Colt McCoy went out with an ankle injury as well. Then came Mark Sanchez who was dreadful which now leads the Redskins to go with journeyman Josh Johnson.
Johnson threw for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception during the Redskins’ 16-40 home loss to the New York Giants last week. Running back Adrian Peterson was shut down to just 16 yards on 10 carries. But more than losing the game and also perhaps their playoff shot, the Redskins are concerned about the health of Smith who is currently suffering from complications from an infection after multiple leg surgeries.
After an impressive shutdown of Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars were back to their reality as they lost to the Tennessee Titans 9-30 in their most recent game. The loss was Jacksonville’s 8th in nine games as they continue to tumble from AFC contenders to a 4-9 mess.
Since the Jaguars benched Blake Bortles in favor of Cody Kessler in Week 13, Jacksonville has scored just a total of 15 points in two games. It’s easy to point the finger at head coach Doug Marrone but what can a coach do when his team seemingly quit against the Titans last week. The issues run deeper and the team looks like they’ve lost faith in their front office.
Washington is 1-5 SU in their last six games played and are 3-7 SU in their last 10 road games. Jacksonville is 1-8 SU in their last 9 games played and are 2-4 SU in their last six home games. Head to head, the Redskins are 5-1 SU in their last six games against the Jaguars.
The Redskins lost starting quarterback Alex Smith to a gruesome injury. Then his back-up Colt McCoy broke his ankle leading to the appointment of Mark Sanchez as the starter. But Sanchez went 6-14 and threw for 29 yards with two interceptions. He was replaced by Johnson who did a better job by completing 11 of 16 passes for 195 yards with one score and one pickoff. Still, Washington lost 16-40 to the New York Giants.
As for Jacksonville, they benched Blake Bortles in favor of Cody Kessler. But Kessler has led the Jaguars to just a total of 15 points in two games and that isn’t enough to win game. However pathetic the Jacksonville offense has been in the last two games with Kessler, you you can’t go with the Redskins either. So this game is picking the lesser between two evils and to me that’s Jacksonville. We’re picking the Jacksonville Jaguars to beat the Washington Redskins on 12/16/18.
The Redskins are 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. Washington is also 3-6 ATS in their last 9 road games. The Jaguars are 1-6-2 ATS in their last 9 games played and Jacksonville is 2-3-1 ATS in their last six games at home. Head to head, the Redskins are 5-1 ATS in their last six games played versus the Jaguars.
The Redskins have been outscored by 12.25 points during their current four game losing skid. The quarterback combination of Sanchez and Johnson isn’t just going to work for them. The Jaguars have covered four out of their last six games as favorites of seven or more points. I’m not a fan of Jacksonville but Washington’s quarterback issues are terrible. Prediction: Jaguars -7.5
The total has gone over in four out of the last six games of Washington. The under is 6-2 in the last eight road games played by the Redskins. The total has gone under in five out of the last six home games played by Jacksonville. Head to head, the over is 2-1 in their last three meetings.
None of these two teams are intimidating opponents with their passing. Washington’s quarterback problem is well-documented. Jacksonville can’t score with Kessler. Nothing seems to be going for both teams offensively. That said, I think both will have to run the football here which means this could be low scoring, even lower than the total of 36 set for this game. Don’t be surprised if the scoreboard won’t light up. Prediction: Under 36
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