The Washington Football team head to the Highmark Stadium to take on the Buffalo Bills in a battle between teams favored to win their respective teams during the preseason.
Washington won the NFC East last season and were the preseason favorites to win the division. But with Dak Prescott returning to Dallas, they have seen their odds fall to second in the current odds boards. Washington is 1-1 on the season as they lost to the San Diego Chargers 20-16 in Week 1 but defeated the New York Giants 30-29 the last time out.
Meanwhile, the Bills were one win away from the Super Bowl last season and are the favorites to win the AFC East this year. Buffalo was ambushed on opening week by the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16 but they bounced back with a strong week 2 effort, blanking the Miami Dolphins 35-0.
Washington is dealing with early season adversity as starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick got hurt in their opening game against the Chargers. Back-up Taylor Heinicke started their previous outing and he produced a victory after nearly throwing the game away with a late interception.
Last season, Washington had the NFL’s second-best defense but not only did they give up 29 points against Daniel Jones, but they also allowed the Giants to score on four straight possessions to almost steal the game from them. Washington is coming off a long break however and the hope is that Ron Rivera has fine-tuned their defensive shortcomings.
Heinicke threw for 336 yards against the Giants while Terry McLaurin had 11 catches on 14 targets for 107 yards and a touchdown. Antonio Gibson also looked good in week 2, rushing for 69 yards on 13 carries.
The Buffalo Bills started their season on the wrong foot. But after suffering an upset loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they took out their frustration on the Miami Dolphins in their last game, blanking Miami while putting up 35 points on the board. With the win, the Bills have improved to 1-1 on the season.
Buffalo’s defense forced six sacks and three turnovers against Miami and produced their first shut-out win since 2016. The Bills also stopped the Dolphins four times on downs and their defense has allowed 16 points and 468 yards in two games played. Buffalo will need their “D” to rise to the occasion once again with QB Josh Allen still looking to regain his MVP form from the previous season.
Allen threw a pair of scores against Miami but he’s completed only 56% of his passes this year which is a stark decrease of 13% from the previous season. Buffalo acquired Emmanuel Sanders during the offseason but Allen hasn’t familiarized himself with Sanders that much yet as Sanders only has six catches for 100 yards after two games.
Washington is 2-4 SU in their last six games played. Washington is 4-1 SU in their last five road games. Buffalo is 9-2 SU in their last 11 games played. The Bills are 7-1 SU in their last eight games played at home.
Head to head, the Bills have won seven out of their last eight meetings against Washington. Buffalo is also 5-1 SU in their last six home games against Washington.
Make no mistake, this won’t be a walk in the park for Buffalo. Washington has a stout defense and they have the ability to limit opposing offenses from putting up too many points on the scoreboard. However, Buffalo’s defense has also looked good in the first two weeks of the season and even if both defenses would offset each other, the Bills would still win because the difference in offense is too great.
The Bills bounce back from a 16-point opener to scoring 35 points against Miami. Josh Allen certainly is the much better QB than Taylor Heinicke and he has more weapons to throw to. This game will be won by the better offense and it’s the Bills who have that.
Prediction: Buffalo Bills
Washington is 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. The WFT is 1-7 ATS in their last eight September games, 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against the AFC East, 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games when accumulating more than 250 passing yards in their previous game, and 3-9 ATS in their last dozen games when rushing for more than 150 yards in their previous outing.
Buffalo is 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games played. The Bills are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games as favorites, 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games after a straight up win, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played on turf, 5-1 in their last six weeks 3 games, 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games after a straight up win of more than 14 points, and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games when scoring more than 30 points in their last outing.
Head to head, the Buffalo Bills are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played against the Washington Football Team. The home team is also 4-1 ATS in the last five games between these two teams.
Washington had more than enough time to prepare for this game but no matter what the preparation, they still have a much inferior offensive team than Buffalo. Not only is Washington without its starting QB, but they are also a team that doesn’t have too many weapons. Taylor Heinicke has proven to be solid but he isn’t the explosive offensive juggernaut like Kyler Murray is.
On the other side, the Buffalo defense has been splendid to start the season and Washington isn’t one of the elite offensive teams in the league. Give me the Bills’ defense to deliver another excellent effort here. The spread is over a touchdown but I like that the Bills are playing at home.
Prediction: Bills -7.5
The total has gone under in six out of the last eight games played by Washington. The under is 10-5 in their last 15 games against the AFC, 6-2 in their last eight games after a straight up win, 4-1 in their last five games as an underdog, 21-8 in their last 29 games after accumulating less than 90 rushing yards in their previous game, and 5-0 after picking up 250 or more passing yards in their last outing.
The total has gone under in four out of the last five games of the Bills as favorites. The under is also 4-1 in their last five games as home favorites, 8-3 in their last 11 September games, 5-2 after allowing less than 150 passing yards in their previous game, 5-2 in their last seven games after a straight up win of more than 14 points, and 4-1 in their last five games against the NFC East.
Head to head, the under is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these two teams.
The Bills are coming off a 35-0 win over the Miami Dolphins the last time out and while I’m not expecting them to produce another shutout, their defense is going to be a handful for a Washington team that will be led by its backup QB and possibly have a compromised Antonio Gibson.
On the other hand, the Bills’ offense isn’t at its peak form yet despite last week’s performance against the Dolphins. Buffalo scored only 16 points during their opening week loss to the Steelers and they look to be struggling to find their true form early in the season.
Prediction: Under 45
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