Washington Redskins (4-5 SU 4-4-1 ATS) vs. Tennessee Titans (5-4 SU 5-4 ATS) Week 11 NFL Football, LP Field, Nashville, TN 1:00 PM ET, November 21, 2010 on FOX
by Jason Green of Predictem.com
Betting Odds: Wash +6.5/TEN -6.5
Over/Under Total: 43
In a non-conference match up between a couple of teams that did not play well last week the Tennessee Titans host the Washington Redskins. In the case of the Redskins not playing well may be an understatement, as they got killed, at home no less, giving up 59 points to NFC East rival Philadelphia. The Titans have lost 2 in a row and in their last game they only scored 16 points in a 12-point loss to the Miami Dolphins.
What the hell is up with the Skins? They pick up Donovan McNabb
in the off-season and so far the 34-year old has more INT than TD and is
having the worst season of his career and before the Eagles game they give
him a 5-year contract with $40 million in guaranteed money? He went out
and rewarded Washington by throwing 3 picks against the Eagles with only
2 TD. Seriously? At least against Tennessee he will be facing a Titans’
secondary that has been torched this season giving up an average of 247.7
passing yards per game.
I don’t think all the blame is on McNabb, as his WR corps are pretty weak and he has not got much help from the running game. However, I think Donovan will bounce back against a sketchy Titans’ secondary and play well this Sunday, but he will get picked off once or twice against a Tennessee defense that is tied for 2nd in the league with 14 INT.
The Redskins have averaged less than 90 rushing yards per game in their 2-game losing streak. In the Eagles game RB Ryan Torain strained his hamstring in warm-ups and Clinton Portis did not play because of his injured groin. They are both questionable for this game, but whoever runs the ball for the Skins will not rack up the rushing yards against a decent Titans’ rushing defense.
The Randy Moss era in Tennessee did not begin with a bang, as in the loss to Miami he only had one catch. For the game the Titans’ offense only picked up 259 yards. Vince Young has been bothered by a bum ankle, but he is getting better and is likely to get the start in this game. The Redskins’ defense has been worse than the Titans when it comes to defending the pass and on Monday night Eagles QB Michael Vick tore them up with 333 passing yards and 4 TD.
Titans’ RB Chris Johnson rushed for 117 yards last week and he will break the 100-yard barrier again against the Skins. In the embarrassing loss to Philly the Redskins’ D not only allowed Vick to have a career game, but they also gave up 260 rushing yards. I mean Jerome Harrison rushed for 109 yards for the Eagles on Monday night, which almost doubled his season total, and he aint no Chris Johnson coming out of the backfield.
Overall, the Redskins’ defense ranks dead last in the league even though CB DeAngelo Hall leads the league in INT and LB London Fletcher ranks 4th in tackles. Washington has to step up on defense if they are going to make a playoff push, but they will not do it in this game, as Johnson will rack up a ton of rushing yards and Young will play well. WR Kenny Britt is questionable for this game with a hamstring injury, but if he can go Moss will see more single coverage and make some plays down the field.
While the Redskins are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 road games they tend not to bounce back from getting trounced in their house, as they are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 games following a double-digit loss at home.
The Titans have not been a good betting team after their passing offense has struggled going 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games after passing for less than 150 yards in their previous game.
Jason’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Both teams have lost 2 in a row, but the Titans will not make it 3 this Sunday. Johnson is too much for the Skins’ D to handle and Washington’s rushing offense has disappeared lately. Look for the Titans to look like the legit playoff contender they are, as they will win and cover the 6.5-point spread.