Washington Redskins(0-2SU,0-2 ATS) vs.New York Giants(2-0SU,1-1ATS)
NFLWeek3
Date/Time: Sunday, September 25, 2016 at1PMEST
Where:MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ
TV:FOX
byBob, ExpertFootballHandicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread:WAS +4 / NYG -4
Over/Under Total:46.5
NFL week three is upon us and while the season is very young, we are starting to get a tiny glimpse of which teams are contenders in their respective divisions. Of course, it has only been two weeks and there are still lots of games, injuries, and changes to go but for now its been fun to watch.
This Sunday there is an NFC East game between the 0-2 Washington Redskins and the 2-0 New York Giants. Anytime the teams from the NFC East get together, records do not matter. The Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskinsnot matter the match up, anything can happen. These two professional teams have been facing off since the 1932 season back when the Redskins were the Boston Braves. Since that time, these teams have met on the gridiron 168 times and the Giants have owned the series with a record of 98-66-4. The last time these two teams met however, it was the Redskins getting the win. If Washington has any plans of getting back into the NFC East race, they need a win in week three and they need it bad.
The line opens with the Giants as a four point home favorite over the Redskins and the total points are set at 46.5, Of course, this is the line as of Monday morning and things can shift throughout the week. The very early betting action is on the Giants at home. 61% of the money is on the Gmen while just 49% like the odds of the road dog to cover in Washington. As for the total points, the public is just about 50/50 with the over getting 52% of the action. If Washington gets the win this Sunday it will not only be their first official win of the 2016 season, but it will also be their first Vegas cover as well.
The Giants come in at 2-0 on the season but it is not a very impressive 2-0. They edged a Dallas Cowboys team without Tony Romo in week one by just one point, then this past week beat a pretty weak Saints team by a score of 16-13. Good thing about the NFL is that it is not college, there are no style pointsa win is a win. On the other hand, Washington has sputtered out of the gate in 2016. In week one, the Skins lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers by a 38-16 score and then this past weekend lost to division rival, Dallas, 27-23. Washington does not want to go 0-3 and 0-2 in the division. There would still be time to make a run but they certainly would be behind the 8-ball. This game to me is going to come down to the offenses. I am usually a defensive minded guy, but I think these teams needs to start scoring points and whoever does that this weekend will walk away the victor.
The Washington Redskins made the decision to part ways with Robert Griffin III after last season. Kirk Cousins was supposedly the new savior and was going to be serviceable enough to run the team while they made their way back into contention. Cousins has looked awful, plain and simple. Not saying letting RG3 go was a mistake, because he is already out with another injury and was not even looking that good before, but Washington has some issues at the position. Cousins through two games has tossed three interceptions and just one touchdown. This isnt going to work. Cousins does put up yards however. He has an average of nearly 350 a game in the air, the Skins just cannot seem to score and much of this is due to the very weak running game. The key this weekend is for Washington to get the run game going against the Giants front seven. If the Redskins can get into 3rd down and manageable spots, this will take pressure off Kirk Cousins. This is a must if Washington wants to get that first W of 2016.
Eli Manning and the Giants are 2-0. Like I said earlier it is not a pretty 2-0, but hey, Id take it. While Eli has not thrown for as many yards as Cousins, he does have three scoring tosses to just one interception. The Gmens leading receiver is Sterling Shepard through the first two weeks, but we all know who the go to guy is for New York, Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham is only one yard behind Shepard on the season and what makes this game even more intriguing will the Josh Norman/Odell Beckham showdown. Last season, while Norman was in Carolina, these two faced off and it ended in punches, ejections, and suspensions. Lets see what happens this Sunday. The key is for the Giants to score and play defense. I know, sounds simplewell it is.
To me this game is a total toss up. Thing is, even though one team is 0-2 and the other is 2-0, I do not really trust either one to get the cover. Whenever I am faced with that, I go dogs 100% of the time. I like Washington to win a very ugly game, a VERY ugly game 20-16.
BobsPick to Cover the Point Spread:Take the Washington Redskins plus the four points.
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