Washington Redskins (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS) vs. Green Bay Packers (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS)
Week 2 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, September 15, 2014 at 1PM EST
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
TV: Fox
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: WASH +7.5/GB -7.5
Over/Under Total: 54.5
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The Washington Redskins travel to Lambeau to face the Green Bay Packers in a game between two good teams coming off a week one loss. Green Bay gave it a go, but fell short in San Francisco, 34-28, The Redskins lost at home to the Eagles 33-27 in a game where the score was closer than the actual game. Both teams should be hungry to atone for those defeats and to not sink to 0-2.
The Packers defense could have made some timely plays here and there, but the Packers shouldn’t hang their heads too much over the road loss to the 49ers on Sunday. They were right there and took a lead midway through the 4th before Frisco added a late touchdown and field goal to seal it. Rodgers had 333 yards and three touchdowns, with receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb each catching 7 passes and a touchdown. But we already knew that part of their game was good. What was good to see was how rookie Eddie Lacy played, even though his stats didn’t really show it. He came on late in the game and with a touchdown run, he showed some promise that could come in handy in a game like this.
The Redskins seemed caught off-guard by Chip Kelly’s offense on Monday. In their defense, that might happen a lot this year with the Eagles. The Skins returned a fumble to take an early 7-0 lead, but by halftime, the Eagles had exploded on them and it was suddenly 26-7. To their credit, a worn-out Washington “D” held the Eagles to only 7 second-half points and the Redskins managed to narrow the game to the point where they were attempting an onside kick hoping to score the go-ahead touchdown at the end of the game.
RG3 had his first multi-interception game and RB Alfred Morris had some troubles with the ball, with a key early fumble and a mishandled pitch in the end zone that led to a safety. If not for the first half sloppiness, it was a winnable game. It’s tough to come into Green Bay, but look for the Redskins to execute a little better.
You almost had to expect the Redskins to take some time to find their bearings, which they seemed to do late in the second half--albeit after Philadelphia had assumed control. That might not be the best gauge. Griffin had seen no preseason action and the offense still has to adjust to accommodate their unique field general. It’s still going to take some time before this offense takes full-flight. It’s tough to win in this league, especially when your running quarterback is on training wheels. The Green Bay “D” is by no means invulnerable, but it is a physical unit. It doesn’t seem like the spot where Shanahan would fully turn Griffin loose.
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Green Bay had high hopes going into this season. You had to figure if they lost to Frisco, which was a distinct possibility, they would be pouring all their effort into beating the Redskins at home to avoid an 0-2 start. After all, the Redskins “D” has some major holes in it and it’s easy to envision Rodgers and all his weapons finding more than their share of success. At the same time, the Redskins are a team coming off a playoff year and they’ll be scratching and clawing to avoid an 0-2 start, as well. It’s just that when you have two desperate entities, you might want to go with the one that has less of a problem with putting it all on the line. And that might be Green Bay.
It’s hard to go against teams like Green Bay in urgent spots like this. Then again, there is no guarantee that they’re going to have a good season. No one is entitled to success in this league and there have been a lot of teams with higher hopes than the 2013 Packers who started off 0-2. But against this defense and an opposing quarterback where the coach seems more worried about not getting him injured than turning him loose, the Pack are in a good spot to do some damage in this game, even their record, and instill some confidence for upcoming games.
One potential item of concern is Green Bay’s offensive line. Aaron Rodgers has been putting up big numbers year after year, despite no QB having taken more sacks than him in the past 3 seasons. He took a few more against San Francisco and was under constant pressure. With only 63 yards on the ground, this line might soon come under fire. Losing Bryan Bulaga was a big loss and this reshuffled line is going to have to find a way to come together or Green By’s considerable tools on offense won’t reach their full potential.
This is a tough call. 7.5 points is a pretty big number, even at home, especially against a Redskins team that will be in an urgent state of mind.
Loot's Pick to Cover the Point Spread: The public loves RGIII. He's a great story, however, we only love who's going to cover the spread this week and that's the Green Bay Packers. The Skins got dominated last week by the Eagles. The final score was close, but they were garbage points, most of which Washington scored while Philly's only concern was eating up the clock. The Pack win convincingly here.
