Washington Redskins (1-6 SU, 2-5 ATS) vs. Minnesota Vikings (5-2 SU, 5-2 ATS)
Week 8 NFL
Date/Time: Thursday Night Football, October 24, 2019 at 8:20PM EST
Where: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: Fox/NFL
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: WAS +16/MIN -16
Over/Under Total: 42
This week on Thursday Night Football, the Washington Redskins come to U.S. Bank Stadium to take on the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are looking pretty good after three big wins in a row and now at 5-2. On Sunday, they went into Detroit and won, 42-30, looking to keep pace with the Packers in the NFC North. They get a downward-trending Redskins' team at home this week and it's not looking as promising for Washington at 1-6. On Sunday, they had the indignity of getting shut out at home by the 49ers, 9-0. What can they come up with in this tough road-spot? Will the big road-dog cover or are the Vikings licking their chops?
After getting shut out at home, seeing their head coach get canned, and their only win coming against a somehow-worse Dolphins team when they missed a late two-pointer, it's looking bad for the Redskins. They can't get a good QB in there, with the Case Keenum/Dwayne Haskins/Colt McCoy carrousel yielding zero positive results. Adrian Peterson is the star of their offense and it' just a very flat group. Now in a tough place to play against a peaking Vikes' team, what will they come up with?
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It's just hard to make it work without a quarterback that can make things happen. And it's not just the Redskins' quarterback situation. With better weapons around him and a more-functional offensive line, the whole thing would look a lot different. But with a no-name receiver crew, other teams' leftovers and a rookie at quarterback, and no firepower of offense, it makes it pretty difficult. They can't continue at this pace or it's going to be an even bigger disaster than it already is. In their last four games, the Redskins have scored 26 total points. Ouch.
The Redskins' defense will be their saving grace moving forward. That goes both for winning games and covering spreads. On Sunday, the "D" was able to deliver a cover—quite a feat when a team gets shut out. With Ryan Kerrigan and Montez Sweat, they have some juice in the middle. The secondary has been playing better. Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are a promising duo up front. Yet, the Redskins' defense continues to struggle against the run and that's not what you want to hear when about to face the Vikings.
Minnesota was looking a lot like it did last season in the first four games, going 2-2. With three straight wins, a lot is starting to come together. Dalvin Cook is announcing his elite status as a back. Kirk Cousins has started to connect with his targets and has been big in the last three games with nearly a thousand yards, along with ten TDs and just one pick. And while the defense didn't thrive last week so much, they've been playing a lot better. This is more of what we saw a few years ago, just with an even more-vital aerial attack. We'll see if they can keep it going this week at home. And with this number, they're going to need to and then some.
It's been good to see Cousins connecting better with his targets lately. Stefon Diggs has come alive in a big way, with two huge games in a row. On Sunday, we saw Cousins hitting his tight ends with higher regularity, as Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith, Jr. each hauled in scoring grabs. Seeing Adam Thielen leave the game was a source of some concern and we'll see if his pulled hamstring keeps him out of action or leaves him compromised. He aid he intends to play so we'll see. But the signs are good from the aerial attack. With the league's leading rusher in Cook, this looks to be a daunting proposition for the Redskins defense, as they have suffered against the run some this season.
It's a good front for the Vikings' defense with Danielle Hunter, Linval Joseph, and Everson Griffen. They've played a big part in keeping the opposing run-game in check. Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr in the middle continue to shine. In the secondary, Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith, and Anthony Harris have been pretty good and can make a lot of plays in the right spots. This week might be one of them against a pretty no-frills Washington receiver package. Again, this group didn't look terribly-crisp against Detroit, but in three games at home this season so far, they've allowed a combined 46 points.
Going strictly off of what you've seen the last few weeks only goes so far in this business. Sure, we see a Redskins team stinking it up, now taking to the road to face a Vikings' team that found something and is really thriving. Sounds too easy, right. That's because it is. I actually see the Redskins' defense continuing to show its fangs in this game? And while the Vikings look like contenders and deserve credit for getting on the right track, I'm not quite sold on the notion that they're a slam-dunk proposition as jumbo-size favorites. I sense a more-subdued Vikings' offense, with a few big plays on both sides of the ball for the Redskins—just enough to allow them to eke out a cover in Minneapolis. I'll take the Redskins.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Washington Redskins plus 16 points. Tired of your credit card not working for sportsbook deposit? End that problem today by signing up at Bovada Sportsbook where your credit card WILL work and where you'll receive a generous 50% sign-up bonus!
