Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers Line
The Carolina Panthers (1-5) can match last season’s win total with a victory at home over the Washington Redskins (3-2) Sunday.
Odds makers have given the Panthers the edge. They are currently listed as a 2.5-point favorite with the total set at 44.
The Panthers dropped their third straight last week, enduring a 31-17 loss on the road to the Atlanta Falcons. Rookie quarterback Cam Newton had a rough day. He completed 21 of 35 passes for 237 yards but was intercepted three times.
Wide receiver Steve Smith was on the receiving end of five of Newton’s completions and led the team with 66 receiving yards.
Newton led the Panthers in rushing, carrying the pigskin six times for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Last week, the Redskins lost 20-13 at home to the Philadelphia Eagles in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score leads you to believe. The Redskins trailed 20-0 at one point and starting quarterback Rex Grossman was pulled after completing just nine of 22 throws for 143 yards and four interceptions.
Coach Mike Shanahan has yet to disclose whether Grossman or backup John Beck will get the start Sunday.
Washington only managed 42 yards on the ground against a Philadelphia defense that is among the worst in the league at stopping the run.
It will be important for the Redskins to avoid falling behind early so they can run the football against Carolina this week. The Panthers rank 31st in the NFL against the run with 140.3 yards allowed per game.
The Panthers gave up 166 rushing yards to the Falcons last week.
Washington is 3-0 this season when rushing for at least 70 yards.
The Washington stop unit has been good this season, but it looked a little out of sorts following a bye week. The Redskins were gashed for 192 yards on the ground in last Sunday’s loss to the Eagles.
They must do a better job against the run if they hope to come away with a win Sunday. Carolina has averaged 145 yards per game on the ground the last four weeks.
Not only will the Redskins have to worry about DeAngelo Williams, who leads the Panthers with 302 rushing yards, they’ll have to worry about Newton, who runs the option well and makes plays outside the pocket with his legs.
These two have split the last four meetings with the Panthers winning the most recent contest 20-17 at home on Oct. 11, 2009.
As far as the point spread is concerned, the Redskins just might be the play. They are 4-0 against the spread in the last four meetings in this series and the underdog is 9-0 against the number in the last nine matchups.
It is also worth noting, however, that Carolina is 4-0 against the spread in its last four home games and 7-1-1 against the number in its last nine games as a favorite of three points or less.
In regard to the total, the under has been the play recently. These teams are 4-0-1 under in the last five meetings.
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