Washington Redskins at Oakland Raiders Line
The 3-9 Washington Redskins make the cross country trip to take on the 4-8 Oakland Raiders in a Week 14 NFC East versus AFC West battle. Last week, the Redskins squandered away an opportunity to hand New Orleans its first loss of the season. A missed chip shot field goal late in the game gave the Saints another chance and they took full advantage. The Redskins eventually fell 33-30 in overtime. Meanwhile, the Raiders did not blow their opportunity to pull off a shocking upset. They scored three fourth quarter touchdowns to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers 27-24 on the road. These two teams have not met since the 2005 season when the Raiders won 16-13 for their fourth win in the last five meetings and their eighth in 11 all-time meetings. NFL odds makers are basically calling this one a toss up, listing the Washington Redskins as a slim 1-point favorite with the total set at 37.
The big question entering this game is how Washington will respond after enduring a heartbreaking loss to the Saints. It certainly can’t expect just to show up and win against a Raiders team that will not quit. In fact, the Raiders have come from behind to beat both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh two of the last three weeks. If Washington is able to get another fourth quarter lead, it better not let off the gas pedal.
Clinton Portis has been put on IR, joining backup Ladell Betts. Now the Redskins are going with a running back by committee approach with Quinton Ganther, Rock Cartwright, and Marcus Mason all getting carries. Ganther was picked up a few weeks back to add depth, but this is his shot to earn a spot on the roster next season.
The injuries at the tailback position have forced the Redskins to throw the football more and QB Jason Campbell threw it well last week. He had his best game of the season, completing over 71 percent of his passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns against one interception for a season-high passer rating of 111.9. If he is able to perform like that this week, Washington will have an excellent shot to win.
Defensively, the guy I’ll be watching is Andre Carter. He has been on an absolute tear with eight sacks in his last eight games. It is worth noting that the Raiders are a poor 5-20-2 ATS in their last 27 games as an underdog of 3.0 points or less.
December has been Oakland’s month. Sunday’s win in Pittsburgh marked the Raiders’ fourth straight December victory. The Raiders have won two of their last three games, leaving fans thinking “what if they had gone with Bruce Gradkowski sooner?” Gradkowski doesn’t have the strongest arm and he isn’t the swiftest of foot, but he is a competitor, showing the type of fire rarely seen from JaMarcus Russell. And that fire is exactly what this team needed. He will face a tough task Sunday against the Redskins’ fifth-ranked passing defense, but you can count on Gradkowski leaving it all out on the field. It is worth noting that the Redskins are 0-6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite.
