With Teddy Bridgewater’s return on the horizon, the Minnesota Vikings (6-2) will still be rolling with Case Keenum when they travel to FedEx Field Sunday to face off against the Washington Redskins (4-4).
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The Game: Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins (+1.5)
O/U: 40.5
The History
The Redskins and Vikings have played 25 times with Washington holding a 13-12 advantage in the all time series.
The two teams faced off last season, with the Redskins winning 26-20 on November 13, 2016 at FedEx Field. Kirk Cousins out-dueled Sam Bradford, going 22 of 33 for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Bradford was 31 of 40 for 307 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-2)
I cannot stress this enough. Case Keenum has a fuse sticking out of his helmet and it’s burning awfully close to the crown. Keenum has played the best professional football of his life for the most part since taking over in Minnesota. He is long overdue for a full on bed shitting.
He nearly filled up his sheets a couple of weeks ago against the Ravens, but the Vikings’ defense was strong enough that it didn’t matter. Against a team that can actually move the ball consistently, the stage could be set for a messy clean up in Keenum’s boudoir.
Last week Keenum was solid against the Cleveland Browns in a 33-16 victory, but what does that mean? It was the Browns. Keenum went 27 of 43 for 288 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Adam Thielan caught five passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. Jerrick McKinnon continued to show his value. He rushed 14 times for 50 yards and a touchdown and caught six passes for 72 yards.
The defense, again facing Cleveland, forced two turnovers, sacked DeShone Kizer three times and got five stops in the backfield. They held the Browns to 4-of-13 in third downs and 0-for-1 on fourth downs. Cleveland held the ball just 22:08 minutes.
Guard Jeremiah Sirles and offensive tackle Mike Remmers haven’t practiced all week and probably won’t play. Everson Griffen was held out for a couple of days, but suited up Friday. I expect him on the field Sunday.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS (4-4)
Washington rolls into this game off a big, potentially season saving 17-14 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The knock I’ve had on Kirk Cousins as he’s piled up stats and not much else is his inability to show up in big games, especially at clutch time. Against Seattle, he performed when it counted, leading a game winning touchdown drive with 1:34 to go in the game.
Cousins finished 21 of 31 for 247 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown, but set his team up for two Robert Kelly touchdown runs, including the one yarder that won the game. Kelly was mostly bottled up outside of that, rushing 14 times for just 18 yards. Chris Thompson continues to be the Redskins’ best weapon out of the backfield. He rushed four times for 20 yards and caught four passes for 11 yards. Not that impressive, but they moved the chains.
With Jordan Reed sidelined, Vernon Davis continues to show his value for Washington. He led the team with six catches for 72 yards. Washington’s defense didn’t light up the stat sheet. They sacked Russell Wilson twice and got just one stop in the backfield. They did force two interceptions.
Matt Ioannidis and Arthur Jones are both out on the defensive line. Washington has a roster full of guys listed as questionable, but only Niles Paul and Reed didn’t practice Friday. They may hold Reed out again.
The Pick
Keenum is due for a complete meltdown and the fact that Bridgewater’s return is on the horizon just makes that explosion more eminent. I say it happens in this game. Washington should be able to move the ball, especially with passes out of the backfield. Minnesota isn’t nearly as tough on the road as they are at home. Here’s another upset for you. Redskins 24, Vikings 19
This week
Straight up: 1-0
Against the spread: 1-0
Last week
Straight up: 9-4
Against the spread: 11-2
Season
Straight up: 78-54
Against the spread: 69-62
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