The Washington Redskins (2-4) host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3) at FedEx Field this week. The game will begin Sunday, Oct 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on FOX.
Washington dropped one to the Jets 34-20 last week. Dashon Goldson led the Washington defense in the loss, totaling seven tackles. Tampa Bay is hoping for a similar result as its last game when they beat the Jaguars 38-31. Doug Martin had a big game on the ground for the Buccaneers, rushing for 123 yards and two TDs on 24 carries. Charles Sims contributed with 51 yards on 12 attempts.
The Redskins, a four-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when Tampa Bay visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 45 points.
Heading into Week 7 of league action, the Redskins are 2-4 Straight Up (SU) and 3-3 Against The Spread (ATS). This matchup could feature a substantial portion of the Washington run game, which currently averages an NFL-best 156.7 rushing yards per home game. The Redskins defense is a tough test at home this season, giving up 15.7 points per game. Don’t expect Tampa Bay to have much success throwing the ball against the Redskins. The Buccaneers average 218.4 yards per game through the air, 26th in the NFL. One of the keys to the game will be if the Redskins can take advantage of the turnover-prone Buccaneers, who rank 27th in the league in turnovers with two per game. Based on its tendencies, the Tampa Bay defense might give up an early score. The Buccaneers allow their opponents an average of 7.6 points in the first 15 minutes. Mistakes and a lack of focus could be factors that benefit the Redskins in this game. The Buccaneers are one of the most penalized teams in the league with 9.6 flags per game.
As for their opponent, the Buccaneers have a record of 2-3 for both ATS and SU. The Buccaneers average 12.7 yards per pass, one of the best rates in the NFL. This week, the Buccaneers will be tasked with shutting down Washington’s offense, which averages a meager 19 points per home game. Tampa Bay’s fourth-ranked pass defense has given its competition problems. Opponents have thrown for 202.4 yards per game against this terrorizing group. The Redskins defense does not start second half well, allowing 7.7 points in the third quarter, one of the worst in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, ATS Winner – TB, O/U – Under
Notes
Washington is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games.
Washington is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington’s last 9 games at home.
Washington is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games at home.
Washington is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay.
Washington is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay is 2-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Washington is 2-3 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Tampa Bay is winless (0-2 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (2-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
The Tampa Bay pass defense is ranked fourth in the league, while the Washington passing attack is ranked only 23rd. The Buccaneers’ passing game is ranked just 26th, compared to the eighth-ranked pass defense of the Redskins.
