Something will have to give in the Sunday Night Football matchup, seeing how the Green Bay Packers have a terrible record as an underdog and the Washington Redskins are not much better as the favorite.
Kirk Cousins and Washington are listed as the 3-point favorite against the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers with a 50.5 total, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Washington is only 2-8 against the spread in their last 10 games as a favorite but Green Bay is an even more dismal 3-15 straight-up in their last 18 outings as the underdog, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
The Packers are 4-5 SU and 3-5-1 ATS this season, as both their rushing game and ability to complete deep passes has been limited even though they haven’t faced premier defenses. Green Bay has RB James Starks back in the lineup and picked up RB Christine Michael, so there is a chance they could take advantage of Washington’s 23rd-ranked run defense.
The prospects for WR Jordy Nelson largely hinge on whether the Packers can keep him away from CB Josh Norman and get him lined up more frequently against CB Kendall Fuller.
Green Bay is 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine games against Washington, including a wild-card playoff win last season. However, both teams seem to have changed vastly over the last 12 months or so.
The Redskins, who are 5-3-1 SU and 6-3 ATS, have a top-10 offense which will be facing a major test. Washington allowed six sacks during the 2015 playoff loss against Green Bay, but the protection in front of Kirk Cousins has been strong (12 sacks allowed in nine games) in spite of facing a strong schedule.
The Packers are allowing 8.2 yards per pass, so provided that WR DeSean Jackson (shoulder) is good to go, there should be some room for slot WR Jamison Crowder and TE Jordan Reed to operate.
The Packers are fourth in the NFL in run defense. Washington might have to sacrifice some big-play potential and count on RB Rob Kelley to simply grind out tough yards and keep the Packers defense on the field.
