As the NFL season advances, the sports betting experts find it more and more difficult to predict the outcome of games. When the NFL betting lines came out for week eight in the NFL, it would be hard to imagine the 1-6 Detroit Lions being favored over the 4-3 Washington Redskins. But there is something in the NFL scores over the past few weeks that are making people think that the Detroit Lions are on the verge of going from the basement to the penthouse in the NFL North division.The biggest factor in determining the odds for this game is the return of Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford. In only his second season, Stafford has shown that he can indeed put the Lions on his back and carry them to a winning record. Stafford has already missed a lot of time this season and it is unlikely that the Lions will win enough to finish 8-8 this season, but this game against the Redskins can be the start of Stafford’s declaration that the 0-16 Lions are indeed a thing of the past.
For the Redskins, the NFL predictions all season long have been hesitant. The offense under newly-acquired quarterback Donovan McNabb is not nearly as efficient as observers had expected. The defense lacks character and is weak along the front seven. The Redskins pass defense is ranked 31st in the league giving up an average of 292 yards per game in the air. They are not doing much better against the run as teams are putting up an average of 114 yards per game against the Redskins.
Many point to the off-season temper tantrum of Albert Haynesworth as a distraction large enough to disrupt the entire Washington defense. First, Haynesworth would not report because he did not want to play nose tackle in a 3-4 defense. Then, when he did report, bad off-season conditioning kept him out of practice. When he started to play in the regular season, he got hurt. Then he took personal time for a family tragedy. The only legitimate excuse was taking care of his family; the rest has upset the entire defensive balance of the Washington Redskins.
In this game, the Redskins are in trouble. Their bottom-ranked Northbet review pass rush is about to come up against a second-year quarterback in Stafford that has shown a talent for exploiting weak secondaries and defensive lines that cannot get to the quarterback. Throw in a fantastic and evolving running game with rookie running back Jahvid Best, and you have an offense that the Redskins just cannot handle.
Washington owner Daniel Snyder tried to buy a Super Bowl yet again by paying big money for head coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Donovan McNabb. But Snyder still does not seem to understand that great teams are developed through free agent acquisitions and draft picks over the course of four or five years. Hopefully Snyder will put a little faith in Shanahan and give the legendary coach the time he needs to build a winner. For now, the Redskins have the bits and pieces that go into a consistent winning team. But they lack the role players and solid offensive and defensive lines that make a consistent winner in the NFL.
Pick: Detroit Lions 21-17
