Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins
Sunday, 9/18/11, 1:00 PM EST, TV: FOX
Opening Point Spread: Washington -4.5
Current Betting Line: Washington -3.5
Opening Total: 42
Current Total: 44
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Arizona came away with a 28-21 win over the Carolina Panthers as 6.5-point home favorites and will now aim to start the 2011 campaign with a 2-0 record. “I would love to be 2-0,” state Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. “That would be a great start. It puts us in a unique position and would make us a contender.” The Cardinals have lost seven straight meetings against the Washington Redskins, including six in a row in the nation’s capitol. Arizona’s last win in the series came in November 2000 and the under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
The Cardinals definitely want to begin 2-0 due to what it means for the potential of reaching the playoffs, as 167 of 258 teams to pull off the feat since 1978 have gone on to the postseason. Arizona started with two wins in 2008 and made the playoffs. Quarterback Kevin Kolb came off a solid debut against the Panthers, connecting on 18 of 27 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals secondary must do a better job defending the pass, allowing Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton to throw for 422 yards.
Washington opened the season with a 28-14 win over the New York Giants as home underdogs inside FedExField. Rex Grossman won the quarterback battle during the preseason over John Beck, completing 21-of-34 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. He will have a highly-motivated player behind him in the backfield, as Tim Hightower was traded from Arizona to Washington during the offseason, as he ran for 1,733 yards and 23 touchdowns over three seasons in the desert. Washington is 1-5 ATS as a favorite over the last two-plus seasons.
The Redskins defense did a great job of stopping the Giants on third down last week, limiting them to just a single conversion in 10 tries. Washington also allowed New York’s running back tandem of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs to just 3.8 yards per carry and got to quarterback Eli Manning four times. The key matchup for the unit this week will be cornerback DeAngelo Hall going against Fitzgerald. The Pro Bowl wide receiver has caught 10 balls for 147 yards in his matchups with the three-time Pro Bowl cornerback.
Bettors will likely back the Cardinals due to their 2-0 ATS mark versus NFC East foes, while the Redskins are 0-5 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points.
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