Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins, FedEx Field, Landover, MD
Monday, November 15, 2010, 8:30 pm EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Line: Eagles -3
Current Line: Eagles -3
Opening Total: 41.5
Current Total: 42.5
Money Line: Eagles -175 / Redskins +155
The last meeting between the Washington Redskins (4-4) and the Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) saw quarterback Donovan McNabb get revenge on his former team in an ugly 17-12 victory. Now McNabb will look to complete the sweep and redeem himself following a disappointing 37-25 loss at Detroit prior to their bye week when the Redskins host the favored Eagles (-3) on Monday Night Football.
McNabb was benched at the end of the loss to the Lions in favor of Rex Grossman because Washington head coach Mike Shanahan was not confident enough in his ability to run the two-minute offense. Shanahan later criticized McNabb’s conditioning, creating even more drama for the Redskins heading into their bye. But he can still make a serious statement here against the Eagles and the players who replaced him in Philly by beating them yet again.
Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick did not last long against Washington in the previous meeting, completing just 5 of 7 passes for 49 yards before suffering a rib injury. McNabb’s original successor Kevin Kolb replaced Vick and completed 22 of 35 passes for 201 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Kolb was deemed the starter heading into the season but was injured in the season-opening loss to Green Bay, giving Vick his opportunity.
Vick remains one of the leading MVP candidates in the NFL, as he leads the league in passer rating at 105.3 and has thrown seven touchdown passes without an interception. He returned to action last week in a 26-24 home win over Indianapolis and completed 17 of 29 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown while picking up 74 yards on the ground with another score.
Meanwhile, McNabb has provided the Redskins with leadership but has struggled otherwise. Only Minnesota’s Brett Favre (75.7) and St. Louis rookie Sam Bradford (75.9) have a lower passer rating of quarterbacks who have started every game this season for their team than McNabb (76). With seven touchdown passes and eight interceptions, McNabb has leaned heavily on the running game to help balance out the offense. Running back Ryan Torain rushed for 70 yards on 18 carries and scored a touchdown in the first meeting with Philly but has been battling a hamstring injury and will not be at 100 percent even though he is expected to play.
The Eagles will be primed for this NFC East matchup defensively after sacking Indy quarterback Peyton Manning three times and picking him off twice in last week’s win. Cornerback Asante Samuel had both interceptions and obviously played against McNabb regularly in practice last year.
The Redskins are 4-1 against the spread in the last five meetings with Philadelphia despite splitting the last six games between the teams straight-up. The underdog and road team in the series is 6-1-1 ATS in the last eight meetings.
Now that you have read this sports betting preview, check out the NFL odds on this Monday Night Football matchup and make sure you get the best NFL lines from online sportsbooks.
