Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins, FedEx Field, Landover, MD
Sunday, November 28, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Redskins -1.5
Current Line: Redskins -1
Opening Total: 43
Current Total: 43.5
Money Line: Redskins -115 / Vikings -105
The Minnesota Vikings (3-7) will find out if the head coach or the quarterback is the main culprit behind their disappointing season when they visit the Washington Redskins (5-5) on Sunday. The Vikings fired head coach Brad Childress on Monday following a 31-3 home loss to Green Bay, but Brett Favre remains the starter and will lead his team against Donovan McNabb and the Redskins (-1).
Favre has been the NFL’s worst quarterback to play in all of his team’s games this year with a 69.8 passer rating and a league-high 22 turnovers (17 interceptions and five turnovers). He recently said the offensive playbook was too difficult even though it is the same one that turned him into second-highest rated QB a year ago. Without Childress around, Favre is expected to have more freedom to call his own plays, which may or may not be in the team’s best interest.
Minnesota’s promotion of former defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to head coach also means linebackers coach Fred Pagic will take over his old job. Pagic will have his work cut out for him dealing with an underachieving unit that no longer is one of the most feared defenses. The Vikings have dropped nine straight road games including last year’s 31-28 overtime loss at New Orleans in the NFC championship game, giving up an average of nearly 28 points per game.
Washington rebounded nicely from a 59-28 drubbing by Philadelphia with a 19-16 overtime win at Tennessee last week. The Redskins rank dead last in yards allowed – giving up 411.1 per game – but they have allowed an average of 12.4 points in their five wins this season, beating the likes of Green Bay, Chicago and Philadelphia (all 7-3).
Quarterback Donovan McNabb seems to have taken more criticism than Favre this season yet has played better more often, throwing for 295 yards or more four times. Favre has thrown for more than 264 yards only once with interceptions in all but one game. McNabb completed 30 of 50 passes for 376 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Titans last week. He also beat Minnesota 26-14 at the Metrodome in the playoffs back in January of 2009.
Washington will be without running backs Clinton Portis and Ryan Torain due to injuries, so rookie Keiland Williams will again get a bulk of the work behind McNabb. Portis was placed on injured reserve with a torn muscle in his lower abdomen while Torain is out with a hamstring injury.
The OVER is 3-1 in the last four road games for the Vikings and the last four home games for the Redskins. The teams have split the last four meetings both straight-up and against the spread dating back to 1998.
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