NFL Picks Week 14: New England Patriots vs. Washington Redskins

New England Patriots at Washington Redskins
Sunday, 12/11/11, 1:00 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: New England -8.5
Current Betting Line: New England -8
Opening Total: 48
Current Total: 48
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

New England Patriots Football — The New England Patriots continue to rank last in the NFL in allowing 412.1 yards per game

New England has won four games in a row and scored at least 31 points in each, including a 31-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts last week as 20.5-point home favorites. The Patriots came into the week tied for the AFC’s best record, but the defense continues to rank last in allowing 412.1 yards per game, which includes surrendering 310 yards through the air. The franchise is a dominating 38-5 in December since the start of the 2001 campaign. New England is 5-2 ATS in the last four weeks of the season the past two-plus years.

The Patriots are led by quarterback Tom Brady offensively, who comes in with 3,916 passing yards, which is on pace to break the NFL record set by Dan Marino (5,084) in 1984. New England is averaging 30.2 points per game and currently ranks second in the league in total yards. Sunday will be the ninth meeting between the two franchises, with the Patriots being 0-2 in games played on the road in the series. It’s important to note that the last such contest was a 20-17 loss as three-point road underdogs on Sept. 28, 2003.

Washington has literally hit a brick wall in losing seven of eight and comes off a 34-19 loss to the New York Jets as three-point home underdogs. The Redskins have also gone ‘over’ the total in their last three contests, while covering two of three against the spread. Second-year head coach Mike Shanahan has been dealing with roster issues virtually the entire season, which includes three players being suspended for the rest of the season. “Am I disappointed? Absolutely,” stated Shanahan this week. Washington is 5-7 ATS on the year and the ‘under’ is 7-5 in those contests.

The Redskins have dropped their last four games inside FedExField and are 0-3 against AFC East foes this season. Washington’s defense will need to win this game, limiting the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets to an average of 258 yards the past two weeks, but will face an entirely different monster in Week 14. Brady has averaged over 300 passing yards over the past four games and thrown for 10 touchdowns and no interceptions over that span.