Pro Football Picks: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Washington Redskins

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Washington Redskins
Sunday, 12/8/13, 1:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Kansas City -3
Current Betting Line: Kansas City -3
Opening Total: 44
Current Total: 44.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Washington Redskins can't wait for the 2013 NFL season to come to an end — The Washington Redskins can’t wait for the 2013 NFL season to come to an end

Kansas City is mired in a three-game losing streak, which includes a 35-28 defeat to the Denver Broncos as five-point home underdogs in Week 13, while it has lost the statistical battle in five consecutive contests. The Chiefs are 3-0 versus NFL East teams during the 2013 campaign, which can’t be ignored when making your pro football picks Sunday afternoon. With four weeks to play in the regular season, the franchise is tied for the second-best record in the AFC with the New England Patriots. Kansas City is 3-7 SUATS in December the last two-plus seasons.

The Chiefs have benefited greatly from a plus-14 turnover margin this season, which is far better than the Redskins entering with a minus-two in that particular category. Offensively, the team is ninth in the league in averaging 24.8 points a contest, but 24th in yards per play. On the other side of the football, the defense didn’t allow more than 283 passing yards in the first nine weeks, but has allowed an average of 371.0 in the last three.

Washington has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, which has the front office and locker room focused on the future. The Redskins certainly have the ability of getting after Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who is completing just 46 percent of his passes when under pressure, as Brian Orakpo has tallied 5.5 sacks in the past four games. It’s important to point out that the team has started with the worst average field position in the league, while Kansas City leads that all-important but forgotten category. Washington is 1-8 SUATS as an underdog this season.

The Redskins will need to focus on shutting down the Chiefs running attack—specifically Jamaal Charles. Washington will also need a big performance from second-year quarterback Robert Griffin III, who became the fourth player since 1970 to throw for at least 3,000 yards in each of his first two professional seasons.