Redskins 2016 Win Total Pick
After being the surprise winner of the NFC East in 2015, can the Washington Redskins find a way to have another big season in 2016?
According to the oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Redskins are listed with an over/under of 7.5 wins for the regular season. The over is listed at -115 to win, while the under is at -115 as well. The Bears odds to win the Super Bowl this season is set at 55/1.
Bet on 2016 Washington Redskins Odds
Jay Gruden comes into his third season as coach of the Redskins. After a 4-12 record in 2014, Gruden led Washington to a 9-7 record in 2014, which was good enough to win the NFC East. The Skins did drop their playoff opener to the Packers, 35-18, at home. The big news in the offseason for Washington revolved around the QB position. The team finally parted ways with Robert Griffin III, who didn’t see the field in 2015, yet couldn’t come to terms with Kirk Cousins on a long-term deal and thus franchised him for a 1-year, $19.9 million contract.
Cousins is coming off his best year in the NFL. He threw for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns while having 11 interceptions. He comes into this season as the clear starter. He returns some strong weapons in Jordan Reed, Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson. The team also added Josh Doctson, a WR from TCU, with their first round pick in the NFL Draft. One interesting factor for Washington is in the backfield, as the team no longer has Alfred Morris, as he signed with the Cowboys in the offseason. Matt Jones is the leading returning rusher with 490 yards while Chris Thompson rushed for 216 yards in limited action. Both are relatively young backs, but Washington will certainly need more from its runs game this season.
Defensively, Washington ranked 28th in the NFL last season, allowing 380.6 yards per game. They struggled to stop the run and the pass, ranking 25th or worse in both categories. The Redskins were able to address the pass defense by signing CB Josh Norman in April after the troubled star was cut by the Panthers. They also added CB Greg Toler from the Colts while drafting Virginia Tech CB Kendall Fuller in the third round. When it comes up front, the Skins have some talent in Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith, who combined for 17.5 sacks in 2015. Washington added USC OLB Su’a Cravens to the front unit with their second round draft pick.
NFL Quick Links: Free Matchup Reports | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Scoreboard | Betting Trends
They say you need a little luck to win championships in football. Well, Washington had plenty of that last season. Not so much on their side as much as bad luck happened to other teams. The Cowboys suffered huge injuries while the Eagles imploded and the Giants also fell apart. Washington won’t have that same fortune this year, which allowed them to finish 2015 strong. The Redskins won a battle of attrition in the NFC East as opposed to really winning by being the best team. Now, they play a tougher schedule while their division rivals have regrouped. Cousins still has a lot of questions and is likely to have a struggling ground game that will allow defenses to attack him frequently. Washington should have an improved defense, but not enough to make them into a winning team.
2016 NFL WIN TOTAL PICK: WASHINGTON REDSKINS UNDER 7.5 (-115)