Last Updated on September 19, 2010 6:28 pm by drew
Texans at Redskins Pick
Two undefeated teams coming off impressive wins will clash in D.C. this Sunday when the Washington Redskins host the Houston Texans.
Oddsmakers from online sports book BroburySports.com have made the Texans 2.5-point favorites over the Redskins in Week 2. The over/under total for this game has been set at 43.5 points.
Texans Win If:
The Redskins have a couple of new members on their offensive line and the entire unit is learning a new blocking scheme under Mike Shanahan. The Cowboys were able to penetrate the gaps last week and ground Clinton Portis, who finished with only 63 yards on 18 carries (3.5 YPC average). The Texans have a fast, athletic front seven so if they can get a good push off the ball and create havoc in Washington’s backfield, they may be able to control this game on defense. Offensively, Arian Foster is coming off a massive Week 1 performance in which he rushed for 231 yards on 33 carries against Indianapolis. He probably won’t rush for 231 yards again, but if he can open things up for Matt Schaub and the passing game, then Houston should have no problem earning a victory.
Redskins Win If:
Donovan McNabb only threw for 171 yards last week and completed just 46.9% of his passes. The Washington defense bailed the offense out in a win over Dallas, but that can’t happen every week. McNabb’s offensive line needs to protect him better and Portis has to earn better than 3.5 yards per carry on the ground. The offense was a hot mess last week and the Skins need to take advantage of Houston’s two young corners in the passing game. But it all starts up front. If the Texans’ front seven can penetrate the running lanes and slow down Portis, then McNabb will have a tough go of things because Houston can keep their safeties back in coverage. Everything has to work in unison for Washington.
Prediction:
Be leery of the Texans. They looked great last week against the Colts, but they had a win over Indy coming to them for quite sometime. Home field advantage is usually worth three points and considering how good Washington’s defense looked last week, I’m surprised this isn’t a pick’em. Until the Texans can prove that they can win on a consistent basis, the Redskins are the play here.
2010 NFL Week 2 Free Pick: WASHINGTON REDSKINS +2.5
BONUS PICK: UNDER 43.5