The Washington Redskins(5-8) host the Arizona Cardinals(6-7) on Sunday, and both teams are limping to the finish line of very disappointing seasons. The Redskins have been one of the most injured teams in the league this year, but the Cardinals have suffered some big losses that also derailed their season. QB Carson Palmer, RBs David Johnson and Adrian Peterson, OLs Jared Veldheer and Mike Iupati, and others have ended their season on IR this season.
The Redskins have struggled the last two weeks, and lost by a combined 41 points to the Cowboys and Chargers. Failures in all three phases of the game led to the losses that have eliminated Washington from the playoffs. The defense has stumbled since the loss of rookie DL Jonathan Allen, and injuries elsewhere. The Redskins have allowed the 2nd most points in the NFL this season, worse than the Browns, and only better than the Colts.
The offense is middle of the pack in yards and points per game. The Redskins have lost everyone on their line for some amount of time this year to injury, and have two starters on IR. RBs Chris Thompson and Rob Kelley are also on IR, and a big part of their offense went away without Thompson on the field. The Redskins will rely on rookie Samaje Perine to keep their running game alive.
The Cardinals offense is led by QB Blaine Gabbert, who has been sacked 15 times in the last two games, and lost two more starting OL this week. The Redskins pass rush will look to have a multiple sack day against Gabbert on Sunday. Arizona’s running game has been killed by injuries, and they should not be a huge factor this week. WR Larry Fitzgerald is almost at 1,000 yards this season with, and is still biggest threat on the Cardinals offense.
The Redskins opened as 4 point favorites against the Cardinals, and the line hasn’t moved from there. The over/under opened at 44, but is now as low as 41.5. This game could turn into a low scoring affair where both offenses sputter early and often, or the Gabbert vs Cousins shootout everyone expected when the schedule was released. The updated odds can be found at 5Dimes before making the call this week.
Can the Redskins stop their late-season slide and get a home win over the Cardinals?
Poll
Who wins Sunday’s game between the Redskins and Cardinals?
This poll is closed
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29%
Redskins by 7+
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30%
Redskins by < 7
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22%
Cardinals by < 7
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17%
Cardinals by 7+