You know things are bad for the Washington Redskins when you see them carrying a 3-7 record. But if you’re looking for a slam dunk proof that the Redskins’ season is under heaps of garbage, then watching a replay of their Week 11 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers isn’t a bad place to start. But who’s to say they can’t shock the San Francisco 49ers next week? Remember, the Redskins were the ones who halted the Dallas Cowboys’ mean win streak back in Week 8.
Can the Redskins take down San Francisco? Or will the 49ers grab Washington by its collars and throw them out of the window this coming Sunday?
Looking for more NFL Week 12 previews? You can read our complete breakdown of Dolphins vs. Broncos here .
[sc:Football ]Washington Redskins vs. San Francisco 49ers Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
When: Sunday, November 23, 4:25 PM ET
Line: Washington Redskins (+9) at San Francisco 49ers (-9); total: 45.0 – see all NFL lines
Betting on the Washington Redskins
If only the Redskins are just as prolific on the field as they are on manufacturing controversies, then they would have been on top of the NFC East right now. Sadly for the team, they are not. Not even close. The division cellar-dwelling Redskins got another black eye on Sunday, when they absorbed an ugly 27-7 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were among the worst teams on both sides of the field in the league.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Robert Griffin, once thought to be the savior of the franchise, looked lesser and lesser like it in his last two starts. In the Redskins’ 29-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9, Griffin completed 18 of 28 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Things got worse for Griffin against the Bucs, as he passed for just 207 yards and a touchdown to go along with two picks. These are concerning numbers, especially when considering the fact that the Redskins’ next opponent, San Francisco, tops the league in interceptions with 16.
Griffin played bad but his protection unit didn’t do him any favors either as the Redskins’ offensive line was repeatedly overran by the Bucs, who sacked Washington’s quarterback six times. For those keeping count, Griffin has now been sacked 11 times over the team’s last two games and 15 overall.
Moreover, the salty protection gave Griffin a hard time finding his top wideouts in DeSean Jackson (819 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns) and Pierce Garcon (464 yards, 3 touchdowns), who only had eight targets combined. To some extent, Griffin’s postgame comment after the loss to the Bucs, saying great quarterbacks “don’t play well if their guys don’t play well” rings true.
A stiff challenge awaits the Redskins next Sunday when they take on the tight-defending 49ers, who are fourth in the league with 308.8 total yards allowed per game.
The over is 3-1 in the Redskins’ last four road games.
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Betting on the San Francisco 49ers
You’d find it hard to believe that Eli Manning is a two-time Super Bowl champion based from the way San Francisco’s defense played against him on Sunday. The 49ers picked Manning five times and sacked him twice in their 16-10 win over the New York Giants – the team’s second in a row following their 27-24 road win against the New Orleans Saints back in Week 9.
Chris Borland led the 49ers’ pick bonanza with two, while three others have one apiece. The rookie linebacker also finished with nine solo tackles and 13 total to cement his status as the game’s best player.
With Borland’s breakout game, the already formidable San Francisco defense just got much more intimidating. The 49ers are tied for third in the NFL with 21 takeaways, which plays right into Washington’s propensity for committing errors. Washington is looking like a deer on the headlights against the 49ers’ defense, as the Redskins have committed 20 total giveaways, fourth most in the league thus far this season.
The 49ers’ merciless defense have given Colin Kaepernick and the rest of the offense almost 35 minutes (34:59 to be precise) of possession against the Giants. With that amount of time, though, the 49ers’ point total seems paltry, especially when compared to the 34.0 PPG allowed by the Giants to their previous four opponents. Except for Michael Crabtree’s 48-yard receiving touchdown, all the other scores of the 49ers came from Phil Dawson’s field goals.
San Francisco compiled 148 yards against the Giants, but could not find the end zone. It was almost the same story for Kaepernick and his receivers, as they too found it hard to score when inside the Giants’ 20-yard line. Overall the 49ers went 0-for-4 in their attempts in the red zone. They should find it easier to score in that region against Washington’s defense that has allowed its last three opponents to combine for a 4-for-6 line in the red zone.
The 49ers are 3-0 SU and 2-0-1 ATS in their last three games against Washington.
Writer’s Prediction
San Francisco (-9) wins, 32-19.
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