Sport: NFLPick Selection: Washington Redskins +1 -110
New Orleans Saints at Washington Redskins 1:00 PM ET
Washington Redskins +1 -110
**Anti-Public **2** Home Team Dominator** It?s good to see the public falling all over the Saints in this game. New Orleans staged a big come from behind win at home on Sunday against Tampa Bay and now it is being asked to win again, this time on the road. The Saints are one of the sexy picks this year to represent the NFC as many consider last season an aberration after they made it to the playoffs in 2006. New Orleans should be a player in the weak NFC South, especially with a win over Tampa Bay already, but this is not a good spot.
Washington was on national television last Thursday night and it certainly did not do much to impress. The public is already down on this team but for no real good reason. The defense allowed an 84-yard scoring drive on the first Giants possession but it did not give up a touchdown the remainder of the game and limited New York to 270 yards the rest of the way. The offense did not put on a good showing but a lot of that had to do with the Giants strong defense.
A lot of the criticism went against quarterback Jason Campbell and I don?t think it was completely warranted. Campbell is still leaning a new system and a lot of his ineffectiveness came because of play calling. He finished with an 81.3 rating in the game which is not that bad actually. Let?s not forget that Washington has Clinton Portis who had an average game against the Giants but will find it much better here. Against the Saints last Sunday, Tampa Bay rushed for 146 yards on 20 carries (7.3 ypc).
On the New Orleans offense, Marques Colston is out for six weeks and his absence will be felt. Colston's injury puts the Saints in a bind since he is arguably their most reliable and effective offensive weapon. Not only are his playmaking abilities gone, but the Redskins will be better off not having to worry about coming up double-teams for the Saints top receiving threat. Add to that, Shawn Springs is the Redskins strongest corner and he returns this week as he did not play against the Giants.
Let?s not forget this Washington team went to the playoffs last season and not a whole lot has changed with the exception of the coach. We get great value with this line thanks to some misguided public perception. Washington is 8-3-1 ATS in its last 12 games against a team with a winning record. The Saints meanwhile are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following a win. Teams in the NFL are never as good or as bad as they looked the previous week and because of that, the Redskins win at home on Sunday. Play Washington Redskins 2 Units
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