Beating the Spread on Monday Night: Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints: Preview and Prediction

Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints (-6.5)

The New Orleans Saints Drew Brees only needs 201 passing yards to surpass Peyton Manning as the all-time leader in passing yards. The Saints after a surprisingly slow start seem to be getting back on track, the Redskins, on the other hand, are coming off a tough loss and need a win on Monday night to get headed back in the right direction. Let’s take a closer look at this matchup and the keys to victory for both teams.

Betting the Spread on Monday Night

Lets’s look at some of the most important information to know before betting this Monday Night game, and if you are looking for a site to beat the game I think the best one out there is right here! New Orleans is returning home after having racked up 76 points and 923 total yards without turning the ball over in back-to-back road wins against the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants. If recent history is any indication, the Redskins coming off a bye isn’t necessarily a good thing for Washington as they are just,  3-7 straight up and 2-8 against the spread since the start of the 2008 season. It has been 16 calendar years since the Redskins have covered the spread in a road game when coming off a bye.

In Drew Brees last ten home starts on Monday Night Football, Brees has thrown for 3,461 yards and 34 touchdowns with just five interceptions. The Saints have scored 27 or more points in all 10 of these contests and have averaged 37 points per game. Even more significantly, New Orleans has outscored these 10 Monday opponents by an average of 11.3 points per game. Brees dominated the Redskins in last year’s meeting at the Superdome, completing 71% of his throws for 385 yards and two touchdowns in the 34-31 overtime victory. Also effective in that game was running back Mark Ingram, who rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries.

Keys to the Game

Redskins defense vs Saints Offense

The biggest key to this game will be the Redskins defense, will the beef up front and speed at linebacker, be enough to shut down or at least slow down the Saints ground game? That will go a long way in determining the outcome in this game. New Orleans RB Alvin Kamara is tied for the NFL lead in TDs coming into Week 5, plus the Saints will also get back  Mark Ingram back this week after a four-game suspension. Last season, he gashed the Redskins in the Saints overtime win at the Superdome. If the Redskins can’t at least limit the running game of the saints they will have no chance to when this game.

The Redskins Must Slow Down the Tempo of the Game

The Redskins are averaging 33 minutes time of possession which is third in the NFL. They will need a strong effort from running back Adrian Peterson and Quarterback Alex Smith will need to convert on third downs. If the game becomes a shootout the Redskins will have very little chance to win this game.

Prediction: While it is always possible that Adrian Peterson will have a big game against his former team it is more likely that Drew Brees and the Saints running game will control the tempo and gradually pull away in this game. History tells us that the saints are almost unbeatable on a Monday night at the Superdome and I think that will be the case in this game as well. Look for Drew Brees to be the all-time passing leader by halftime.

Saints 34  Redskins 17