Follow@cimini
Yesterday was nearly all chalk for Friday’s preseason games on the larger spreads. Seattle annihilated the Bears while the Packers and Patriots cruised as well. Packers bettors had a bit of a scare as the Raiders made things interesting late, but it wasn’t enough to knock off the largely backed Packers.
Saturday features a gamut of preseason football action. Eight games are featured with closer point spreads than Friday’s minimal board. All are between 2.5 and 3.5 point spreads besides for the Denver Broncos at 7 points.
I have a couple of premium plays of the eight games on the board today, but lets take a look at the Redskins vs Ravens as a free play
Lets focus on Washington vs Baltimore. These two teams are close in proximity in the Maryland area. Fan bases are extreme on both sides, so this will be played as one of Saturday’s more prominent games.
With the way Baltimore’s 2nd and 3rd string finished out their game last week, you’d expect a much stronger start today. They held a 34-10 lead against Dallas in the third quarter only to let Dallas score three straight touchdowns and cut the lead to 34-30. They held onto win but you can believe the Ravens staff wasn’t thrilled with the lack of effort in protecting the lead.
Washington on the other hand is 2-0 and had strong efforts from their defense. Similar to the Ravens second and third string defenses, they also had a pour effort against the Browns in the fourth period. They gave up three touchdowns and gave up a hail mary that would of sent the game into overtime in the regular season.
Some may want to play the under in this game because of the way the defenses played last week. I’ll stay away from that angle. Washington played a dreadful offense with the Browns inexperience of Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer struggling. In week one they faced a Patriots team that struggled with Ryan Mallet under center.
Baltimore’s first two weeks were awfully similar to the Redskins experience. They throttled the 49ers in week one with Blaine Gabbert and Josh Johnson getting the majority of snaps.
I’d look for the Redskins to have the advantage here as 2.5 point underdogs. The combination of RG3 and Kirk Cousins is a much higher upgrade than the Cowboys and 49ers. The same can be said for the defensive effort the Redskins will get from their first unit for a half or three quarters over a few series from the 49ers and a half from the Cowboys.
Enjoy today’s free play and look under today’s picks for the rest of today’s premium plays.