After a preseason of drama and musical quarterbacks, the Redskins are ready to concentrate on playing football.
They’ll have to do it with a roster much different than the one they entered training camp with after five players were lost to season-ending injuries. Jay Gruden is the favorite at +180 to be the first head coach fired and a slow start will make bettors some coin.
ODDS
Miami opened as a 2.5-point favorite on the road. The spread has bounced around following the Redskins’ tumultuous preseason, getting as high as -4.5 before settling on the current line of -3.5. The total surfaced at 44 but has since fallen to 43, thanks to all the turmoil in our nation’s capital.
KEY INJURIES
Jason Fox – Miami’s backup left tackle is dealing with a concussion and hasn’t returned to practice. Starter Branden Albert did practice after sitting out with a knee injury and is likely to play. The Dolphins need one of the two ready to avoid going to the third option, Dallas Thomas, in the opener.
Bashaud Breeland – In the hunt for a starting job, Washington’s cornerback will serve his one-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
KEY MISMATCH
The Dolphins landed the biggest free agent prize in the offseason, inking lineman Ndamukong Suh to a contract that made him the highest-paid defensive player in league history. The three-time first-team All-Pro will strengthen a defense that ranked 24th against the run last season and allowed 113 points in the final three games as Miami blew a shot at a playoff berth. Paired with Pro Bowl end Cameron Wake, Miami’s front four should rank among the league’s best. They’ll need to be that good to carry an unimposing group of linebackers and a thin secondary. Washington’s O-line had a hard time protecting its quarterback – the harassment and ultimate concussion of RG3 is evidence of that – now they take on the best in the business. Umm, advantage Dolphins.
KEY STAT
24.3 – The Dolphins just missed out on a top-10 ranking in points per game last season, finishing 11th. That number is expected to increase in 2015 as Ryan Tannehill continues his development into a top quarterback now that he’s surrounded by a new cast of receivers. Tannehill completed 80 percent during the preseason and was without first-round pick DeVante Parker.
BETTING ANGLE
The storylines surrounding the Redskins during the preseason made the club out to be somewhat dysfunctional. Robert Griffin III entered and ended training camp as the starting quarterback but was ineffective in the first two games before suffering a concussion, missing the last two games and being demoted. Anonymous coaches and executives around the league were critical of the way Washington handled RG3, saying that he was essentially fed to the wolves. Several other projected starters were lost with season-ending injuries, including the top two tight ends. The team won just four times last season and Jay Gruden is the odds on favorite at +180 to be the first head coach fired in 2015. Despite all the nonsense, it is realistic for the Redskins to get off to a decent start. Four of their first seven games are at home and none of those opponents made the playoffs last season.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
While the Redskins have the motivation to prove folks around the league wrong, they don’t have the talent. And ultimately that will cost Jay Gruden his job. You can’t blame the coach for the season-ending injuries to running back Silas Redd and tight ends Logan Paulsen and Niles Paul. And if that wasn’t enough, the defense took a hit too with Junior Galette and Adam Hayward going down. There’s also the quarterback saga with RG3 beaten up and demoted with Kirk Cousins earning the starting job. With a healthy roster it would be a battle to win games and going against a Miami squad that is in the best shape it’s been this preseason, it’s nearly impossible. Tannehill is blossoming into a star and will torch the suspect ‘Skins secondary while Suh and the D does the job. Washington has some talent on offense and could put up points if Cousins stays upright. That’s a lot to ask.
Miami 24, Washington 13
The NFL lines for this Sunday contest were first released by BookMaker and the Dolphins were positioned as 2.5-point favorites with a total of 44. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
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