This is probably Kirk Cousins’ last season in Washington. The Redskins signal caller failed to come to terms with the team in the offseason on a long-term deal and he is free to go wherever he pleases after this season. It’s just another sign of how owner Dan Snyder continues to mismanage the Washington Redskins after all these years. There are no quarterbacks waiting in the wings either so after this season, the Redskins will be flying by the seat of their pants. They open their preseason on the road against the Baltimore Ravens.
This matchup in Week 1 of the preseason will take place on Thursday, August 10, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Washington Redskins +1
Baltimore Ravens -1
Over/Under 37.5
Odds Analysis
John Harbaugh has a phenomenal preseason record. The Ravens are 24-12 in the preseason with Harbaugh at the helm and have posted three 4-0 records, two in the past three seasons. They didn’t allow any team to crack 20 points on them all preseason in 2016. Harbaugh is 8-1 in Week 1 of the preseason.
Washington has been rock solid in the preseason under Jay Gruden. Gruden has tallied three straight 3-1 preseason records and the team ended up winning its last three last year. All four of their preseason games last season were close and you could have made money teasing either side in every game, save Tampa. Teasing every total would have worked too, with 5.5 points being the greatest difference between the over/under and the total points scored all year.
Matchup to Watch
The running back situation in Washington is one of the more interesting ones in the NFL. It looks like Rob Kelley will be the starter, but expect significant playing time from Chris Thompson and rookie Samaje Perine as the Redskins look to determine who the No. 2 running back should be.
For Matt Jones, it’s going to be one last chance to keep his job. Washington is unlikely to keep four running backs on its roster heading into the season and the former starter is well behind the other three right now. Fumbles killed his time in the starting role last season and he must show the coaches that he can hold on to the ball. Jones has fumbled once every 30 carries over two seasons in the NFL and that’s unacceptable.
Look for Perine to get a lot of repetitions in his first game. Washington is going to limit Kelley in the first preseason game and Gruden wants to get his first good look at the Oklahoma product.
Player to Watch
Jeremy Maclin just went on record with the claim that the Baltimore Ravens have the best trio of receivers in the NFL. While we appreciate Maclin’s enthusiasm, let’s pump the brakes on that statement just a tad.
While Maclin and Mike Wallace are solid veterans, the team needs to start to see something out of former first-round pick Breshad Perriman. Perriman failed to live up to the hype his first two seasons in the NFL, but there was plenty of buzz in the air about his performance in camp this year.
Perriman tweaked something in his right leg about a week ago and his status for this game is unclear. This offense is in desperate need of playmakers and the team needs someone with his skill.
Free ATS Pick
Baltimore needs to determine a lot more than Washington does at this point. The Ravens have looked woeful on offense this preseason and they are going to need a lot more time to experiment than Washington does.
It’s hard to argue with Harbaugh’s record in the first game of the preseason either. Putting up an 8-1 mark in the first preseason game isn’t an accident. The Ravens will get the win here.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Odds: Ravens 20, Redskins 16
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