It is the wacky NFC East, so none of the four teams are out of the race for the division title. The Washington Redskins were in the catbird’s seat a few weeks ago until they lost Alex Smith and couple of games to relinquish the lead to Dallas. Most folks had given up on the defending champs after the Philadelphia Eagles tiptoed through the Big Easy to put them two games under .500. A strange thing happened on their way to booking lift tickets, a win, to move Philly back into the picture. In a division that’s so close, games within it become that much more important, and both sides will take this Week 13 Monday Night Football matchup seriously.
Watch this Week 13 regular season matchup live on Monday, December 3, 2018, at 8:15 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Washington Redskins +6
Philadelphia Eagles -6
Over/Under 45
Everybody has a shot in the NFC East. Hell, even the Giants and their 3-8 record can’t be overlooked. But the Skins are at a crossroads in their season and this game is the most important of the year, until the next one. They stayed afloat thanks to an opportunistic offense and a defense that progressed better than even Jay Gruden could have imagined. The offense suffered a blow a few weeks ago when Alex Smith was carted off the field with a broken leg.
Smack dab in the middle of a division race, that wasn’t the best news for the Skins. But it was probably expected for a team that has been besieged with injuries for a second straight season. Take a look at the injured list and you wonder how the Skins have survived to even be in contention for the postseason. The good news is that Colt McCoy is a reliable backup. The better news is that he’ll have a full week of reps to get ready for Monday night’s game.
Thrust into the starting role when Smith went down, McCoy threw his first passes in a regular season game since the end of the 2015 season going 6 of 12 for 54 yards and a touchdown. Working on a short week, McCoy got his first start since the 2014 season in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day and put up decent numbers, except for the three interceptions. He completed over 63 percent of his throws for 268 yards and added two touchdowns.
The hope is that with a full week of reps with the No. 1 offense, McCoy will find a rhythm and get timing down with his receivers. And there’s a good chance he has some success in the passing game with the Eagles still looking to find some healthy defensive backs. McCoy isn’t your typical backup, either. He’s been with the Skins since the 2014 season and knows the system better than Gruden.
Another boost to the offense is the possible return of Chris Thompson. Thompson was having a nice season until a rib injury forced him out of the past four games and six of the last seven. He totaled 26 receptions and a touchdown in the first four games before being shelved. His presence gives McCoy and additional weapon in the passing attack, which will be needed since the run game has sputtered. That will also allow McCoy to hit the over on his total passing yards on a prop bet at BookMaker.eu.
The Eagles have been searching for a running game ever since LeGarrette Blount left during the offeseason. Then, injuries to Jay Ajayi and Darren Sproles further depleted the group of backs. Carson Wentz got most of the pub last year until he got hurt, then it was Nick Foles, who earned Super Bowl MVP honors. But it was the ground game that made things work during the championship run. That hasn’t been there this season and the offense is suffering.
Those injuries opened up an opportunity for Josh Adams to run the football and he has emerged as a potent force. Adams had a strong career at Notre Dame, but his medical history prevented him from being drafted. He joined the Eagles off the practice squad in Week 3 and saw minimal action until Week 8 when he carried the ball nine times for 61 yards. The workload has increased and Adams established team season-highs of 22 attempts and 84 yards last week against the Giants. And you can expect he’ll get the same if not more touches on Monday. The Eagles like to run the football and Adams is the guy who can do that. You can place a prop bet wager on him going over his rushing yard total against the Skins.
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