Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Redskins: Spread Analysis and Pick Prediction

Washington will look to rebound from an abysmal performance last Thursday night when it hosts the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. Washington was routed by the visiting New York Giants 45-14 as three-point home favorites, while the Seahawks are coming off a bye week after edging the Denver Broncos 26-20 as four-point chalk in their Super Bowl rematch in Week 3.

Point spread: Seahawks opened as seven-point favorites; the total was 46 (line updates and matchup report).

Odds Shark computer prediction: 33.9-12.6 Seahawks

Why the Seahawks can cover the spread

If Seattle watched Washington play during the bye last week, the defense must be licking its chops to face quarterback Kirk Cousins after he threw four interceptions and looked lost in the blowout loss to the Giants.

After all, New York’s secondary was nothing special before that big win, and Seattle’s defensive backs are arguably the best in the league. The Seahawks are 6-3 against the spread in their last nine games as road favorites and beat Washington 24-14 in the playoffs two years ago as three-point road chalk. That was the game Robert Griffin III suffered a torn ACL, putting the team in a tailspin it has yet to recover from.

Why the Redskins can cover the spread

The good thing about playing on Thursdays is that you have extra time to recover from a bad loss and can prepare better for your next game. It worked for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week in a 27-24 road win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it can work again here provided Cousins can regain some confidence from his terrible performance in prime time.

Cousins did play well for Washington the week before in a 37-34 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a career-high 427 passing yards and three touchdowns, as the team covered as a four-point road underdog. Now all he needs to do is forget about the past and get motivated for a shot at beating Seattle on national television.

Smart Pick

The Seahawks are just too good to lose in this spot, and they have had even more extra time to prepare for Cousins and Washington with the week off. Even though Seattle is only 1-5-1 ATS in its last seven road games off a bye, this team has thrived as a road favorite and has gone 3-1-1 versus the line in the past five meetings with Washington.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson should be able to pick apart the Washington defense like Giants quarterback Eli Manning did last week, and running back Marshawn Lynch should also have his way on the ground. Watch for the Seahawks to enjoy their first prime-time game since pounding the Green Bay Packers 36-16 in the NFL season opener and beat Washington by double digits.

Trends

• The total has gone under in four of Seattle's last six games on the road.
• The total has gone over in four of Washington's last five games when playing at home against Seattle.

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