2011 NFL Preseason Picks: Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens on ESPN

Week 3 of the 2011 NFL preseason is here and the Washington Redskins (2-0) and Baltimore Ravens (1-1) are set to battle at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday night in front of a nationally-televised audience on ESPN. The two teams kick it off at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Washington has been one of the most impressive teams during the preseason—opening with a home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers (16-7) and picking up a road victory over the Indianapolis Colts (16-3) as five-point road favorites.

Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan has been tight-lipped about tonight's starting quarterback, as both John Beck and Rex Grossman have started a contest. I've written in a previous article that teams with quarterback competitions have led to big profits for bettors thus far in 2011.

Many around camp expect Beck to get the nod due to spending the entire 2009 campaign with the Baltimore Ravens. He was the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart that year and has lined up across the Ravens' vaunted defense plenty of times.

Shanahan seems more concerned with getting the entire team ready; many coaches around the league treat Week 3 as a dress rehearsal for the regular season.

It's been an impressive start for a franchise that wasn't expected to do much in Shanahan's second year—ranking No. 1 in the NFL in total offense and defense through two preseason games.

Baltimore bounced back from a Week 1 road loss against the Philadelphia Eagles (13-6) and recorded a 31-13 home victory over the Kansas City Chiefs as 6.5-point favorites. The Ravens completed just 18-of-37 passes and out-gained the Chiefs by a 352-288 margin. 

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expects to play younger starters into the third quarter, but will likely limit playing time for defensive veterans Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs. 

First-year defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano and the coaching staff will spend most of their time tonight evaluating the cornerback position—a competition that finds four players vying for the two starting spots. 

Cornerback Domonique Foxworth is working his way back from 2010 knee surgery and has received stiff competition from Chris Car, Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb. The Ravens' secondary ranked 21st against the pass a year ago by allowing 224.9 yards per game.

I recommend playing this game under the posted total of 33.5, as the Ravens have fallen below the number in 10 of their 14 preseason games under Harbaugh. The under is also 4-0 in the Redskins' last four exhibition contests against AFC North opponents.