At one point this season Green Bay was a prohibitive favorite to win the NFC North and one of the top contenders with win the conference. Starting with a 29-10 road loss to Denver on Nov. 1 as 2.5-point road favorites, the Packers have gone 4-6 both straight-up and against the spread over their last 10 games. They closed-out the regular season with two losses (SU and ATS) including a disappointing 20-13 setback against Minnesota as three-point home favorites that cost the team the division title. The total has stayed UNDER in 10 of their last 13 games.
It is hard to pinpoint exactly what has gone wrong for this team down the stretch, but its All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers would have to be considered part of the problem with fewer than 300 yards passing in each of his last seven games. During this same span, he has tossed just 10 touchdowns against five interceptions. The Packers’ running game lead by Eddie Lacy and James Starks is averaging 115.6 yards a game, but it could only manage 76 yards on 26 carries in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings.
Washington started the season as a prohibitive underdog to win the NFC East, but it rallied down the stretch with a 5-1 record both SU and ATS to capture the crown. The Redskins are 9-7 both SU and ATS this year and the total has gone OVER in their last four games. They closed-out the season with a 34-23 victory against Dallas as three-point road underdogs and the total easily went OVER the 41-point closing line.
The emergence of Kirk Cousins as a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL has helped fuel Washington’s unexpected success this year. He ended the regular season throwing for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns while completing an impressive 69.8 percent of his 543 attempts. The Redskins also benefitted from improved play from a defense that is still ranked 28th in the NFL in yards allowed (380.6), but ranked 17th in points allowed (23.7).
The Packers are 4-1 ATS in their last five playoff games on the road, but they have failed to cover in four of their last five games against a team with a SU winning record. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five Wild Card Round games.
The Redskins are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games and they have covered in four of their last five NFC games. The total has gone OVER in six of their last eight conference games.
The home team in this matchup is 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in six of the last eight games.
