StatFox.com - Sports Handicapping Community

The Leader In Sports Handicapping

NFL Week 14 Preview: Ravens at Redskins
By: Steve Bennett - StatFox
Published: 12/9/2012  at  4:51:00 AM
  Print This Article    

BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-3)

at WASHINGTON REDSKINS (6-6)

Kickoff: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Washington -2.5, Total: 47.5

Sizzling-hot Washington looks for a fourth straight victory when it welcomes Baltimore to town on Sunday afternoon.

The Ravens continue to be the NFL’s most underwhelming nine-win team. A week after a miracle win in San Diego, keyed by a 4th-and-29 conversion, they got beat at home by the Charlie Batch-led Steelers. Their previous four-game win streak included wins over the Chargers, Browns, Raiders, and Byron Leftwich-led Steelers. They’ve won eight of their last 10 SU, but their point differential during that stretch is just +31, and that’s boosted by a 35-point win over Oakland. The Redskins, who have won three straight (SU and ATS), all versus NFC East foes, have not played well against AFC teams the past two years, going 0-6 SU and 0-5-1 ATS in inter-conference games.

Can Washington keep its win streak alive on Sunday? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts picks for every NFL game throughout the 2012 season and playoffs.

Despite a 4-2 SU record, Ravens QB Joe Flacco has been pretty poor on the road this season, completing just 55% of his passes for 1,238 yards, 4 TD and 4 INT. He also struggled at home last week, completing just 47% of his passes (season low) for 5.5 YPA, 188 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. However, Washington has the league's second-worst pass defense at 299 passing YPG and has allowed 25.1 PPG this season (10th-most in NFL). The Redskins do have a great run-stop unit (92 rush YPG, 4th in NFL), while the Ravens rank 23rd in the NFL in rushing yards (102 YPG). However, top RB Ray Rice is starting to pick up the pace with 175 yards on 34 carries (5.1 YPC) plus 72 receiving yards over the past two games. In six road contests in 2012, Rice has 685 total yards (114 YPG). And a big reason for Baltimore's road success has been its ability to protect the football, as the club has played three straight away games without committing a single turnover.

Robert Griffin III continues to amaze as a rookie, piling up 852 total yards with 9 TD throws and just 1 INT during his team's three-game win streak. Not only does that give him 17 TD and 4 INT through the air, but he's also run for 714 yards (6.8 YPC) and six scores, although none since Week 6. He should be able to beat the Ravens with both his arm and his legs this week, as they rank 23rd in the NFL both against the pass (247 YPG) and the run (126 YPG). Baltimore's defense has been ravaged by injuries, most notably the long-term losses of LB Ray Lewis (triceps) and CBs Lardarius Webb (knee) and Jimmy Smith (hernia), and now LB Terrell Suggs (biceps) is out indefinitely as well. Washington has another star rookie in RB Alfred Morris (1,106 rush yds, 4.8 YPC) who has galloped for two straight 100-yard games, totaling 237 rushing yards on 46 carries (5.2 YPC). The Redskins' league-leading rushing offense (167 YPG) is a big reason why the team has so few turnovers, with just two giveaways in the past five games combined.


FoxSheets.com
The FoxSheets - the most advanced sports handicapping information available on the internet.
Sign up for professional sports betting information including fantastic trends, and Free FoxSheets.
E-mail: