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The New Orleans Saints vs. Washington Redskins Sunday game was the most bet on heading into midweek and it was also among the most lopsided. Nearly all the early money - 95 percent of it to be precise - was going New Orleans way.
The odds on this one had the Saints as a Pick'em at Washington. In other words we were looking at even odds here at online gambling establishments the likes of BetOnline.com. This is where the line opened, with the Redskins getting the -1 edge. Some online gambling sites have moved the line in New Orleans favor slightly, making them the -1 favorite instead. The PK line is great in that it allows for either team to win without having to cover. With New Orleans having a -1 line, the bet would be a push if they were to win by only one point.
With all this action coming the Saints way, one would expect the odds makers to move the line in favor of New Orleans as a means of getting more action on Washington. Hasn't happened yet. This tells us they probably have an opinion that the Redskins can win this one.
Gambling911.com has analyzed this line and discovered something quite interesting. The Redskins should be favored by -5 ½ points!!!
It should be interesting to see how this line moves as we head into Sunday.
Neither team was overly dominating in Week One and neither team was especially bad either. If anything, Washington took on what in theory is the best club in the league - the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants. They played them fairly well despite a loss. The Saints played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a close game. It is still not clear which Tampa Bay team will be showing up this season though we're thinking the above .500 squad from last season.
Remember that The Redskins defeated the host Saints, 16-10, in Week 15 of the 2006 season. The result was a bit of a shocker as Washington was 4-9 at the time and in last place, while New Orleans was 9-4 and on its way to the NFC Championship Game.
Something else to keep in mind is that Shawn Springs is the Skins strongest corner and he returns this week. Springs did not play against the Giants.
Mike Florio of the Sporting News writes that "the problem is that, at this point in the year, it's impossible to know whether a given team lost in Week One to a good team, or to a bad team. Though it's safe for the Browns to assume that the Cowboys are good enough to play in January, it's unclear whether the Giants are really good and the Redskins are close to being in the same ballpark -- or whether the Giants have regressed and the Redskins are just really, really bad."
