The 7-7 Washington Redskins will travel to Tennessee to take on the 8-6 Titans in this week’s Saturday afternoon matchup. Both teams are coming off big wins which kept their playoff dreams alive. The Redskins beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 16-13 on the road. They trailed 13-6 halfway through the fourth quarter but scored twice in a row to hold on for the victory. The win snapped a 4 game losing streak as they now sit in second place in the NFC East and are still in the mix for a Wild Card spot. The Titans won their third in a row with an impressive 17-0 road victory over the New York Giants. They are tied for second place in the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts and are also very much in the hunt for the wild position.
Josh Johnson was the fourth starting quarterback in as many games for the Redskins last week against Jacksonville. He is the only 1 to earn a victory since Smiths injury and finished with a passer rating of 94. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 151 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. He also ran the ball 9 times for an additional 49 yards. His favorite target was Jamison Crowder who had 4 catches for 46 yards. Adrien Pedersen led the team with 51 rushing yards on 19 carries. Defensively, they forced 2 turnovers with an interception and a fumble recovery. They also sacked Cody Kessler 6 times. They struggled against the run as the Jaguars gained 172 yards on 26 carries which is an average of 6.6 yards per rush. For the year, the Redskins defense has allowed its opponents to average 22.1 points and 376.4 yards per game.
Their shutout of the Giants last week was the Titan’s first since the 2000 season. They forced 2 turnovers with a fumble recovery and an interception. They shut down the Giants powerful running game as they allowed just 47 yards on 16 carries, which is an average of 2.9 yards per run. On the season, the Titans defense has allowed their opponents to average 18.1 points and 344 yards per game. Offensively, the passing game struggled as Marcus Mariota completed just 12 of 20 passes for 88 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The run game picked up the slack gaining 215 yards on 45 carries, which is an average of 4.8 yards per rush. During their 3 game win streak, they have averaged 24 points per game.
The Titans will have home field advantage and are favored by 10 points. They have gone 8-6 against the spread this year including 4-2 at home. Washington has also gone 8-6 against the spread including 4-3 on the road. This is a must win game for both teams as whomever loses is eliminated from playoff contention. The Titans enter this game with momentum as they have won 3 in a row and all their key players are healthy.
