Washington Redskins vs. Minnesota Vikings 2019: Prediction Against The Spread, Odds For Week 8

For the second straight week, “Thursday Night Football” could feature a one-sided game that gets out of hand early. The Minnesota Vikings will host the Washington Redskins to kick off the Week 8 schedule, forcing the NFC’s worst team to visit one of the conference’s top contenders.

Minnesota defeated the Detroit Lions 42-30 Sunday afternoon, making them one of nine NFL teams that sits at least three games above .500. Washington was shut out at home 9-0 by the San Francisco 49ers, keeping them tied with the Atlanta Falcons in the basement of the NFC.

The Redskins’ only victory came in Week 6 when they narrowly defeated the winless Miami Dolphins. Miami was a two-point conversion away from upsetting Washington.

The Vikings are one of the hottest teams in football. Minnesota is on a three-game winning streak, defeating each of their opponents by at least 12 points during that span.

According to the early betting line at OddsShark, the Vikings are favored over the Redskins by 15.5 points at home. The over/under is 42.

The New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Lions have all been on the wrong end of Minnesota’s hot streak. They aren’t exactly among the league’s best teams since all three enter Week 8 with losing records.

Washington isn’t as good as any of those three teams, making it likely that Minnesota will have another easy win.

The Redskins were unable to beat the Giants or Eagles, losing to New York by 21 points and needing a meaningless touchdown in the final seconds to suffer a five-point defeat to Philadelphia. Three of Washington’s last four losses have come by 16 points or more. Poor weather and field conditions played a role in both the 49ers and Redskins being held without a Week 7 touchdown.

San Francisco doesn’t have an offense like Minnesota. Averaging 36 points during their undefeated streak, the Vikings rank sixth in both scoring offense and total offense. Minnesota is third in the NFL in yards per play.

Dalvin Cook leads the NFL with 725 rushing yards. His 5.5 yards per carry are first among the 13 players with at least 99 attempts.

Cook has rushed for at least 110 yards in five of Minnesota’s seven games. Washington is 27th in rushing defense and 21st in opponents’ yards per rush.

Kirk Cousins has posted better numbers than most quarterbacks. Believe it or not, Cousins leads the NFL with a 114.3 passer rating and 9.1 yards per attempt. He’s fifth with a 69.8 completion percentage and 17 quarterbacks have been sacked more times.

A hamstring injury might keep Adam Thielen sidelined. After the wide receiver left Sunday’s game in the first quarter, the Vikings still managed to put up 35 more points.

Washington hasn’t scored more than 16 points in five straight games. They were held to seven points or fewer in three of those contests.

Visiting teams have failed to score more than 20 points in all three games at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2019. Minnesota’s defense is too good for the Redskins to be competitive in this game.

The Vikings are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven home games.

Prediction: Minnesota over Washington, 33-13