Seahawks Vs. Redskins: Monday Night Football Prediction, Betting Odds, Preview

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Washington Redskins in the wild-card round of the 2013 playoffs in the last meeting between the two teams. The defending champs will look to do the same in Week 5 of the 2014 NFL season when they visit Washington on “Monday Night Football.”

Seattle enters the contest at 2-1, coming off their bye week. The last time they took the field, the Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos in overtime in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl. Russell Wilson led the offense on an 80-yard touchdown drive to clinch the victory.

Wilson has been very consistent in the early part of the season, and could be in line for another strong performance on Monday. In each game, he’s completed at least 67.9 percent of his passes and thrown for two scores.

He’ll be facing a Washington defense that has been one of the NFL’s worst in the last two weeks. After surrendering just 27 total points in the first two games, the Redskins have allowed 82 combined points.

Washington could find it difficult to have success on offense, especially in the passing game. Starting in place of the injured Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins has yet to prove that he can keep the Redskins competitive.

The quarterback threw for five touchdowns and one pick against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles, but they sport two of the worst pass defenses in football. Last week, Cousins threw one touchdown and four picks against the New York Giants. When facing Richard Sherman and the rest of the “Legion of Boom,” Cousins could have a tough time advancing the ball.

The Redskins’ best hope of winning might be for Alfred Morris to have a big game, keeping the Seahawks’ offense off the field. Seattle held the ball for less than 18 minutes in their one loss, and Morris has rushed for 316 yards in 2014. He will take on the No.5 run defense in the league.

The Seahawks were in a similar position in Week 2 and were upset by the San Diego Chargers. They went on the road and were favored by six points. In Week 5, Seattle heads to Washington as seven-point favorites, according to the betting odds at Las Vegas casinos. The over/under is 45.5 points.

At 2-1, Seattle trails the first-place Arizona Cardinals by one game, but there’s a good chance they’ll be tied atop the NFC West with a win over Washington. The Cardinals are heavy underdogs when they visit Denver on Sunday.

Through three games, the Seahawks might have faced the toughest schedule in the NFL. In addition to playing the Broncos and the first-place Chargers, Seattle hosted the Green Bay Packers in the season opener.

If Washington can’t steal a win on Monday night and falls to 1-4, they could quickly find themselves out of the race in the NFC East. The Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are in first place at 3-1, and the Redskins already have two losses in the division.

Prediction: The Redskins’ defense looked improved in the first two games, but the unit has been exposed against better competition. Washington’s offense has some playmakers in Morris, DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon, but Cousins’ inconsistency could result in a poor performance against the league’s best secondary. The Seahawks are known for playing well at home, but they are 6-3 against the spread in their last nine games as road favorites. Seattle could be looking at another big win in primetime.

Predicted Score: Seattle 31, Washington 17