A pair of winless NFL teams are set to square off in Week 3 of the NFL preseason on Thursday night. The Atlanta Falcons come into this game with a record of 0-3, while the Washington Redskins are 0-2. Even though this game does not matter for the playoff race, each team will be looking for a win to build some momentum. There will likely be more starters on the field in this game as well.
The Atlanta Falcons got to start their preseason a little bit earlier than most teams, but things have not gone well for them. The Falcons suffered a 14-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in the Hall of Fame Game, and have struggled in their other two games as well. Washington suffered a blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 before losing a 10-point decision to the Cincinnati Bengals. Washington is a 3.0-point favorite over the Atlanta Falcons in this game.
Haskins Showing Improvement
The Washington Redskins are going to be starting the season with their third-string quarterback under center, but it hasn’t yet been determined who that will be. Dwayne Haskins was taken in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but it appears that he still has some room to improve. Haskins struggled with accuracy in the Week 1 loss but had some great moments in Week 2. The Redskins will have to score some points to win this game.
Washington had a top-10 defense a season ago, despite playing in a very tough division. The Redskins know how to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and that will be their gameplan in this game. Washington is going to continue to be aggressive and hopes to force some turnovers. Another solid performance from Haskins should take some pressure off of the Redskins defense.
Falcons Defense Still Appears Messy
The Atlanta Falcons had a disappointing defense a season ago, and things don’t look much improved this season. The Falcons gave up a whopping 34 points to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 and allowed 22 points to the Jets in Week 2. Atlanta fans will point out that the starting defense isn’t on the field, but the Falcons simply must find a way to get more stops.
The Falcons are expected to have one of the best offenses in the league this season, but most of those players will be missing this game. Quarterback Matt Ryan continues to put up monster numbers near the end of his career, and Julio Jones is still one of the top receivers. The Falcons might not score much against a top defense in this game, but offense isn’t a big concern.
Redskins Push Falcons to 0-4
Neither of these teams has played well this preseason, but this is a chance for someone to get their first victory. Atlanta has more of a set lineup to start the season, and several of their regulars will be missing this game. Washington still has several battles going on at key positions, and that could make this game interesting. One team has to win, and that will be the Redskins. Bet the Washington Redskins -3.0 over the Atlanta Falcons.
