Washington Football Odds: 2021 Preview, Picks, Prediction
Training camps are open, storylines are being delivered in copious quantities, and fans are allowing themselves to dream of a path to their hometown team hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February. The upcoming NFL season is just around the corner, meaning that it is time for sports bettors to begin looking at win totals, division winner odds, and more. A team that should be of particular interest to sports bettors is the Washington Football Team.
Not only is there now legal sports betting in Virginia, but Washington could be viable threats in the NFC.
Let’s preview the roster and see what Washington Football Team odds and NFL futures look like at online sportsbooks heading into the fall slate of action.
Washington Football Win Total: Over/Under 8.5 Wins
The Football Team has not won more than eight games in a season since 2016, which may cause some casual bettors to feel an immediate inclination to justify taking the under on their 2021 win total prop. Yet, this is a team that has the potential to make a big splash this fall in a division that many analysts are gift-wrapping to the Dallas Cowboys. In spite of highly erratic, and unspectacular quarterback play last year in Washington, this team managed to finish the season as a division champion, with a positive net point differential, and positive net yardage.
Ryan Fitzpatrick is an enormous upgrade over the motley crew that was under center for the Football Team in 2020. At nearly every stop in his career, including last year with the Miami Dolphins, Fitzpatrick has been forced to look over his shoulder every day at a young, prized, future-of-the-franchise waiting in the wings. In Washington this year, he should be the unquestioned starter and leader of this group. The last time he started 16 games, he threw 31 touchdowns and led the New York Jets to a 10-6 record. He has much better skill position players around him now, including a much better defense that should be able to give his offense plenty of good field position, which could translate into wins.
The defense is likely to remain one of the most talented units in football this year, with phenom Chase Young leading a ferocious defensive line that also features standouts Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Montez Sweat. If Washington can get better play from their cornerbacks and safeties in 2021, we could be talking about the Legion of Boom reincarnated.
Washington is a team that is surprisingly flying underneath the radar this offseason. Bettors should capitalize on their current totals price while they can.
Pick: Over 8.5 wins
Washington +260 to Win NFC East
Washington has arguably the most enticing odds of any team in the NFL to win their division. Although this group only won seven games in 2020, they are the defending NFC East Champions. While pundits are salivating over the return of Dak Prescott and the likely illusion of a reinvigorated Ezekiel Elliott, very few people in the media seem interested in discussing the fact that Washington won this division last year despite a revolving door of sub-par quarterback play from Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, and Tyler Heinicke. The defensive unit gave up the second fewest total yards per game and per play a year ago, even though the offense only managed the 18th-best time of possession in the league. It is not unreasonable to argue that a slightly better offense, coupled with numerous rising stars on the defensive side of the ball, should warrant the Football Team being the favorites to repeat as division champions. At significant plus-money, this is an opportunity that bettors should happily take a chance on.
Washington to Make Playoffs (Yes: +150, No: -175)
There is absolutely no reason that bettors should entertain betting on Washington to make the playoffs, unless they are betting on them to win the division outright. Not since 2018 have two teams finished above .500 in the NFC East in the same year. Last year, Washington was the only team in the division to win more than six games, and it is doubtful that the New York Giants or Philadelphia Eagles would have even won that many contests if not for head-to-head matchups in which one team was guaranteed a victory. There is a paucity of talent in the NFC East once again, meaning that it is likely that the winner of this division will have less victories than the Wild Card teams, considering the fact that the entire NFC West could threaten for 10 wins, the NFC North is much-improved, and the NFC South is capable of featuring multiple teams with double-digit wins yet again. Either bet on the Football Team to win the NFC East or stay away from this prop. Betting them at +150 here is only costing oneself potential profit this winter, without any real insurance or value added on the line.