After sputtering through four weeks, Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs and the Minnesota Vikings have become one of the league's top offenses, piling up an average of 36 points per game in their last three outings. With Washington ranked 21st in the league in scoring defense (25.1 points per game), is that enough of a mismatch for the Vikings to roll to a defining win on Thursday Night Football when these teams kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET? Oddsmakers have set Minnesota as a 16.5-point favorite in the latest Vikings vs. Redskins odds, making it the largest of the NFL spreads of Week 8. The over-under for total points scored is 42 after action on the over drove it up from 40.5. Before locking in your own Redskins vs. Vikings picks for this primetime matchup, be sure to see the current NFL predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up almost $7,000 for $100 players on its top-rated NFL picks since its inception four years ago. It has nailed its recent top-rated NFL picks, entering Week 8 of the 2019 NFL schedule on a strong 24-17 run that dates back to last season. It's also on an incredible 86-60 roll on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season. And in Week 7, it nailed the Chiefs (-3) covering with plenty of room to spare against the Broncos and the Ravens (+3) staying within the spread against the Seahawks in a game Baltimore won outright by 14.
The model also ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch for the third year in a row on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 96 percent of CBS Sports office pool players. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, it has set its sights on Redskins vs. Vikings. We can tell you it's leaning over, but it also says one side of the spread cashes in nearly 60 percent of simulations. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.
The model knows Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins is on a roll. In the last three games, Cousins has completed 75.6 percent of his passes and averaged 325.3 passing yards while throwing 10 touchdowns against only one interception. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to have at least 300 passing yards and a passer rating of 135 in three consecutive games.
In addition, Tierney knows that the Vikings' defense has a juicy matchup against a Washington offense that's one of the worst in the NFL. The Redskins are scoring just 12.9 points a game, which is third-worst in the league, and averaging 182.9 passing yards per game, which is second-worst. In last week's loss to San Francisco, the Redskins had just 50 yards passing. That bodes well for a Minnesota defense that ranks sixth in the league in both total and scoring defense.
But just because Minnesota is on a roll doesn't mean it will cover the Vikings vs. Redskins spread on Thursday Night Football.
Washington's defense will have at least one less headache on Thursday with Vikings receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) ruled out. That's a relief for a secondary that could be without a healthy Josh Norman, who is officially listed as questionable with a thigh injury.
On the other side of the ball, running back Adrian Peterson, who played for Minnesota from 2007 to 2016, is also listed as questionable with an ankle injury, but he's insisted this week that he plans to take the field. The 34-year-old has turned back the clock the past two weeks, taking 46 carries for 199 yards during that span. If he sees 20 or more carries on Thursday Night Football, Washington should be able to limit possessions, keep the clock running and keep this game tighter than Vegas anticipates.
So who wins Redskins vs. Vikings on Thursday Night Football? And which side of the spread can you bank on in nearly 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Redskins vs. Vikings spread you should be all over on Thursday, all from the model that has returned over $7,000 on its top-rated NFL picks.
