Monday Night Football: Seahawks vs. Redskins Pick and Preview

Another hectic NFL week is almost in the books, as the Seattle Seahawks prepare to wage war with the Redskins in the nation’s capital to close things out on Monday Night Football.

It’s been another crazy week of upsets and climatic endings, with the Cowboys and Texans serving up one intense battle that went down to the wire, and a Cleveland Browns comeback win likely inspired many a NFL fan.

Could that mean the Redskins defy the odds and upend the defending champs on their own field under the lights tonight? It’s doubtful, but let’s take a look at the key points to this game to see how it might end up:

This is Alfred’s House

Alfred Morris certainly doesn’t have an ideal matchup against a tough Seahawks run defense this week, but he tends to be at his best when on his home field. Seattle isn’t quite as nasty on the road, either. The Redskins obviously need to be a more run-oriented team in this matchup, as Kirk Cousins taking it to the air in an out of control fashion like he did a week ago doesn’t bode well at all. Speaking of which…

Kirk Cousins, Which Version?

Cousins was pretty awesome in his first two appearances following an ankle injury to Robert Griffin III. He helped Washington to a blowout win over the Jaguars and then the next week almost won a shootout over a good Eagles team. Last week was a different story, however, as Cousins had the worst game of his career (by far) as he imploded on Thursday Night Football. Cousins totaled five turnovers (four interceptions) and turned a relatively close game into an embarrassing blowout. And he was at home. He probably can’t play that poorly again, but he’ll actually need to be pretty stellar for the ‘Skins to top the Seahawks. It’s a bad matchup, so it will be interesting to see if Cousins implodes again or can keep his mind right and play like he did in his previous two games.

Percy Harvin, X-Factor

Seattle’s defense doesn’t need any more praise. Neither do Russell Wilson or Marshawn Lynch. Both of those guys will get theirs and play big roles in Seattle’s game plan. Harvin is the guy to watch in this one, however. He’s been relatively quiet overall through three weeks, but this matchup just begs for an explosion. Don’t be shocked if he totals 100+ yards and scores more than once.

Ultimately, this is Seattle’s game to lose. Home field advantage probably means little for the Redskins after what we saw last week, while the Seahawks aren’t going to be too keen on the idea of dropping to 2-2. Losing to Washington would probably be a little embarrassing for Richard Sherman and co., too. Look for Seattle to put the clamps down and win convincingly to get to 3-1 as they come out of their bye week.

Pick: Seahawks 34, Redskins 19