Today’s early NFL Sunday Football games feature two match ups with playoff implications. While the 8-4 Chicago Bears and 6-6 Minnesota Vikings game is an intriguing duel in the north, it’s hard not to get excited about the 9-3 Baltimore Ravens visiting the surging 6-6 Washington Redskins, who are making a late-season run at a playoff berth.
Last Monday night, Robert Griffin III led the Redskins to a crucial 17-16 home victory against the New York Giants. The Washington win pulled them to within a game of the Giants for the NFC East division’s top spot, and a win today couple with a Giants loss against the New Orleans Saints would send Redskins nation into a frenzy.
In order for the rookie one-two punch of Griffin III and running back Alfred Morris to be successful, they will have to solve the heralded Baltimore Ravens defense. That defense has struggled of late as the Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch threw for 276 yards against them last week in a rare Ravens loss. The way Griffin III is moving the ball on the ground and in the air, it could be a long day for the Ravens.
The Ravens will be without defensive star Terrell Suggs who tore a biceps last week in the Pittsburgh loss. He practiced this past week but has been ruled out just ahead of kickoff. With Ray Lewis still out, that’s two of the Ravens best defensive players watching the game from the sidelines.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will be looking to bounce back against the up and down Redskins secondary after playing miserably last week. That Redskins secondary showed signs of life against Eli Manning and the Giants, and if they can get pressure on Flacco like they did Eli late in the game, it could be another rough outing for the Ravens quarterback.
Today’s featured early Sunday NFL Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins kicks off at 1pm EST / 10am PST in high definition on CBS via cable/satellite or free over the air. Though not free, you can watch the official online live streaming version via NFL Sunday Ticket here. My prediction is the Redskins continue their hot streak and win a low scoring affair by a 19-13 margin.
