49ers vs Redskins: Betting odds, weather, injuries, dominating defense

The San Francisco 49ers travel to the nation’s capital as huge favorites to take on the Washington Redskins and hoping to remain undefeated.

The San Francisco 49ers (5-0), the only undefeated team left in the NFC, will try to maintain that distinction when they line up against the Washington Redskins (1-5) on Sunday. The Redskins are coming off their first win of the season and hope to catch San Francisco off guard.

49ers vs. Redskins: The Betting Odds and Lines

It is amazing to see a road team, especially one traveling from the opposite coast come in as a nearly double-digit favorite but this the case with this matchup. The 49ers are holding steady as a 10 point favorite over the hometown Redskins, courtesy of The Action Network.

It is even more interesting to see such a large spread when coupled with the fact over/under is fairly low at 40.5. It won’t be easy for San Francisco to cover the spread and hit the over.

For those who have money on the spread, 82 percent are on the Niners while 71 percent are on the under.

The 49ers have allowed the second-fewest points per game (12.8) while the Redskins allow the fifth-most (27.6). Couple this with the fact that San Francisco scores the third-most points per outing (29.4) and Washington scores the third-fewest at 15 per game, and you can see why these lines sit where they do.

49ers vs. Redskins: The Weather

People going to the game will probably deal with a little nasty weather in the capital on Sunday. According to NFLWeather.com, fans should expect cloudy conditions, light drizzle all day and evening, with temperatures in the mid-fifties. If you are looking for tickets, check out Stub Hub and see what they might have available if you are in town.

49ers Key Injuries

Tackle Joe Staley and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon are both out for the game and San Francisco has a number of key players listed as questionable. Defensive end Dee Ford, running back Raheem Mostert, wide receiver Deebo Samuels, tight end George Kittle, cornerback K’Waun Williams, and defensive tackle D.J. Jones all made the list this week. Only Dee Ford practiced Wednesday, though on a limited basis.

The alarming name on this list is Kittle who is dealing with a groin injury. He did participate in limited practice on Thursday and will likely be a game-time decision. If he were unavailable, it would take away a huge security blanket for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners offense.

Redskins Key Injuries

Washington has struggled when their best players have been active. If even some of the men listed as questionable this week don’t play, the Redskins will be in even bigger trouble than anticipated.

Running backs Chris Thompson and Adrian Peterson, cornerback Josh Gordon, tight end Vernon Davis, and quarterback Case Keenum all made the list this week. Davis participated in limited practice on Thursday, and Thompson did not participate at all. That is a lot of hurt starters at key positions!

49ers and Their Dominating Defense

Though the SanFrancisco defense has gotten a lot of help from a methodical, efficient offense, they have been a dominating unit in their own right. They have allowed only 237.4 yards per game this season, second only to the Patriots and their FBS level schedule.

Their scoring defense has been just as good or maybe even better. Only the Steelers have scored more than 17 points against them (20) and the Browns and Rams combined for only 10 total points over the last two games.

Yes, they are helped by an offense that is controlling the ball for more than 35 minutes a game and who is scoring a ton of points as well, but the 49ers’ point differential of 16.6 indicates a lethal combination of offense and defense.

The 49ers defense has created 12 turnovers in five games, more than offsetting the 10 committed by the offense. Their 17 total sacks rank them ninth in the NFL thus far. While the defense is not on the field as much as many teams, they are doing their part by forcing turnovers and applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks.

The Redskins shouldn’t offer much resistance to a red hot 49ers team this week, but will they cover a two-score spread? Statistically, San Francisco is far superior so it should be interesting to see how close the oddsmakers are.