The 6-7 Arizona Cardinals will take their paper-thin playoff hopes to the nation's capital Sunday when they take on the 5-8 Washington Redskins in an early matchup.
The Cardinals haven't had much success playing early games in the east in either of the last two seasons, but can they find a way to improve to .500 and keep their playoff hopes alive? Here are a pair of predictions from the ABC15 sports team.
ABC15 sports director Craig Fouhy
This is one of those games that could go either way. Both teams are beat up and both are close in just about every statistical category.
Las Vegas has the Redskins as 4 1/2-point favorites, which means it’s just about even odds. My issue for the Cardinals is it's another early start on the East Coast. I’m going Redskins in a close one.
Redskins 23, Cardinals 17
ABC15.com sportswriter Shane Dale
Both teams are beat up, but the Redskins are in slightly better shape simply because their starting quarterback is healthy. The Cardinals are down to third-stringer Blaine Gabbert, who has performed adequately but has been running for his life behind a makeshift offensive line that allowed eight sacks vs. Tennessee last weekend.
Chandler Jones and the Cards defense should give QB Kirk Cousins a hard time, but Cousins will still make enough plays to push Washington past the finish line against a Cardinals team that, for one reason or another, struggles to win in the Eastern time zone.
Redskins 17, Cardinals 13
