Washington and Miami are playing the Winless Bowl on Sunday. I’m avoiding picking a winner, and instead, I’m going with the under with my One Bet, $100 pick.
The over/under line is 41, and I am betting on both teams to keep the score low. There are a couple of factors with both Washington and Miami that I feel will make this happen.
Of course, I thought Chicago’s defense would keep Oakland in check, and the score would go under the 41 points. I was golden until a Raiders touchdown with less than two minutes remaining sent the total score to 45.
Washington, Miami Inept on Defense
Both Washington and Miami are bad on defense. The Dolphins are 32nd out of 32 teams in total defense. Miami allows an average of 472 yards a game.
Miami coach Brian Flores knows that Washington’s interim coach, Brian Callahan, will be implementing a run-oriented offense, and he told reporters that he’s trying to prepare for the ground attack.
“He has got every run that has ever been installed, so we’re really preparing for really everything,†Flores said Thursday. “Preparing for Coach Callahan and the myriad of things they could do in the running game, and pulling guards, tackles, centers, misdirection – they do a lot. We have got to do a good job of reading our keys, believing what we see, setting the edge, tackling.â€
Washington’s defense isn’t much better, however. The Redskins are 28th  in the league, and are allowing an average of 407.8 yards per game. Washington seems to have more problems with the run, where they rank 28th, than they do defending the pass, where they are 23rd.
New Mindset in Washington
When Jay Gruden was fired on Monday, Callahan was named interim coach. It seems like the players were a bit relieved. Callahan brings a detail-oriented mind to the position. He extended practices, and has players doing things they weren’t doing under Gruden. Redskins tackle Morgan Moses told reporters that it was needed.
“The culture here has to change,” Moses said. “We have the players to do it.”
While no one is questioning Callahan’s ability, one area that might not be his strong suit is personal relationships. The question of whether he can motivate players could be an issue.
Callahan, 63, said he’s learned a lot about that aspect of the job.
“That just comes with age,” he said. “You just learn how to become a better coach, a better communicator. That’s one of the things I’ve learned through the course of time. You can just improve a player if you just try to find what it is he’s all about. And then try to find that avenue to connect with him and create that relationship so they can be successful.”
Why The Under Will Hit
Both teams are a mess, but the Redskins might be less of one. They should win this game, but won’t score a lot of points doing it. With a run-first mindset, Washington should control the tempo and thus, the clock should run and run.
Miami, with a horrible defense, won’t be able to get off the field. Thus, the offense won’t be able to get on it. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game was 17-7.