Washington Commanders

Redskins at Bengals: Preview, Predictions, and More

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Washington Redskins vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Just one year ago, the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals won their respective divisions. Entering Week 8 of the 2016 NFL season, though, both teams desperately need a win to essentially stay alive in the NFC East and AFC North. That’s what’s on the table when these two teams meet on Sunday in London at famed Wembley Stadium.

Kirk Cousins has been the picture of inconsistency for the Redskins to this point. After a strong 2015 campaign, he’s still auditioning for a long-term, lucrative contract. Thus far, he hasn’t necessarily done enough to make the case he’s worth it. Even still, he’s shown flashes and has his team sitting at 4-3 entering this game. The only issue is that the NFC East is suddenly one of the best divisions in the league. Where 4-3 may have had them leading last year, they’re tied for last in 2016.

Meanwhile, the Bengals had enormous expectations entering 2016 and rightfully so. With what Andy Dalton and the offense showed last season, they seemed to be on the verge of something special. Instead, they’ve regressed tremendously on both sides of the ball. Even still, A.J. Green is nearly impossible to cover on the outside and there is talent on both sides of the ball that could help earn them a big win.

Here are the keys to victory in this matchup.

Keys to Victory

More from NFL Spin Zone

For Washington, the biggest key in this game is going to be stopping the run. Yes, I’m fully aware that A.J. Green isn’t a running back. However, with Josh Norman likely out of the lineup, the Redskins have little chance of wholly containing him. Instead, they need to force Cincinnati into being a one-dimensional team on Sunday. If they can shut down the likes of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, that will put both their offense and defense in a position to succeed.

Heading over to the opposite sideline, the Bengals have to get consistent pushes from their front-seven. After being quite dominant in that regard last season, that unit has been far less effective this year. Without Matt Jones, the Redskins are short a big weapon. If the Bengals can then get in the backfield to disrupt Chris Thompson in the rushing attack and Cousins when he drops back, Cincinnati can control this matchup.

Odds

Point Spread: Cincinnati -3
Moneyline: Cincinnati -150, Washington +130
Over/Under: 49

Prediction

Both of these teams have been near-impossible to peg through the first seven weeks of the season. When you zig, they zag, and so the story goes. However, Washington is going to be banged up tremendously in this game. With Jones out in the running game and Norman likely out in the secondary, the Bengals should have enough to be able to take advantage and pick up the victory in London.

Pick: Washington Redskins: 17, Cincinnati Bengals: 28

This article originally appeared on