The Season in a Snap
By Noonefromtampa
September 9, 2020
In addition to my weekly in-season column on penalties, I will provide updates on the Vegas sportsbook’s odds and my predictions on which games the Washington Football Team, aka the Team, is going to win.
For 2020, the Team has a new coaching staff led by Ron Rivera as head coach, Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator and Scott Turner as offensive coordinator. The Las Vegas line for their expected 2020 win total is 5.5 games with the odds of winning the NFC Championship at 50-1 and winning the Super Bowl at 100-1.
In 2019, the Team was ranked 31st in average yards gained per game and and 27th in average yards allowed per game.
Here are Washington’s 2020 opponents with the same 2019 offensive and defensive rankings also in yards per game, along with all-time franchise head-to-head records.
| Week | Opponent | Date & Time | Network | 2019 Offense Rank | 2019 Defense Rank | Head to Head |
| 1 | Eagles | Sun Sept 13 1:00 PM | Fox | 14 | 10 | 85-80-6 |
| 2 | At Cardinals | Sun Sept 20 4:05 PM | Fox | 21 | 32 | 77-46-2 |
| 3 | At Browns | Sun Sept 27 1:00 PM | Fox | 22 | 22 | 12-33-1 |
| 4 | Ravens | Sun Oct 4 1:00 PM | CBS | 2 | 4 | 3-3-0 |
| 5 | Rams | Sun Oct 11 1:00 PM | Fox | 7 | 13 | 24-11-1 |
| 6 | At Giants | Sun Oct 18 1:00PM | Fox | 23 | 25 | 68-102-4 |
| 7 | Cowboys | Sun Oct 25 1:00 PM | Fox | 1 | 9 | 43-73-2 |
| 8 | Bye Week | Nov 1 | ||||
| 9 | Giants | Sun Nov 8 | Fox | 23 | 25 | 68-102-4 |
| 10 | At Lions | Sun Nov 15 1:00 PM | Fox | 17 | 31 | 28-14-0 |
| 11 | Bengals | Sun Nov 22 1:00 PM | CBS | 26 | 29 | 4-5-1 |
| 12 | At Cowboys | Thu Nov 26 4:30 PM | Fox | 1 | 9 | 43-73-2 |
| 13 | At Steelers | Sun Dec 6 1:00 PM | Fox | 30 | 5 | 42-33-3 |
| 14 | At 49ers | Sun Dec 13 4:25 PM | Fox | 4 | 2 | 10-18-1 |
| 15 | Seahawks | Sun Dec 20 1:00 PM | Fox | 8 | 26 | 12-5-0 |
| 16 | Panthers | Sun Dec 27 1:00 PM | CBS | 19 | 23 | 9-6-0 |
| 17 | At Eagles | Sun Jan 3 1:00 PM | Fox | 14 | 10 | 85-80-6 |
So, the big question is which games are the ones the Team has a shot at winning. Looking at the comparative rankings for offense and defense, the most logical possible wins would be:
- Cardinals
- Browns
- Giants (home, away)
- Lions
- Bengals
- Panthers
Of these seven games, three are home games (Giants, Bengals, Panthers) and four are away games (Cardinals, Browns, Giants, Lions). Away games are viewed as more difficult to win and home field advantage is usually awarded a +3 adjustment in the points spread by Vegas sportsbooks.
Here’s the season broken into four game quarters:
| Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 | |
| Game 1 | Eagles
Line: WFT +6 Over/Under: 43 Noone: WFT Result: |
Rams
Line: Over/Under: Noone: Rams Result: |
@Lions
Line: Over/Under: Noone: WFT Result: |
@49ers
Line: Over/Under: Noone: 49ers Result: |
| Game 2 | @Cardinals
Line: Over/Under: Noone: Cardinals Result: |
@Giants
Line: Over/Under: Noone: Giants Result: |
Bengals
Line: Over/Under: Noone: WFT Result: |
Seahawks
Line: Over/Under: Noone: Seahawks Result: |
| Game 3 | @Browns
Line: Over/Under: Noone: WFT Result: |
Cowboys
Line: Over/Under: Noone: Cowboys Result: |
@Cowboys
Line: Over/Under: Noone: Cowboys Result: |
Panthers
Line: Over/Under: Noone: WFT Result: |
| Game 4 | Ravens
Line: Over/Under: Noone: Ravens Result: |
Giants
Line: Over/Under: Noone: WFT Result: |
@Steelers
Line: Over/Under: Noone: Steelers Result: |
@Eagles
Line: Over/Under: Noone: Eagles Result: |
My overall season prediction for the Team is 6-10. My prediction is affected by the fact that we haven’t been able to see any preseason games or practices. Can the ceiling for the Team be higher? Yes, it can, but that is dependent on the defense playing like a top 15 NFL defense and the offense improving to be in the upper middle tier of offenses (ranked between 16th and 21st in yards gained per game). If that happens, the Team can eek out an additional 1 to 3 wins. Of course, things can also go in the opposite direction, with Washington ending up with a top 5 pick in next year’s draft.