Betting Picks

Redskins at Saints: MNF NFL Week 5 Betting Preview and Pick

The Washington Redskins enter the Week 5 Monday night game at the New Orleans Saints, with the ‘Skins coming off their bye. That has been a hit-or-miss proposition for the Redskins of late as they have won their past two following a bye, but are just 1-4 against the spread in their past five in that scenario. But how will they fare in this MNF NFL Week 5 betting matchup?

New Orleans is a 6.5-point favorite in these NFL odds, and our ATS pick. The total is 52.5. These teams also played last year in the Big Easy, with the Saints winning a 34-31 overtime shootout. Washington completely choked in that one, blowing a 31-16 lead with less than three minutes left in regulation.

Why New Orleans will cover the MNF NFL Week 5 betting spread

Barring injury or one of the worst games of his future Hall of Fame career, Saints quarterback Drew Brees will break Peyton Manning’s league record for career passing yards on Monday. Brees is exactly 200 yards behind Manning’s total of 71,940 (Brett Favre is second at 71,838). Washington does rank third in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, but Brees is almost never held below 200 yards passing regardless of opponent.

The Saints add an offensive weapon as well in co-starting running back Mark Ingram, who is eligible off his four-game suspension. An Ingram-Alvin Kamara 1-2 punch is arguably the NFL’s best in the backfield; Kamara leads the league in yards from scrimmage. New Orleans is on its bye after this.

Washington betting notes for Monday

So, what are the Redskins? They have a blowout road win over a really bad team in the Arizona Cardinals, an ugly home loss to a mediocre Indianapolis Colts squad and then, in Week 3, a pretty impressive 31-17 home victory over a good but flawed Green Bay Packers club.

New Redskins starting quarterback Alex Smith has gotten off to a solid start, completing 68.8% of his passes for 767 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. That’s good for a rating of 102.2.

However, the star of the Washington offense thus far has been running back Adrian Peterson, who looked done after 2017. The Skins suffered some injuries at the position in camp and signed Peterson for the veterans’ minimum. He has responded with 236 yards and three touchdowns. How long can the 33-year-old reasonably keep that up? He’s also dealing with a sprained ankle, but will play. Peterson was briefly a Saint last year.

New Orleans vs. Washington line movement

The MNF NFL Week 5 betting spread for this game has stayed steady – always important to avoid the number 7 for push reasons – and the total has risen 1.5 points at some books.

New Orleans vs. Washington matchup trends

• Washington has covered just two of its past 10 out of a bye week.
• The Redskins are 2-11 in their past 13 October road games.
• The Saints are 7-3 ATS in their past 10 ahead of a bye week.