Eagles and Redskins have a point

Donovan McNabb’s dramatic return to Philadelphia this Sunday is the most talked about game of NFL Week 4.
Bookmaker.com has Philadelphia as six-point home favorites over the Washington Redskins, but many bettors are eyeing the 42 ½-point total.
The total is very close to the 42.2 average for the 14 games this week. The low is 34 for Baltimore at Pittsburgh. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is still suspended. The high is 46 ½ for New England at Miami on Monday night.
The NFL trends through Week 3 show the ‘under’ at 51 percent and the ‘over’ at 49 percent. The ‘under’ dominated the regular season last year at 53.2 percent.
Philadelphia was one of the big ‘over’ teams last year at 11-6. Its scoring offense was fifth in the league (26.8 PPG). The defense allowed eight of its final 10 opponents to score 20 points or more.
The Eagles have undergone a big transformation. McNabb was traded within the division, a bold move by Eagles brass. Kevin Kolb was anointed the starter, but that lasted less than one game as he suffered a second-quarter concussion in an opening home loss versus Green Bay (27-20).
Michael Vick has stepped in and been nothing short of brilliant with a 110.2 quarterback rating and wins at Detroit (35-32) and Jacksonville (28-3) as the starter. The Eagles have a lot of speed on the field with Vick, receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, plus running back LeSean McCoy.
Top NFL Betting Odds at Bookmaker.
Philadelphia has put up 80 points in the 10 quarters with Vick at quarterback. The ‘under’ is actually 2-1 for Philly, with the Green Bay game finishing a half-point below the 47 ½-point total.
Last week’s game at Jacksonville also went ‘under’ the 45-point NFL betting total as the awful Jaguars’ offense managed just a field goal.
Washington has had a disappointing start to the McNabb and coach Mike Shanahan era. An opening home win over Dallas (13-7) was marred by an overtime home loss to Houston (30-27). The Texans scored the final 20 points of the game. The biggest blow was a 30-16 loss at St Louis last week, a team that had won one of its previous 28 games.
McNabb is eighth in the league in passing yards (278 per game) and has a respectable 89.2 quarterback rating. However, he only has two touchdowns and the team was stopped three times within the 11-yard line against St. Louis and forced to kick field goals.
The Redskins certainly need to improve their red zone efficiency this week. They also need to keep the offense balanced with the running game. McNabb has the quickness to avoid the Eagles’ pass rush and complete passes down the field. He should be sharp as he’s extra motivated to get back at the team that unceremoniously dumped him.
Vick has been sacked a league-leading 11 times. However, he’s also great at breaking containment and making plays with his legs or arm. Washington’s pass defense is 31st in the NFL (326 per game), with Houston’s Matt Schaub throwing for 497 yards. Philly should have a big offensive game once again.
The trends favor the ‘over’ at 9-3-1 in Philadelphia’s last 13 home games. The ‘over’ is 2-1 for Washington this year and 7-2 in its last nine games overall.
Look for Sunday’s 1:15 p.m. (PT) game to go ‘over’ the 42 ½-points.