Will the month of December stop the surging Washington Commanders?
The National Football League is coming up on the last full month of the season with several hotly contested playoff races across VA sports betting. One team that is currently on the outside looking in is the Washington Commanders, who have a 5-5 record after a thrilling Monday Night Football win over the previously unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles.
The win brought Washington to the cusp of the playoffs, as they now occupy the eighth seed, just on the wrong side of the playoff bubble.
But with wins in four of their last five, the Commanders simply need to keep that momentum going and they could land a playoff spot.
The main obstacle the Commanders face? The calendar.
December has historically been a brutal month for the franchise, especially in the past five years.
BetVirginia utilized statmuse.com to find the records of every NFL team in December over the past five seasons and Washington has not fared well, checking in with a 7-15 record that puts them tied for second to last in the entire league in December winning percentage, trailing only the Las Vegas Raiders.
After such a strong surge heading into the month, the Commanders are going to need to put their December demons behind them if they want to put themselves in a playoff position. And that would be quite the upset across Virginia betting apps if history is any indication.
Worst NFL Teams in the Month of December Since 2017
Will History Repeat Itself?
The Commanders have three games on their schedule this December, as their bye week mercifully comes in the month, giving them a break when they historically need it most.
In a bit of a scheduling quirk, Washington’s first two games in December are both against the New York Giants with the bye week coming in between.
The Giants have been one of the most surprising teams in the league this year and have a record of 7-2, meaning those games will both be extremely tough.
Perhaps of more importance is New York's place as a division rival, as they sit second in the NFC East behind Philly and ahead of both Dallas and Washington. If the Commanders could win both of those games it would swing the balance of power in the division and put Washington in a spot to possibly make the playoffs.
Currently at WynnBET Virginia Promo Code, the Commanders have the worst odds to win the division at +5000.
On the flip side, two losses in those crucial games would be a death blow to the Commanders' playoff chances. Finally, the Commanders will finish the month with a tough game against the San Francisco 49ers, a team that has Super Bowl aspirations after the acquisition of Christian McCaffrey.
The fact that Washington is even talking about the playoffs at this point in the season is already a surprise as the team has exceeded their preseason expectations to this point.
If they can battle their December demons as well as they battled the league-leading Eagles, that elusive playoff berth will look more and more likely.
Remember, BetVirginia.com is a good source for sports betting information, and look out for a BetMGM Virginia bonus code.
