My, oh my, how a week can change things. Prior to last week’s slaughter at the hands of LA, DC looked to be the most well rounded team in the league. Things are a bit different in DC now; that’s what happens after a crushing loss.



As a fan, I don’t know what was more surprising Sunday evening: the complete lack of defense by the Defenders, or Cardale Jones’ implosion. DC’s defense and Cardale Jones, which once looked to be the team’s biggest strengths, are now much harder to evaluate.



Week 4 is going to be telling about who the Defenders really are. If they bounce back and look like the team they were in Weeks 1 & 2, fans shouldn’t feel bad about being optimistic again. If, however, they lose to the 0-3 Vipers, it might be time to panic.



Speaking of the Vipers, they are coming off of a surprisingly strong effort against the Roughnecks. The Vipers may be 0-3, but they went blow for blow with the best team in the league on Saturday and had an offensive awakening. DC is in no position to look down on any team after last weekend. If DC does overlook the Vipers, they will lose again on Sunday.



The Defenders may be 2-1, but the teams they have beaten are looking worse and worse by the week. The bottom line is that they need to bounce back in a big way on Sunday night. Maybe the LA loss is the type of early season reality check the team needed to stay humble. One thing is for sure, the Vipers are going to show up and play Sunday… or maybe they won’t. After all, no one really knows what in the world is going on in this league.



Match-up



In terms of raw team stats, the Defenders do outclass the Vipers, but it’s closer than most might think. The Vipers’ single game performance against Houston still couldn’t make up for the eggs they laid in Weeks 1 and 2. In that same vein, the Defenders’ Week 3 struggles haven’t erased their two stellar performances from earlier in the season.



As such, DC finds themselves 4th in pts scored, and 5th in total offensive touchdowns. DC is also 5th in offensive yards, which breaks down to 4th in passing and 7th in rushing. At a glance, these numbers don’t really look like they belong to a team with a winning record. DC will need to have a big game to rise back up in the offensive ranks.



Tampa, on the other hand, ranks 7th in points scored, but 2nd in total yards. This makes sense to anyone who’s watched the team the last few weeks; they motor up and down the field between the 20s, then stall in the red zone. Last week, the Vipers got their first touchdown of the season, and then put up two more for good measure.QB Taylor Cornelius also offered a much better showing, passing and rushing for his first two scores of the season. With Quinton Flowers leaving the team for “personal issues”, the team appears to be Cornelius’ going forward.



In terms of defense, the 39 points DC gave up to LA were enough to drop them from 1st to 3d in total points allowed. Conversely, the Vipers rank dead last in points allowed and have given up 24.67 points per game.



Offensive Stat Leaders:



QBs:

DC: Cardale Jones — 52-for-89, 602 yards, 4 passing TDs, 5 INTs, 15 carries for 61 yards

TB: Taylor Cornelius — 32 of 58, 347 yards, 1 passing TD, 3 INTs, 6 carries for 33 yards, 1 rushing TD

RBs:

DC: Donnel Pumphrey — 24 carries for 97 yards; long of 23

TB: Deveon Smith — 42 carries for 174 yards; long of 13

WRs:

DC: Rashad Ross — 7 Rec. for 164 yards on 13 targets; long of 40; 1 TD

DC: Eli Rogers — 14 Rec. for 137 yards on 20 targets; long of 27

TB: Dan Williams — 11 Rec. for 180 yards on 20 targets; long of 42; 1 TDs

TB: Jalen Tolliver — 13 Rec. for 157 yards on 25 targets; long of 44

Defensive Stats:



DC: Defensive Highlights — 4 sacks, 4 Ints, 2 forced fumbles, 1 Def TD

TB: Defensive Highlights — 3 sacks, 1 Int, 1 forced fumbles, 1 Def TD

Gambling:



DC Defenders (-2) at Tampa Bay Vipers (O/U 44.5)



Last week, if you were to bet the over in the DC @ LA game, you would have won, but likely not in the way you thought you would have. This week, be conservative and bet the under. The game should prove to be a low scoring affair, with neither offense in the top half of the league stat-wise. DC has a good defense, despite what was seen last week, and they should bounce back against TB. Personally, no outcome would surprise me in this game, after what we saw from both of these teams last week.

My gut says to take DC to win and cover, but my gut also said take DC to cover last week, so take this prediction with a grain of salt.



Final score prediction: DC over TB 24-18

