New Orleans Saints vs. Washington Redskins: Full New Orleans Game Preview
After playing two straight games at home, the New Orleans Saints will take to the road in Week 10, as they pay a Sunday afternoon visit to FedEx Field to take on the Washington Redskins.
New Orleans (4-5) is coming off a stunning home loss to the Tennessee Titans, who entered last week’s matchup with six straight losses.
The Saints had won three in a row heading into the Week 9 contest, and after getting off to a fast start, they faltered down the stretch and were defeated in overtime.
Washington (3-5) is also attempting to bounce back after a disappointing loss. Coach Jay Gruden’s squad was soundly defeated by the unbeaten New England Patriots last Sunday, 27-10.
This week, Gruden will look to kick-start his offense against a struggling Saints defense. Rookie Marcus Mariota torched coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit in New Orleans' loss to the Titans, and major improvements are in order for a group that ranks No. 31 in the NFL in total defense.
On the other side of the ball, quarterback Drew Brees heads the league’s top-ranked offense, and he’ll be looking to shred a Washington defense that gave up 460 yards to the Patriots a week ago.
Read on for a closer look at this Week 10 NFC matchup, which kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.
News and Notes
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Saints-Redskins Series
New Orleans and Washington have met 24 times, with the Redskins holding a 16-8 advantage.
The series has been defined by close, hard-fought games, especially in recent years. In fact, the average margin of victory in the last five games, three of which were won by Washington, has been 5.2 points.
In the last meeting, the Saints opened their 2012 season at home against the Redskins without Payton, who was serving a season-long suspension. Washington outscored New Orleans 40-32, as the Saints first exhibited the defensive flaws that would plague them throughout the season.
The last time these two teams hooked up at FedEx Field was in 2009, when the Saints outgunned the Redskins 33-30 in overtime. New Orleans would go on to win the Super Bowl that season.
New Orleans Signs Matt Flynn
Payton confirmed on Monday that Saints backup quarterback Luke McCown was out for the season following back surgery, and that the team had signed journeyman Matt Flynn to fill the role.
Flynn, an eight-year veteran and longtime backup to Green Bay Packers starter Aaron Rodgers, has spent time with the Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills. He also had brief stints with the New England Patriots and New York Jets this summer.
The 30-year-old Flynn won a national championship at LSU in 2007, and he’s amassed over 2,500 passing yards and 17 touchdowns in his NFL career, along with 11 interceptions.
Injury Report
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Injuries hampered the Saints in last week’s loss, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
This week’s Wednesday injury report, posted by the team on NewOrleansSaints.com, was quite extensive, as nine Saints missed the practice.
Starting left tackle Terron Armstead (knee) was held out on the offensive side, while five defensive players were out. They included starting linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (hip), reserve linebackers David Hawthorne (hamstring) and Ramon Humber (hamstring) and cornerbacks Brian Dixon (hip) and Damian Swann (concussion).
As has been commonplace in recent weeks, some veteran starters were also held out of the Wednesday workout, and their absences were not injury-related. Wideout Marques Colston, guard Jahri Evans and defensive tackle Kevin Williams sat out on Wednesday, although all three should be good to go come Sunday.
Meanwhile, linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha (ankle), guard Tim Lelito (shoulder) and wideout Willie Snead (knee) were limited in the workout.
Key Matchups to Watch
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Drew Brees vs. Washington Secondary
While Mark Ingram and the Saints' ground game can at times be formidable, the New Orleans passing attack is clearly the strength of its top-ranked offense.
Brees has thrown for nearly 900 yards and 10 touchdowns in the last two games, and he’s distributed the ball to a host of targets, including tight ends, wideouts and running backs.
Just last Sunday, the Titans entered the game with the league’s third-ranked pass defense, but Brees carved them up to the tune of 387 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
This week, New Orleans faces another strong secondary, as Washington comes in ranked ninth in pass defense. The Redskins boast a couple of capable veteran corners in Will Blackmon and Chris Culliver, while the hard-hitting Dashon Goldson prowls the deep secondary from his safety spot.
Of course, credit for Washington’s proficient pass defense can’t be solely given to the defensive backfield. Outside backer Ryan Kerrigan and defensive end Chris Baker both have 3.5 sacks on the season, and Saints offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Zach Strief will have to provide their quarterback with adequate protection throughout the contest.
This strength-on-strength matchup should definitely be worth the watch Sunday, as Brees will undoubtedly take to the air early and often.
Saints Defensive Front vs. Redskins Offensive Line
Washington hasn’t run the football particularly well this season, as the Redskins rank No. 27 in rush offense behind a relatively young offensive line.
The struggling New Orleans defense will be looking to improve on its poor performances of the past couple of weeks, and the best place to start is up front.
Washington running backs Matt Jones and Alfred Morris average just 3.7 and 3.3 yards per carry this season, respectively, and the opportunity exists for the Saints defensive front to have some success in this one.
If New Orleans can win the early downs more often than not, thereby making the Redskins offense one-dimensional, it will greatly increase its chances of earning a fifth W on Sunday.
Saints Cornerbacks vs. Redskins Receivers
To say the New Orleans pass defense has endured a rough couple of weeks would be a huge understatement. After giving up 350 yards and six touchdowns to Eli Manning and the Giants in Week 8, the Saints were victimized for another 371 yards and four touchdowns by Mariota last Sunday.
New Orleans’ maligned defensive backfield will be under the gun once again this week, as Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins will look to light the Saints up. He’ll be working with a trio of reliable receiving targets in trusted tight end Jordan Reed, veteran wideout Pierre Garcon and explosive playmaker DeSean Jackson.
Cornerbacks Delvin Breaux and Keenan Lewis will need to be in top form when applying man coverage, and Brandon Browner must cut down on the costly penalties that have plagued him throughout the season. A little help from Cam Jordan and the pass rush will also go a long way toward getting the Saints off the field on third down.
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Prediction
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Having just had its three-game winning streak snapped in stunning fashion at home, New Orleans finds itself at a crossroads this week.
Payton’s Saints could come out flat and allow homestanding Washington to find its footing, or they could come out ready to scratch and claw their way back into the win column.
Look for Brees to attack the Redskins with an aggressive aerial assault, and Payton will attempt to balance things out with Ingram and the ground game.
Defensively, the Saints will be challenged by a talented receiving corps, but if they can keep the penalties to a minimum, they should be able to earn some third-down stops.
This one will be close, but the Saints will get a late field goal to score their second road win of the season.
Saints 27, Redskins 24
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