Game Preview, Week 5: Saints at Washington
October 8, 2021
by Steve Thomas
Washington enters week 5 with a .500 record, with only a home game against the New Orleans Saints standing in the way of officially becoming a winning team. These aren’t the Saints of prior years, either, with future hall of famer Drew Brees now an NFL analyst and Jameis Winston at the helm. Washington also needs a win to keep pace with the first place Cowboys, who are 3 – 1 this season, so while this matchup is not a “must win” contest, being able to stay within one game of first place, rather than losing ground, is a big hurdle to overcome. This is another fairly even matchup, with both the Redskins Washington and the Saints having significant strengths and weaknesses. We’ll cover it all in our game preview, which starts below.
Game time & location: Sunday, October 10, 2021, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fed Ex Field, Raljon, Maryland; Gates open 11:00 a.m. ET; Red Zone parking lots open 8:00 a.m.; all other parking lots 9:00 a.m.
Television: CBS
Television announcers: Spero Dedes and Jay Feely
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: The Team 980
Washington radio network: click here
Falcons radio network: click here
Satellite radio: SiriusXM: 233 (Wash. broad); internet: 831 (Wash. broad.)
Redskins roster: click here
Redskins depth chart: click here
Saints roster: click here
Saints depth chart: click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Saints: 17 – 10 (last 10: 5 – 5; streak: 0 – 2)
Last meeting: L, October 8, 2018, 19 – 43
Early odds: Saints, -1
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Control the Saints running game
Make no mistake: the Saints are a running team. They’ve already had 133 rushing attempts, which is third-most in the NFL, and quarterback Jameis Winston only has 86 pass attempts in 4 games. New Orleans isn’t great at running mind you – they are only averaging 4.0 yards per carry, but it’s their principal offense this year. A big key to the game for Washington is to neutralize the Saints rushing attack and force them to rely on Jameis Winston’s arm.
Passing efficiency
The Saints have already gotten 7 interceptions this year, and they have had an extremely stingy run defense. It’s not likely that Washington will be able to rely on their rushing attack this week, so the onus will be on Taylor Heinicke to have a good day – passing efficiency will be key. Heinicke will need to limit the bad throws and interceptions, and keep the drives alive in the air rather than on the ground. This will be particularly true if running back Antonio Gibson is physically limited as a result of his shin injury.
Red zone defense
New Orleans is currently leading the NFL in red zone offensive efficiency, converting touchdowns inside the 20 at an astounding 91% rate. Washington hasn’t been terrible in the red zone, but they’ll have to do much better in order to win this game. One way to accomplish this is to actually prevent an opposing offense from converting on third down occasionally, which is something that they’ve utterly failed at this season. This is a big key to the game this week: tighten up in the red zone and prevent New Orleans from getting their in the first place.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Kamara is the Saints’ most dangerous offensive weapon, so Washington will need to make him a focus in order to earn a victory. With Jonathan Bostic down for the season, the job of leading the linebacker corps will likely fall to Holcomb. First on his task list will be keeping Kamara from getting into the second level. Holcomb needs to have a good day in order to keep Kamara from dominating the game.
Terry McLaurin vs. Marshon Lattimore
McLaurin has looked dominate at times this season, and he should be primed to have yet another big day against the Saints. The job of stopping him should mostly fall to Lattimore, the three-time Pro Bowler. New Orleans has a stingy run defense, so Washington will likely have to rely on its passing attack to success. The Saints will likely shade a safety over to McLaurin’s side, but regardless, Lattimore and McLaurin will be a big battle to watch on Sunday.
Terron Armstead and Andrus Peat vs Jonathan Allen and Montez Sweat
It’s not news to remind the Washington fanbase that the defensive line has lacked in sack production as compared to the group’s outsized expectations. This week, the right side of Washington’s defensive front four, Allen and Sweat face a talented guard / tackle combo in Armstead and Peat, so keep an eye out on this matchup to see whether Allen and Sweat can disrupt quarterback Jameis Winston.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (active roster only) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful NL – not listed
| Washington | Saints |
| WR D. Brown, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | C E. McCoy, calf; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| RB A. Gibson, shin; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | T T. Armstead, elbow; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| LB C. Holcomb, shoulder; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | CB M. Lattimore, hand; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| WR C. Samuel, groin; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: LP; game: Q | S J.T. Gray, back; Wed: NL; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP |
| G B. Scherff, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | |
| WR C. Sims, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | |
| DT J. Allen, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | |
| S D. Everett, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | |
| DT M. Ioannidis, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | |
| RB J.D. McKissic, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| DT J. Smith-Williams, toe; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| CB B. St-Juste, concussion; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| DT D. Payne, toe; Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: DNP; game: Q |
TEAM STATISTICS
Washington:
This is my first statistical breakdown of the new season. Washington is 11th in points scored, 19th in passing yards, and 19th in rushing yards. They are averaging 4.0 yards per rushing attempt, which is ranked 19th. The offensive stats that stick out are Taylor Heinicke’s quarterback rating, which at 105.9 is ranked 9th in the NFL, and Washington’s third down conversion rate of just 30.23%, which is ranked 31st in the league.
Defensively, Washington has surrendered 122 points, which is 30th in the NFL. They are 29th in total yards surrendered, 29th in passing yards, and 11th in rushing yards per attempt. Washington has given up third down conversions on 59.63% of attempts, which is the worst in the NFL. They only have 7 sacks, which is ranked 29th. However, Washington is in the top 10 in blitz percentage and pressure percentage, which means that Washington’s defensive front 7 simply aren’t getting home.
Record: 2 – 2 (2nd) (Home: 1 – 1; NFC: 2 – 0)
All-time franchise record: 612 – 614 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 11 (points) / 20 (total yards) / 20 (yards per game) / 12 (yards per play) / 19 (passing yards) / 14 (passing yards per att.) / 19 (rushing yards) / 19 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 101 |
| Yards per game | 342.0 |
| Passing
|
124 att (26th); 385 comp; 68.5% comp per. (10th); 7.8 Y/A; 955 net yds; 8 TD; 3 Int |
| Passing leader | Heinicke (118 att (25th), 960 yds (21st), 69.5% comp perc (8th), 8 TDs / 3 Int, 105.9 QB rating (9th) |
| Receiving leader | McLaurin (354 yds (7th), 38 tgts (12th), 25 rec (15th), 3 TDs, 14.2 YPC (29th)) |
| Rushing | 102 att (19th); 413 yds; 4.0 Y/A; 103.3 Y/G (19th); 3 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Gibson (59 att (7th), 253 yds (13th), 1 TD (74th), 4.3 Y/A (28th), long 27) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 4 / 2 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 26:28 / 29 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 30.23% / 31 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 72.73% / 6 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 30 (points) / 29 (total yards) / 29 (yards per game surrendered) / 22 (yards per play) / 29 (passing yards) / 18 (passing yards per att.) / 17 (rushing yards) / 11 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 122 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 417.5 |
| Opponent’s passing | 165 att (30th); 111 comp; 67.3% comp perc. (19th); 7.4 Y/A; 1196 net yds; 10 TDs; QB Rating 106.8 (27th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 118 att (24th); 474 yds; 4.0 Y/A; 3 TDs; 118.5 Y/G (17th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 7 / 29 / Allen (3.0) |
| Tackles leader | Holcomb (41) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 1 / 30 / Jackson (1) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 59.68% / 32 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 52.63% / 9 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 27.8 Y/R (3rd), 12 returns, long 101 yards (2nd), 1 TD |
| Punt returns | 9.3 Y/R (12th), 3 returns, long 14 yards (22nd), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 22.2 Y/R (21st), 6 returns (14th), 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 5.4 Y/R (5th), 8 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 46.9 Y/P (15th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank) (2020): 7 / 4 / -3 / 28
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 82 / 16 (2020): 28 / 26
Saints:
The Saints have scored 94 points, which is 19th in the NFL, 28th in total yards, 31st in passing yards, 7th in rushing yards, and 19th in rushing yards per attempt. The statistic that sticks out is New Orleans’ red zone efficiency – they’ve scored touchdowns on 91.67% of their red zone trips, which is second-best in the NFL. In addition, despite the fact that New Orleans has gained 531 rushing yards, they are averaging just 4.0 yards per attempt.
Defensively, New Orleans has surrendered just 69 points, which is ranked 5th in the NFL. They are ranked 11th in total yards surrendered, 26th in passing yards, 2nd in rushing yards, and have given up just 3.1 yards per rushing attempt, which is ranked 3rd in the NFL. Finally, the Saints defense has been outstanding in the red zone, giving up touchdowns on just 33.33% of red zone visits, which is the best in the NFL.
Record: 2 – 2 (3rd); Away: 1 – 1; NFC: 1 – 2)
All-time franchise record: 389 – 444 – 5
Offense
| Offensive rankings
|
19 (points) / 28 (total yards) / 28 (yards per game) / 28 (yards per play) / 31 (passing yards) / 22 (passing yards per att.) / 7 (rushing yards) / 19 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 94 |
| Yards per game | 276.8 |
| Passing | 90 att (32nd); 58 comp; 64.4% comp per. (20th); 6.9 Y/A; 576 net yds; 8 TDs; 3 Int |
| Passing leader | Winston (86 att (30th), 613 yds (29th), 64.0% comp per. (23rd), 8 TDs / 2 Int, 106.4 QB rating (8th)) |
| Reception leader | Harris (164 yds (73rd), 15 targets (117th), 11 rec (113th), 1 TD (132nd), 14.9 Y/C (21st) |
| Rushing | 133 att (3rd); 531 yds; 4.0 Y/A; 132.8 Y/G (7th); 4 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Kamara (78 att (3rd), 297 yds (6th), 0 TDs, 3.8 Y/A (35th), long 14 yds (79th)) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 7 / 11 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 31:35 / 10 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 44.68% / 6 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 91.67% / 2 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 5 (points) / 11 (total yards) / 11 (yards per game surrendered) / 14 (yards per play) / 26 (passing yards) / 14 (passing yards per att.) / 2 (rushing yards) / 3 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 69 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 349.2 |
| Opponent’s passing | 164 att (29th); 104 comp; 63.4% comp per. (7th); 7.2 Y/A; 1133 net yds; 5 TDs; QB rating 77.2 (4th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 85 att (7th); 264 yds; 3.1 Y/A; 2 TDs |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 6 / 31 / Tpassagon (2.0) |
| Tackles leader | Davis (31) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 7 / 3 / Williams (2) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 36.36% / 10 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 33.33% / 1 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 25.4 Y/R (6th), 9 returns, long 39 yards (11th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 15.7 Y/R (2nd), 3 returns, long 25 yards (5th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 14.7 Y/R (1st), 3 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 10.8 Y/R (23rd), 9 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 48.6 Y/P (8th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 3 / 8 / +5 / 4
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 24 / 12
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com