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Ranking every Redskins game from least to most difficult for 2018

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 12: Free safety D.J. Swearinger #36 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after an interception during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 12: Free safety D.J. Swearinger #36 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after an interception during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JANUARY 14: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints looks to pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of the NFC Divisional Playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 14, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JANUARY 14: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints looks to pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of the NFC Divisional Playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 14, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

2. Week 5 at New Orleans Saints

The Redskins will be coming off a bye week before their Week 5 meeting with the New Orleans Saints. And that’s going to be a good thing, as they’ll need every minute of that time to prepare for their opponent.

Simply put, the Saints have one of the most well-balanced offenses in the league and have done a lot to make their defense one of the top 10 units as well. That type of balance is going to make it hard to find any weaknesses in the Saints squad to expose.

On offense, Drew Brees is still one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the NFL. His elite level ball placement and accuracy should help him carry the Saints to the playoffs once again, and his efforts will only be aided by the weaponry that he is surrounded by.

Notably, the team’s running back corps should provide Brees some excellent support. Alvin Kamara proved to be one of the best do-it-all type backs last season, and should continue to serve as a three-down threat for the Saints. By Week 5, his running mate, Mark Ingram, will be back in the lineup as well, and he will be ready to run angry after being slapped with a four game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy.

That duo combined with Brees’ accuracy and ability off play action will make it very hard for Washington to slow down the New Orleans offense. Even with an improved defensive line, the Saints will be able to stretch the Redskins thin, target weak points, and pick their spots to dissect the team’s defense.

That said, the Redskins may have to try and win on the offensive side of the ball. That could be doable, but Alex Smith tends to be a mistake-free quarterback, not necessarily one who is going to be a big playmaker. Furthermore, the Saints have an excellent secondary and an improved run defense, so moving the ball on them could prove to be tough.

Let last year’s matchup with the Saints serve as a cautionary tale. The Redskins won on offense for most of the contest, putting up 31 points. They also were able to hold the Saints in check for the most part until the final six minutes. In that time, the Saints struck for two touchdowns and kicked a field goal to seal the deal in overtime. The Redskins played an excellent 54 minutes, but they still came out on the losing end.

Perhaps the Redskins will have their mind on revenge in this contest. Either way, expect the Saints to pose a tough challenge, especially in front of their home fans at the Superdome.

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