Redskins vs. Saints: 5 players to watch in Week 5 of 2018
By Ian Cummings
No. 5 – RG Brandon Scherff
The New Orleans Saints’ defense hasn’t gotten off to a great start in 2018. But while the Saints’ pass defense has been inconsistent at best, the run defense has managed to hold up. They sit at third place currently, allowing 79.5 rushing yards per game.
Granted, circumstance has something to do with the skewed numbers. Two of the Saints’ four games were blowouts in which both teams totaled over 80 points and 750 combined passing yards, and rushing was abandoned due to the fast nature of the contest.
That said, the low figure for the Saints’ run defense doesn’t amount to nothing. The Saints have been getting solid play from contributors like Sheldon Rankins and others. The third place number should level out in coming weeks, but they’ve held their own through one quarter of the season.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the course of the Redskins first three games, it’s that the offense hums when the running game is going. The Redskins will need to get Adrian Peterson going to avoid getting themselves into a shootout, unequipped to keep up with Drew Brees and Co. For the running game to withstand, the offensive line needs to be on task, and no one more than Brandon Scherff, a key figure on the interior who will function as the gate keeper on Sunday.