Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Redskins vs. Saints: Week 5 offense and defense matchups, score prediction

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 16: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks to quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at FedExField on September 16, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 16: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks to quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at FedExField on September 16, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 23: Alshon Jeffery #17 of the Philadelphia Eagles makes a catch against Quinton Dunbar #47 of the Washington Redskins that is called for pass-interference during the first quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 23, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 23: Alshon Jeffery #17 of the Philadelphia Eagles makes a catch against Quinton Dunbar #47 of the Washington Redskins that is called for pass-interference during the first quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 23, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Redskins defense vs. Saints offense

On the defensive side of the ball, the Redskins will have a tougher task. Part of that is because of the Saints strong offense. But beyond that, there is another storyline to watch.

Drew Brees is on the verge of setting the NFL’s all-time passing yardage record and is just over 200 yards away from doing so. Rest assured that in front of a home crowd on prime-time, the Saints will be doing everything they can to get Brees to that milestone. So, the Redskins secondary has to be on notice.

While Quinton Dunbar has been excellent this year across from Josh Norman, Brees has elite ball-placement skills and should have a good chance to succeed against both corners. Plus, Michael Thomas has been a reception machine this year, so that’s certainly something to note as well. He can be contained with the right matchup, but it remains to be seen in Dunbar and Norman will be able to get the job done.

More from Commanders News

Of course, the Saints also boast a strong running game that will see Mark Ingram in action for the first time this year. He and Alvin Kamara will look to expose the Redskins new defensive front that has played well to start the season.

However, their numbers against the run are a bit skewed, as they ranked seventh in the league in yards allowed…but 10th worst in yards per carried allowed. In a game where the Saints project to have more of a volume of opportunities, this could become an issue for the young front.

Finally, the pass rush in this contest will be important, as the Redskins will have a chance to collapse the Saints from the interior of the line. While the team has strong tackles, the interior matchup on the D-line goes in favor of the Redskins, so perhaps Matt Ioannidis will be able to keep at his one-sack-per-game pace for this season.

The Redskins defense is probably facing their toughest task of the season. So far, they have seen Sam Bradford, Andrew Luck, and a one-legged Aaron Rodgers. Brees and company will test them, and it will be very hard for the ‘Skins to slow their opponents.

Home/Commanders News