The Washington Commanders come off of their late-season bye week knowing that if they win out, they are in the 2024 playoffs. The final push to the postseason begins in New Orleans with a matchup against the 5-8 Saints.
When New Orleans is at full strength, it can be a formidable opponent. They proved that in the first two weeks of the season when they averaged better than 45 points per game.
After that scintillating start, New Orleans dropped seven straight games, resulting in the midseason firing of head coach Dennis Allen. They have rebounded of late and face the Commanders having won three out of their last four contests. The Saints are still mathematically alive for the division title in the mediocre NFC South.
A lot of the Saints' trouble this season has been caused by injury. When healthy, their offense can be explosive. Led by veteran quarterback Derek Carr and workhorse running back Alvin Kamara, they have plenty of weapons on their roster.
Wide receiver Chris Olave is effective all over the field. Speedster Rashid Shaheed is a dangerous deep threat. Rookie Bub Means adds even more speed to the outside. And Swiss army knife Taysom Hill gives a defense a great deal to prepare for.
However, Washington faces a Saints team that will be without Olave, Shaheed, Means, and Hill — all on injured reserve. Carr will also miss the Week 15 contest with a broken (non-throwing) hand and the aftereffects of a concussion.
Apart from Alvin Kamara, New Orleans doesn’t have a lot of offensive firepower. The Saints' defense has been playing better of late, but except for the Los Angeles Rams, they have not faced a good offense for a while.
A rested, and mostly healthy, Commanders team should prove to be a real test for that defense. But head coach Dan Quinn have some problems to solve beforehand.
Problems the Commanders must solve before Week 15 at Saints
Maintaining offensive line momentum
The Washington Commanders' offensive line played three subpar games in a row entering Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans. They responded beautifully against a tough defensive front and seized control of the contest early. They will have to match that intensity against the Saints.
Second-year defensive tackle Bryan Bresee’s season had been unremarkable until fairly recently. But he has 3.5 sacks, three tackles-for-loss, and six quarterback knockdowns in his last three games. He even had a game-saving blocked field goal against the New York Giants last week. He is turning into a dominant force before the nation’s eyes.
With Bresee providing a push in the middle, it opens things up for the Saints edge rushers like Carl Granderson and Chase Young.
Young is one of two Saints’ defensive linemen cut loose by the Commanders. The other is John Ridgeway III. You can bet both would like nothing better than to remind their old team of their talent.
New Orleans does not blitz very often but still manages to generate decent pressure. Washington’s protection must be up to the challenge.