The Washington Redskins will start off the second quarter of the 2018 NFL season with a tough road opponent in the 3-1 New Orleans Saints. The Burgundy and Gold are coming off a dominant team win over the Green Bay Packers. Washington will look to duplicate that same success in the hostile confines of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and on the grand stage of Monday Night Football.
Here are three players/units that are worth keeping an eye on in the Redskins Week 3 matchup:
1. RB Adrian Peterson
Washington’s ground game starts with Adrian Peterson and his physical style of running. In Week 3, the Oklahoma star rushed 19 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers. His success played a huge role in the Redskins securing there first home victory of the year.
Since his departure from the Minnesota Vikings, however, Peterson has struggled to put together back to back successful games. In 2017, Peterson had only two 100-yard games with each followed by disappointing performances. It will be interesting to see what kind of an encore production Peterson can display on the road against a Saints defense that ranked third in opponents rushing yards per game (79.5).
2. Defensive Secondary
Greg Manusky’s defense will need to be sound in their responsibilities but no unit will need to play better than the secondary. The Saints, led by quarterback Drew Brees, possess a prolific offense that has versatile players that can present problems for any defensive secondary. Michael Thomas along with Ted Ginn Jr. will be one of the most formidable wide receiver combos the Redskins defense will face all season.
Due to injuries, Michael Floyd is learning both WR spots with Redskins
Thomas and Ginn Jr. have a combined 580 yards and five touchdowns and have been targeted 66 times through four games. It will be an area to watch as the Redskins secondary against the Packers had several miscues that resulted in big plays and points.
3. LB Ryan Kerrigan
Kerrigan has had little impact in the Redskins first three games. The former Purdue star only has two combined tackles and will need to make his presence felt against a productive quarterback in Drew Brees. Brees first four games he has been a lesson in efficiency. He is completing 75 percent of his passes, throwing eight touchdowns and no interceptions.
Brees is a dangerous quarterback when given time in the packet but by making him uncomfortable and forcing him off his spot will be important in slowing down the NFL’s third-ranked scoring offense (34.2). It will be very compelling to see if Kerrigan can be another disruptive force on a Redskins defense that is ranked third in opponents yards per game (278).