All things considered, the Washington Redskins are preparing for what will be one of their toughest games of 2018. This Week 5 matchup is not only against an excellent 3-1 New Orleans Saints team, Saints QB Drew Brees — a sure-fire future Hall-of-Famer anyway — would like to break the NFL’s all-time passing record during this contest. To do so, he must only pass for 201 yards, something not unusual for him. That means a fired-up Saints team and fanbase. As well, the two teams are going up against each other on Monday Night Football, something Washington hasn’t had a lot of luck with in recent years. Fortunately, for the Redskins, they are coming off their bye week so not only are guys healthier, they’ve had a lot of time to study film and prepare.
Fans in the DMV know what pundits and players are saying about the Saints and the upcoming challenge but what is the opposition saying?
Saints RB Alvin Kamara was asked about what he thought his ballclub’s chances were in going up the Redskins improved and impressive defense.
“I’m liking our run game against them,” the top rusher said this week. “We’ve got the best O-line in the world. I’m liking our pass game against them. The things we do during the week as far as preparation goes helps us be successful on Sundays, AKA ‘Mondays’ now because it’s Monday Night Football. But, I feel like we’ve got a good chance to be successful in doing what we’re doing. We’ve just got to stick to our guns and be efficient on first- and second-downs so we can stay on track, stay on plan with what we’re doing.
New Orleans defensive tackle Tyeler Davidson will be one of the guys tasked with stopping Washington’s suddenly prolific run game. Like many players that are preparing for the Redskins, he was asked why they are so effective at running the ball now.
Redskins vs. Saints: the final prediction
“Well, you know… AP,” the big man said. “He runs hard. He’s always done that throughout his career and there’s nothing different now. So, AP’s running hard. And they also offer a big menu of run plays, different types of runs. They’ve got gap-scheme runs, they’ve got zone runs… they’ve got a different type of running scheme out of the gun and back at home with the QB under center. So, they mix it up. They’ve got a lot of variety. They try to be nasty up front and, last of all, AP. He’s a special player. He’s still is today. He’s showing that.”
Davidson, a veteran player, had other things to say about Washington.
“Yeah, he’s got an extra dimension that QB,” he said of Alex Smith. “He’s a good thrower, he’s a good pocket-passer but, he also has the extra dimension of being able to run and scramble in the pocket. [The Redskins are] able to do the read-zones [and] RPO’s with him in there. He’s an actual threat to take the ball and run so that being said, we all know how to play against that. We played against that twice a year with the [Carolina] Panthers among other teams so, we know what to do. We know how to play that. Like we said earlier, everybody has to do their job. You know, whoever’s supposed to get the QB has the QB, whoever’s got the dive has the dive, and it’s just about being sound.”
On a conference call this past week, Saints coach Sean Payton said all the politically correct things about Smith, Washington’s improved defense and just the challenge in and of itself. But he was also asked about one of his former players (albeit for just a short time) who is now on Washington’s roster: wide receiver Michael Floyd. Floyd was only in New Orleans from July 31 to Sept. 1 of this year but it was long enough for Payton to form an opinion.
“Yeah I do,” the coach said about whether he thinks the WR can get back to the level of play he showed a few years ago. “Listen, I think that he has years left in him. We felt that way right at the end. With his weight down – Marques Colston was this way. I could tell when Marques was 225 or when he was 219. He was an entirely different type of route runner when he was heavier. The transition, all the things you’re looking for become more difficult. Then right when that training camp was over and the season was beginning and he was at 219 or 220 – I’m not sure what the perfect weight is for Michael but they reminded me a lot of each other.”