Monday Night Football features the New Orleans Saints hosting the Washington Redskins at the Mercedes Benz Superdome after winning two straight on the road.
The Saints last week took care of the New York Giants away from home to improve to 3-1, while the Redskins are coming off a week 4 bye that allowed them to rest and heal several injured players, including Adrian Peterson and Josh Norman who have already been declared as probable for the game.
The Saints, who have won three straight games, are looking to improve to 4-1 to take sole possession of the division lead in the NFC South.
The Redskins will look to slow down Drew Brees, who this season has passed for eight touchdowns, 1295 yards, and a passer rating of 115.4 in four games.
After not passing for a score in his last game Brees is looking to rebound against a Redskins defense that is ranked third against the pass and second in points allowed.
Brees needs 201 passing yards to surpass Payton Manning and become the all-time leading passer in NFL history.
Although wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (knee injury) will miss this game, the Saints welcome back running back Mark Ingram after he served a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Last year Ingram formed a lethal duo with Alvin Kamara as they both finished the season with over 1,500 yards and became the most productive duo in NFL history.
It will be interesting to see how much New Orleans use him against a Redskins defense that ranks eighth against the run.
The Redskins will also look to get their fifth-ranked rushing attack going against the Saints, but that won’t be easy as New Orleans ranks fourth in run defense. Although the Redskins lead the league in rushing attempts per game with 33, they could struggle to find running room in this contest.
That’s why the Redskins will need quarterback Alex Smith to step up and exploit a Saints defense that ranks 30th against the pass. Although Smith has not gotten off to a great start (four TDs and one pick in three games) he could have a breakout game against the Saints porous defense that also ranks 30th in points allowed.
Monday will be the 27th regular-season meeting between the teams. The Redskins lead the all-time series 17-9.
Prediction: Saints 31 – 20 Redskins
