The New Orleans Saints need this one. They line up against the Tennessee Titans with a shot at coming towards the top of the division if they are able to pull out a win. It won’t be easy though as they are going to be wildly shorthanded in this matchup.
First of all, Jameis Winston remains out. Which means Trevor Siemian will get another run at the starting quarterback spot which hasn’t been bad. However, Alvin Kamara won’t be able to get it going for this game, same goes for Terron Armstead and Chauncey Gardner Johnson will miss as well due to a leg injury. This is also a team that desperately needs a wide receiver and yet they sat around and watched Desean Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr sign with other teams the past week and a half. Siemian seriously doesn’t have anybody to throw the football too here. Marquez Callaway is a personal favorite of mine but he hasn’t been consistently getting open. Deonte Harris is very explosive and improving every week. Then the rest of the core has dropped pass after pass. Their tight ends are also non-existent outside of Juwan Johnson in the red zone. With no Kamara and a missing piece to this offensive line, Mark Ingram will have his work cut out for him that’s for sure. Defensively, the loss of Johnson will hurt but otherwise this defense should keep them in the game. Marshon Lattimore has historically had good success against Julio Jones and with no Derrick Henry on the other side, they should clamp up the run game as they always do. The issue that I see forming is A.J. Brown, as nobody is going to line up with him one on one without Johnson healthy. The rookie Paulson Adebo is going to be forced up against either Jones or Brown, a major mismatch either way. It won’t be easy but it’s doable on both sides of the field.
Ryan Tannehill and company proved that they didn’t rely upon Henry that much. They stomped the Los Angeles Rams and it was all because of their defense. They were flying around the field, attacking the quarterback, stuffing the run game and becoming a bit of a no-fly zone in the secondary. I was genuinely impressed by their play and feel like this is going to be a time when they most vulnerable. You know how it goes with great teams on a tear, just like what we saw with the Buffalo Bills last week, sometimes teams just have a random bad game. The Titans are on a streak which saw them beat the Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs and now the Rams. I feel a loss coming and actually think the Saints get an upset here. Though again, very unlikely.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off their bye week to try and stay one game ahead of the Saints in the division, and they get a bit of an easy matchup. The Washington Football Team will be their opponent in a bit of a playoff rematch from last season. Washington has some great talent but let’s face it, Tom Brady and company won’t do what they just did twice in a row and to a bad defense for that matter. Expect a Tampa Bay blowout here.