It’s apparent that the Saints like to lose when they get favored in a game. They travel to FedEx Field this weekend to play the Washington Football Team in Week 5. The Saints are coming off a very ugly loss at home against the New York Giants while Washington just had a huge comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons. We will cover what the Saints are going to bring to the table later, but for now let’s talk about Washington.
It’s official, Taylor Heinicke and Terry McLaurin are a phenomenal duo. Heinicke may have had a rough game against the Buffalo Bills but just threw three touchdowns and 300 yards against the Falcons. McLaurin hauled in two of those touchdowns as well. Washington is undefeated when McLaurin gets over ten targets in a game, New Orleans has to stop him from getting the ball in this game. Antonio Gibson is also primed for a breakout game after being somewhat pedestrian all year long. However, despite all of that talent their defense is nowhere near where everybody expected them to be ahead of the season. They are not getting pressure on the quarterback; they aren’t stopping the run too well and their pass coverage is atrocious.
This is what gives the Saints an edge in this game. Sean Payton seriously needs to put some more trust into Jameis Winston or else it isn’t going to matter how the rest of the team performs. Winston played great last week and will have to take full control of the offense again here. Hopefully, he can involve Alvin Kamara a bit more into the game plan than just handing it to him 26 times up the middle on the ground. Also, as much as I love Taysom Hill, I better not see him throw a pass in this game. New Orleans defense struggled last week but they did have some great plays. This defense is still talented, they were just caught a little off guard last week. This should be an overall bounce back game for NOLA.
My prediction is that the Saints actually win this game. Normally whenever I think that they end up losing but I am confident in this one. I love McLaurin as a receiver though and know how difficult he will be for the Saints. It’s going to be a physical and tough game to win but they have the weapons to come out and get the job done. Winston has what it takes.
Also, I saw that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are facing off against the Miami Dolphins this week. As much as I would like them to lose to even out the division, they are going to dominate the Dolphins. They have struggled all year and now have to go up against Tom Brady and one of the most talented offenses in league history? It just isn’t going to end well. Buccaneers’ fans should be riled up and ready to put another game in the win column after this one.