It seemed as if the New Orleans Saints were on the cusp of making a second-half playoff push. They had won three consecutive games and ousted the New York Giants in a 52-48 thriller. But then they ran into the buzzsaw known as the Tennessee Titans.
Saints vs. Washington 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Washington looks to take advantage of one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
Make no mistake: Playoff teams don't lose to the Titans. Playoff teams especially don't lose to the Titans at home. But that's exactly what the Saints did last week, falling to Tennessee 34-28 in overtime at the Superdome. The Titans blocked Kai Forbath's 46-yard game-winning field goal attempt with 56 seconds remaining in regulation before marching 80 yards down the field and scoring a touchdown on their only possession in OT. Rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota torched the Saints' secondary to the tune of 371 yards and four touchdown passes.
Mariota is far from the only quarterback to have his way with the Saints this season. New Orleans has allowed 29.8 points and nearly 415 yards per game this year, both of which are among the league’s worst. If the 4-5 Saints are going to win, it appears it’s going to be of the shootout variety.
Drew Brees has found his footing after a subpar start to the season, throwing for 387 yards and three touchdown passes against the Titans. He's completed 73 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,459 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions over the last four weeks.
On paper, Washington isn't a favorable matchup for Brees, boasting the eighth-ranked passing defense in the league. Washington will get nose tackle Terrance Knighton back this week after he missed last Sunday's contest against the New England Patriots.
But despite its respectable numbers against the pass, Washington’s defense has struggled as of late. Washington has let each of its last four opponents gain more than 400 yards on offense.
Kirk Cousins still struggles with turnovers, as he's thrown nine interceptions in eight games this season. He threw two picks against the Patriots last week, though one of those picks should be attributed to Pierre Garcon. Cousins' first pass of the day bounced off Garcon's hands and into the outstretched arms of defensive back Logan Ryan.
Washington, which is 3-5 for the second consecutive season under head coach Jay Gruden, is three weeks removed from a scintillating 24-point comeback victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In that game, Cousins threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over. But so far in his brief NFL career, that kind of performance has been anomaly.
Last year, Washington dropped seven of its final eight games and skidded to the finish line. The team is hoping for a different kind of finish this season, especially considering how wide open the NFC East is. Washington is currently only one game behind the first-place New York Giants in the loss column.
Entering the season, Washington would have expected this game against the Saints to be a loss. But given how inconsistent New Orleans has been, this may be the game Washington needs to advance past the periphery of the NFC playoff picture.
How to Watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: FedEx Field, Landover, Md.
TV: FOX
Commentators: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin
Online: NFL Game Pass
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