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Saints vs. Washington preview: 7 things to know about Week 5

John Sigler
·5 min read

Jameis Winston and the New Orleans Saints will look to get a win against Taylor Heinicke and the Washington Football Team in Week 5. Here’s what you need to know about the game:

Game information

When: Sunday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT
Where: FedEx Field, Summerfield, Md.
Referee: Shawn Smith
TV: CBS

TV broadcast map, via 506 Sports (markets in yellow):

Last meeting: Washington 19, New Orleans 43 (2018)

Oct 8, 2018; New Orleans, LA, USA New Orleans Saints fans celebrate after quarterback Drew Brees (not pictured) breaks the NFL passing yardage record against the Washington Redskins at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Redskins 43-19.

The last time these teams met we saw Drew Brees break Peyton Manning’s all-time passing yards record on a 62-yard strike to Tre’Quan Smith, which was one of six touchdowns the offense scored on the day. But this game might not see as many high-flying moments. That single scoring output doubled what the Saints are averaging per-game this year, with Sean Payton’s more-conservative approach finding mixed success through four weeks.

Saints QB: Jameis Winston

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) scrambles in the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Brett Duke)

It hasn’t always been pretty, but Winston has played some of the cleanest football of his career. He’s committed just two turnovers, both desperation heaves during a blowout loss, while posting the best passer rating (106.4) and adjusted net yards per attempt (6.82) of his career, as well as the second-best completion percentage (64.0%) and quarterback rating (66.0). He’s done what he’s been asked by protecting the football and largely making good decisions. And there’s still room for improvement. A vulnerable Washington defense could be what he needs to hit that next gear — and what Sean Payton needs to put him in that position.

Washington QB: Taylor Heinicke

Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) runs to avoid being tackled by New York Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari (51) during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Heinicke is on his fifth team since entering the league in 2015, and his third team since 2018. But he shares a lot with the guy he’s filling in for beyond moving around often — like Ryan Fitzpatrick, he’s an aggressive passer with an average depth of target of 8.3 yards, having gone 8-for-16 on passes of 20-plus yards this season (scoring 3 touchdowns and gaining 227 yards). And he’s up for making plays with his legs, having converted five first downs and scored a touchdown already this year. Heinicke has little to lose and the Saints shouldn’t take him lightly.

Washington players to watch:

Sep 16, 2021; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Football Team wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) reacts during the first half against the New York Giants at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

  • WR Terry McLaurin. The third-year pro hasn’t gained fewer than 62 yards in each of his first four games, averaging 2.46 yards per routes run. He’s the biggest challenge for Marshon Lattimore since Week 1’s game with Davante Adams.

  • DL Jonathan Allen. The big defensive lineman primarily lines up over left guard and occasionally kicks out to the edge, but his most concerning matchups will be with underwhelming center Cesar Ruiz when Washington puts him further inside the formation.

  • DE Montez Sweat. This is a tough matchup for James Hurst from the left tackle spot. Sweat is tied with Allen for the team lead in sacks (3) and is consistently racking up pressures against better opponents, which isn’t a knock on Hurst. This is just a game you’d really like to see Terron Armstead suit up for.

  • DE Chase Young. And on the other side you’ve got Young, who has taken a slight step back from his stellar rookie year but is still playing at a high level. The good news is he’ll most often face Ryan Ramczyk at right tackle, which is a competition the Saints should be comfortable with.

  • RB Antonio Gibson. He’s questionable to play with a shin injury, but if he suits up Gibson should get the lion’s share of opportunities in Washington’s backfield. He’s averaging 63.3 rushing yards per game at a respectable 4.3 yards per carry, doing his best work running behind right guard Brandon Scherff (who has been ruled out with a knee injury). The strong Saints run defense could make their opponents one-dimensional early on.

Injuries to know

New Orleans has preemptively ruled out starting offensive linemen Terron Armstead (elbow) and Erik McCoy (calf) with injuries, tossing them into a crowd of contributors who could return after the bye week: wide receivers Michael Thomas and Tre’Quan Smith, defensive end Marcus Davenport, linebacker Kwon Alexander, kicker Wil Lutz, tight end Nick Vannett, and cornerback Ken Crawley among them.

But Washington is without several other big names. Scherff is their best offensive lineman and he’ll be joined on the sidelines by wide receivers Dyami Brown (knee) and Cam Sims (hamstring), though Gibson and wideout Curtis Samuel (groin) are questionable to play.

Battle of the yo-yo's?

Dec 8, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton reacts on the sidelines in the second half against the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Payton warned his team not to “be a yo-yo” and bounce back and forth, but that’s exactly what they’ve done by going win-loss-win-loss to start the season. Ron Rivera’s squad as done much the same, losing their opener and following it with a win-loss-win sequence to match the Saints’ 2-2 record. Something has to give, and the consequences of falling to 2-3 could be dire. With so many pieces missing, the Saints must find ways to stack up these early wins before starting their post-bye marathon.

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