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Week 15 - Washington Commanders (8-5) @ New Orleans Saints (5-8)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: December 15, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Caesars Superdome - New Orleans, LA
How to Watch: FOX
Matchup History: Washington leads all-time series 17-11
Last Meeting: New Orleans def. Washington 33-22 on 10/10/21
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Washington -7
Over/Under: 43.5
Prediction: Washington 33, New Orleans 13
Official Game Notes: HERE
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Head Coach: Dan Quinn (1st season, 8-5 record in Washington)
Record: 8-5 (2-2, 2nd in NFC East)
Last Time Out: Won vs. Tennessee 42-19 on 12/1/24
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Jayden Daniels
With just four games to go and coming off the bye week, the Washington Commanders are 8-5, 2nd in the NFC East, and currently hold the final wildcard spot in the NFC playoff picture.
As it stands, the red hot Los Angeles Rams are nipping at Washington’s heels, setting up a monster game for the Commanders on Sunday in New Orleans.
If Washington wins over the Saints, NFL.com’s playoff predictor gives them an 87% chance to make the playoffs, as opposed to just a 60% if they lose.
The Commanders secured a much-needed win in Week 13 over the Titans before the Week 14 bye, defeating Tennessee 42-19 thanks in large-part to four total touchdowns from Jayden Daniels and a 100 yard rushing day from Brian Robinson Jr, as Washington jumped out to a 28-0 lead and never looked back.
Before the win, however, Washington had lost three straight games after starting the season 7-2. Once upon a time, the Commanders sat comfortably atop the NFC East and were coasting toward a playoff berth. Now, that seems to be very in-doubt with just four games to go.
Following the trip to New Orleans, Washington hosts Philadelphia and Atalnta before closing out the season on the road in Dallas.
Three wins in the last four should get them into the playoffs, and with the team going up against a backup quarterback on Sunday along with an interim head coach, a team that is deserving of making the postseason ought to fare well in those circumstances.
Head Coach: Darren Rizzi (Interim Head Coach, 3-1 record in New Orleans)
Record: 5-8 (2-3, 3rd in NFC South)
Last Time Out: Won @ New York Giants 14-11 on 12/8/24
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Alvin Kamara
Perhaps no team in the NFL has had more ups and downs than the New Orleans Saints.
Through the opening two weeks of the season, the Saints had scored 91 points in victories over the Panthers and Cowboys, putting up 47 points and 44 points, respectively in its first two games.
The team then promptly began to be decimated by injury and lost seven games in a row to fall to 2-7 and fired its head coach Dennis Allen, appointing Darren Rizzi as the interim head coach before the Week 10 game against Atlanta.
Under Rizzi, the Saints have responded. New Orleans won its first two games under Rizzi, taking out Atlanta and Cleveland before falling to the Rams coming out of the bye.
Last week, New Orleans took down a depleted Giants team on the road, blocking a last-second field goal attempt to win 14-11 in a game I hope you didn’t watch.
If, like me, you did not watch the game, you may have missed the season-ending injury to quarterback Derek Carr. Carr was first banged up toward the end of the Week 5 loss in Kansas City, prompting rookie Spencer Rattler to start three games for the Saints, losing all three.
Carr returned in Week 9, but last week suffered a concussion and fractured left hand, ruling him out for ‘several weeks’ and likely the remainder of the 2024 season.
Rizzi will likely turn to second-year QB Jake Haener in Carr’s absence, and could potentially move back to the rookie Rattler as well.
Haener was a 2023 4th round pick out of Fresno State who has played in seven games this season, getting the bulk of his work in a 26-8 loss to the Chargers in which he completed 9/17 passes for 122 yards.
Despite the 5-8 record, New Orleans remains mathematically alive in the NFC playoff picture, solely as a threat to win the NFC South.
The Saints are just two games behind Tampa Bay and they take on the Buc’s Week 18 on the road, facing the Packers on the road and Las Vegas at home in the interim.
If New Orleans can somehow win these next two games as big underdogs, they could swoop in as a shocking playoff team in 2024.
Crazier things have happened. But it has to start with a win on Sunday over the Commanders coming off their bye.
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