Week 15 Game Recap: Washington Redskins 16, New Orleans Saints 10

What you need to know

Washington Redskins

RB Ladell Betts continued to impress in place of injured starter Clinton Portis. Betts totaled 162 yards from scrimmage and averaged over five yards per carry. He was clearly the focal point of the offense, and looked great running the football.

QB Jason Campbell showed outstanding arm strength and surprisingly good accuracy on his deep passes, but needs to show a bit better touch on some of the intermediate routes. Too often, passes were bouncing at the feet of receivers.

TE Chris Cooley had a big game, and was the only Washington receiver who played consistently well throughout the contest.

WR Santana Moss put up a productive fantasy game, but the stats were very top-heavy. He had three receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown, but the score was a 31 yard strike that accounted for just about the entirety of Moss’ production.

New Orleans Saints

QB Drew Brees didn’t look very effective for one of the few times this season. He grew more and more flustered as the game went along, and was visibly angry with himself on more than one occasion. Several passes were batted down at the line, and he had trouble with his accuracy on all types of passes.

RB Reggie Bush was basically shut down. He tried dancing around on several runs and short passes to no avail, as the swarming defense of the Redskins proved up to the challenge of containing him.

WR Marques Colston moved around freely and without signs of injury. He appeared to be if not 100% then at least very close to it. He had game highs of seven receptions and 84 yards, much of that coming late in the game as the Saints tried to come back.

What you ought to know

QB Jason Campbell, Pass: 13 - 28 - 204 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 4 - 0

For the most part, Campbell looked very good. He was certainly helped along by the fact that New Orleans couldn’t muster any kind of a pass rush whatsoever. The Saints didn’t record their first sack of the game until late in the third quarter, and it turned out that was the only one they got. So with a lot of time to throw, Campbell often was able to set his feet properly, remain in the pocket, and deliver several long passes to his receivers downfield. But more often than not, those passes were not completed. But that was more a case of the Washington receivers failing to get separation, because a majority of the passes Campbell threw downfield were on target. He did have some problems with some of the more intermediate routes, specifically two passes that were well short of intended target Santana Moss (each pass bounced before reaching him). Campbell didn’t put up gaudy numbers by any means, and he actually completed less than 50% of his passes, but they threw at least four very deep passes and he was also victimized by a drop and a ball that was lost in the lights by WR Brandon Lloyd. All in all, he more than held his own in a very loud and excitable environment against one of the league’s hotter teams.

RB Ladell Betts, Rush: 22 - 119 - 0, Rec: 3 - 43 - 0 (2 targets)

Betts ran hard, ran early, and ran often. When it was all over, he had gone over 100 yards rushing for the fourth consecutive game. At most times, he looked like the best player on the field. Betts was decisive, fast, and powerful, running both inside and around the corner. He caught the ball well out of the backfield, and was the main reason the Redskins were able to consistently move the ball all game long. He appeared to be shaken up early in the second half and briefly came out, but soon went back in and showed no ill effects. About the only blemish on his game was a fourth quarter fumble, but it was recovered by Washington. And incidentally, the carry that was fumbled is also the same carry that put him over the 100 yard mark for the game.

RB T.J. Duckett, Rush: 4 - 18 - 0

The running game is clearly the job of Ladell Betts, and Duckett is nothing more than an injury fill-in. He had just four carries to Betts’ 22.

WR Santana Moss, Rec: 3 - 37 - 1 (10 targets)

Despite all of the attention he received, Moss didn’t have that big of a game. In fairness, several of the passes intended for him were uncatchable, either bouncing at his feet or sailing wide. But if not for the early 31 yard touchdown reception, Moss’ game would have been extremely quiet. On the score, he beat CB Mike McKenzie on a nice double move and Fred Thomas was late getting over to break it up. Moss did come close to finding the end zone late in the game. He caught a four yard pass in the fourth quarter that took him down to the New Orleans four yard line, but he was tackled almost immediately.

WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 2 - 30 - 0 (3 targets)

Lloyd could have had a long reception and possible touchdown midway through the second quarter, but lost the ball in the roof lights. With the ball at their own 20 yard line, Lloyd streaked downfield and had beaten his defender up the left sideline by several steps. Jason Campbell’s pass was right on the money in stride, but Lloyd turned around and gave a bewildered look as to where the ball was. It bounced a few feet away from him for an incompletion, and Lloyd was thrown to just twice more for a total of 30 yards.

WR Antwaan Randle El, Rush: 1 - 20 - 0, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (6 targets)

Randle El was targeted twice on deep routes (one of them in the end zone) but wasn’t able to grab either one. The passes were both on target, but well-defended by the Saints defensive backs for a change.

TE Chris Cooley, Rec: 4 - 80 - 0 (6 targets)

Cooley was the only Washington receiver who remained consistent during the game. While the majority of his production came on one big 44 yard pass play, he did have three other receptions totaling 36 yards as well. The big play was a simple nine yard crossing route that Cooley turned into a big gain with several broken tackles and some excellent downfield blocking help from the wide receivers. Cooley did drop a potential 15 yard reception early in the third quarter, but it appeared that the defender’s arm screened him out of the pass and he never really saw it.

PK Shaun Suisham 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points

Suisham connected on all three field goal tries, from 37, 37, and 22 yards out. The first field goal was originally from 32 yards away, but a false start penalty backed it up to a 37. Following that make, Suisham’s kickoff went out of bounds for a penalty

WAS Rush Defense

The Redskins did an excellent job of virtually shutting down the New Orleans running game. Deuce McAllister wasn’t able to get anything going consistently, averaging just over three yards per carry. And Reggie Bush fared even worse, with two yards per carry. When the Redskins were leading in the second half, the Saints got away from the run game a little bit, which helped the Redskins defensive stats. But even when New Orleans tried to work in the surprise run here and there, Washington was ready for it. Even on the one blemish (McAllister touchdown run), the Redskins looked impressive. They stopped him cold at the goal line on both first and second down, but on the third try from inside the five, McAllister finally got in.

WAS Pass Defense

The game started well for Washington, as LB Marcus Washington nearly intercepted Drew Brees’ first pass attempt of the game. Brees was trying to throw a quick screen to RB Reggie Bush, but Washington leaped to knock it down. He nearly cradled it in for the turnover, but couldn’t hang on. Had he caught the ball, there was no one between Washington and the end zone (though it should be noted that he was at midfield and Reggie Bush was close by). Aside from the near turnover, the Redskins did create one turnover when Brees put a pass right on the hands of Carlos Rogers on a fourth quarter pass intended for WR Devery Henderson. It was more of a gift than a great play by Rogers, but he still had to hang onto the football. Additionally, the Redskins pass defense was helped along by numerous drops by the Saints and bad accuracy by Brees on the deep passes. But they more than made their share of plays as well, specifically CB Shawn Springs on the game’s final drive. He tipped a ball away from WR Marques Colston for what would have likely been the go-ahead touchdown. And he then knocked a ball away from WR Terrence Copper in the end zone two plays later on fourth down that essentially ended the game. Most of the mistakes made by New Orleans can be directly attributed to the intense pressure Washington got on Drew Brees. They only managed to sack him twice, but there were numerous times he was forced to throw the ball away or throw it before he wanted to because there was someone in his face.

QB Drew Brees, Pass: 21 - 38 - 207 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0

Brees played, by all accounts, his worst game of the season. He was under a lot of pressure from the beginning to the end, and never really looked comfortable. He was also victimized by several costly drops by receivers, some of which would have gone for big gains. But even when he had open receivers, he was just as much to blame for delivering inaccurate passes (both high and short). Brees was visibly upset on several occasions, frequently pounding his fist or yelling to himself after a poor play (by him, not by the receivers). The interception was simply a terrible pass intended for WR Devery Henderson that was badly underthrown. Henderson had actually beaten his man, Carlos Rogers, down the lift sideline, but Brees put far too much air under the pass and it was easily picked off. Brees was also nearly intercepted earlier in the game for what could have been a touchdown by Late in the game, the Saints marched down for a potential game winning touchdown but once again failed to put the ball in the end zone. Brees threw incomplete to WR Marques Colston in the front right corner on a second down pass, a ball that was tipped away nicely by CB Shawn Springs. And on fourth down, Brees missed WR Terrence Copper in the end zone for the score. Had the ball been put on Copper’s right shoulder, it likely would have gone for a score. But it was too far towards the middle of the field, and easily knocked away by Springs.

Brees came close to scoring on two other occasions. The first was on a deep pass to WR Devery Henderson in the first quarter that was dropped at the ten yard line (though there were two defenders in the area, so he may not have scored). The second was a 20 yard screen pass to Deuce McAllister, who was tackled down at the four yard line. McAllister carried the ball on next three plays, scoring on the third chance.

RB Deuce McAllister, Rush: 15 - 48 - 1, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (1 targets)

Outside of the TD, McAllister had a very quiet afternoon. He had 16 touches (one on a reception), but he was never able to get into a running rhythm against a swarming Washington defense. Even the touchdown he did get was tough to come by. McAllister took a screen from Drew Brees down to the four yard line. After getting stuffed on both first and second down, McAllister finally was able to make his way into the end zone on the third try. It was that kind of game, as there were very few holes for him to run to - and the ones that were there closed up rather quickly. McAllister nearly fumbled early in the fourth quarter during the exchange from Brees, but managed to regain the handle and maintain possession.

RB Reggie Bush, Rush: 7 - 14 - 0, Rec: 5 - 19 - 0 (8 targets)

Bush was effectively removed from the equation early on, and never came close to breaking a big gain despite the constant chants of “Reg-gie, Reg-gie” from the Superdome faithful. He totaled just 33 yards from scrimmage on his 12 touches, with 15 of those yards coming on a screen pass late in the game. He tried dancing around a lot and didn’t find consistent yardage at all, but he didn’t look like the back who was lost early in the season. Rather, this just seemed to be a case of the Redskins playing outstanding defense more than anything.

WR Marques Colston, Rec: 7 - 84 - 0 (12 targets)

Most importantly, Colston looked completely healthy. He showed no ill effects from the various injuries that have sidelined him for all or parts of the last four games. Not only did he stay healthy – he excelled. In the first half, Colston had just two receptions for 26 yards. But he recorded five catches for 58 yards in the second half, including a spectacular 24 yard grab on third and 19 in which he reached back all the way across his body to snag the pass out of the air and maintain it all the way to the ground. He very nearly caught the game-winning touchdown on the Saints’ final possession. He streaked down the right sideline and Drew Brees delivered a perfect pass to his hands, but CB Shawn Springs made his own spectacular play on the football and tipped it away at the last moment.

WR Terrance Copper, Rec: 3 - 38 - 0 (5 targets)

Copper’s number wasn’t called much early on (one first half target) as the Saints threw the ball just 13 times prior to halftime. In the second half, his role increased as New Orleans tried to move the ball almost exclusively through the air at key times. Copper was the targeted player on the final pass of the game, an incompletion in the end zone. Had Drew Brees thrown the ball to Copper’s right shoulder, it’s likely he’d have had enough room to haul it in. But the ball was a little bit to the left side of the receiver, and CB Shawn Springs was able to get a hand in and knock the ball away to essentially end the game.

WR Devery Henderson, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (5 targets)

Henderson blew a golden opportunity for a big play (and possible touchdown) early in the game, but dropped a long pass in the second quarter. With the Saints at the Washington 45 yard line, Brees lofted a pass down the seam for Henderson. The long pass hit Henderson in stride right in the hands at the ten yard line, but he couldn’t hang on. Had he been able to haul it in, his momentum would have carried him forward for at least a few yards, although it’s not likely he would’ve scored since there were two defenders each within a few feet. Henderson wasn’t thrown to again the entire first half, and didn’t actually record his first reception of the game until the early in the fourth quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, he fell down over the middle for what would’ve been a 15 yard gain, but he made up for that with a tough 16 yard reception in traffic several plays later.

TE Billy Miller, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (3 targets)

Miller was involved early on, catching the first two completions thrown by Drew Brees. But he had just one reception the rest of the way, and wasn’t a factor. Miller lost approximately ten receiving yards after a catch was negated when it was ruled that Drew Brees had crossed the line of scrimmage before throwing the ball.

PK John Carney 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points

Carney connected on his lone field goal try, from 41 yards out.

NO Rush Defense

The Saints gave a very uninspiring defensive effort against Ladell Betts. Betts, who has been one of the league’s hottest backs recently, went over 100 yards midway through the fourth quarter and finished up with 119 on 22 carries. When factoring in the rushing totals for the entire team, New Orleans allowed the Redskins to run for 161 yards on 31 carries (5.2 YPC). The tackling efforts were weak, and it seemed as if Washington was able to muster ten yard runs at will throughout the entire game. It is clearly the biggest weakness on the team, and this game was a clear representation of the many problems they’ve had in this aspect.

NO Pass Defense

Jason Campbell was given far too much time to throw the football. He was sacked just once, and that was really one of the only times he was even under pressure. He rarely had to move around in the pocket, and on the rare occasions that he did, he easily was able to avoid the weak pass rush. As for the coverage downfield, the only reason Fred Thomas and Mike McKenzie didn’t give up more yardage and scores is because Washington ran the ball so much. They were beaten badly on several occasions, and had very few passes defended well. When the Saints were able to keep the Redskins in front of them, they did a poor job of tackling, evidenced in particular on a 44 yard reception by TE Chris Cooley (on which 35 of the yards came after the catch when several defenders failed to wrap him up). New Orleans never came close to intercepting Campbell or forcing him to fumble, which played a large role in their inability to score (poor starting field position all game).