Hoping to stay relevant, Brees, Saints face Cousins, Skins
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) - Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints' high-powered passing offense get to take on the Washington Redskins' mediocre defense.
Kirk Cousins and the Redskins' mediocre offense get to take on the Saints' full-of-holes defense.
How those matchups play out when the Saints (4-5) visit the Redskins (3-5) on Sunday could go a long way toward determining the way the rest of the season goes for both teams.
"There's no margin for error," Brees said. "Listen, if we want to achieve our goals we have set for ourselves this season, this is one of those games - at this point of the season, with our record, going into the bye week, all that stuff - man, we've got to find a way to win."
After three consecutive victories to recover from a 1-4 start, New Orleans lost to one of the league's worst teams, the Tennessee Titans, in overtime last week. During that game, Brees took a shot to the jaw that left him with stitches and a lemon-sized welt.
Now Brees and Co. take on an up-and-down Redskins team that has won its past three home games.
Saints coach Sean Payton spoke about needing to "clean up" the work he and his staff are doing to make sure the players are doing their jobs properly.
"It's a lot like your children," he said. "If behavior continues, you are either allowing it or aren't making the corrections. And so (if) the child's noisy at the grocery five weeks in a row, at some point I look at the parent - I don't look at the child."
There's little fault to find with Brees, though. Over the past two games, including a wild 52-49 victory over the New York Giants, the QB has thrown for 10 TDs and nearly 900 yards.
His 345.4-yard passing average leads the NFL - and is more than 100 yards per game higher than Cousins accounts for.
So the Redskins go from losing to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to trying to deal with Brees, who is on pace for his record fifth 5,000-yard season.
"When you play against the Tom Bradys, when you play against, this week, the Drew Breeses, your margin for error - it's not minimal, it's zero," Washington defensive coordinator Joe Barry said.
Here's the thing, though: While Barry's unit has been so-so - opposing QBs are registering a 97.6 passer rating that is 10th in the NFL, but none has thrown for 300 yards in a game - the Saints defense hasn't stopped anyone.
New Orleans' opponents' passer rating is 112, worst in the league. The Saints have allowed 24 passing TDs, five more than any other team through Week 9. They've given up 11 pass plays of at least 40 yards, also the most in the league.
"They've given up some plays. I know their rankings are what they are," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. "(But) Rob Ryan's an excellent defensive coordinator and he'll have a specific plan for us."
Here's more to know about Sunday's game:
ALF'S FALL: Redskins RB Alfred Morris is averaging 1.43 yards before contact and 1.85 after contact per carry, both career lows by far, according to STATS. As a rookie in 2012, he averaged 2.44 before, 2.37 after. Last season: 1.89 before, 2.16 after.
KICKING THEMSELVES: In training camp, the Saints had K Dustin Hopkins, but went with Zach Hocker. The Redskins signed Hopkins when they cut Kai Forbath after Week 1. Hopkins is 12 of 13 on field-goal tries. The Saints, meanwhile, got rid of Hocker and replaced him with - guess who? - Forbath.
D-JAX: Washington WR DeSean Jackson had only three catches for 15 yards last week, his first action since hurting his left hamstring in Week 1. "It's just a matter of making the read, making the throw and enabling him to go make the plays," Cousins said.
DREADFUL DEFENSE: Injuries have only exacerbated matters for a Saints defensive unit needing all the help it can get. They have used 29 players, tied for third-most in the NFL. Last week, New Orleans was without two starting linebackers: Dannell Ellerbe and Hau'oli Kikaha.
NEW TARGETS: With TE Jimmy Graham gone, 12-year veteran Ben Watson has emerged as a top target for Brees, second on the club in catches (43) and third in yards receiving (532). WR Willie Snead, a second-year pro with no previous regular-season NFL experience, leads the club with 626 yards receiving, while WR Brandon Cooks is No. 1 in catches with 45.
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AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.
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