Tag: Commanders

Chase Young is putting it all together down the stretch with the Saints

An uptick in performance and diversifying his pass rush arsenal shows Chase Young is starting to put it together in New Orleans:

Chase Young was a huge addition for the New Orleans Saints in free agency. When he was signed, Young was looked at as the piece to take the Saints pass rush over the top.

That didn’t happen, and fans became critical of Young early in the season. When expectations are high, patience is low.

Over the last two weeks, however, Young has begun to put it together. He recorded a career-high 10 pressures against the New York Giants. Young, then, followed that up with two sacks against his former team, the Washington Commanders.

This was Young’s first multi-sack game since Week 7 of 2023. It was also an example of the defensive end finishing. He ranks high in the NFL in quarterback pressures, and in this game he was able to convert his pressures into sacks.

Joe Woods praised Young for diversifying his pass rush move set, as well. This has all been a part of the development of Young through the season. The manifestation of that is arguably his two best performances in a Saints jersey over the last two games. Soon the question will be whether the Saints can re-sign him so he can keep playing at a high level in black and gold.

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The moment the Saints decided to change quarterbacks may surprise you

Spencer Rattler started the third quarter on Sunday, but knew the Saints made the decision before halftime. This moment could be remembered for a long time:

The New Orleans Saints changed from Jake Haener to Spencer Rattler in the second half against the Washington Commanders, but the decision was made before halftime.

After the game, Rattler revealed quarterback coach Andrew Janocko informed him of the decision with about 30 seconds left in the second quarter. That would be shortly after the Saints’ last possession of the half

Darren Rizzi and Klint Kubiak didn’t need to deliberate during the intermission. While it wasn’t lengthy discussion, it also wasn’t impulsive either. The lethargic offense required a spark, and they felt that spark was a change at quarterback.

It was a gambol from Rizzi, one that certainly paid off. Rattler provided a spark that kept Matthew Hayball off the field for the final 30 minutes. It’s a decision we could be talking about for a long time.

That moment could have changed the trajectory of not only this season, but also the trajectory of Rattler’s season. If you really want to take a wide view of the situation, this could be a pivotal moment in Rattler’s career. That may sound dramatic, but a lot of it depends on how Rattler takes advantage of the moment.

The Saints taking a chance on a young quarterback as your Week 1 starter next year shouldn’t be out of the question. That role could be Rattler’s if he closes the season strong.

It takes a lot to get to that hypothetical, but there’s so much uncertainty in New Orleans it’s hard to consider a quarterback other than Derek Carr starting next season as a stretch. Why not Rattler?

What’s next for Spencer Rattler after Week 15 performance?

Spencer Rattler impressed against the Commanders, and now he needs to display consistency on his improvements:

No one would have batted an eye if the New Orleans Saints had lost to the Washington Commanders by a large margin, and they were on the way to that outcome in the first half. It was only a 14 point deficit, but the Saints’ offensive struggles made a comeback feel unrealistic.

Everything changed when Darren Rizzi made the switch from Jake Haener to Spencer Rattler.

Rattler led the Saints to four consecutive scoring drives and nearly to an improbable comeback victory. He looked more confident in this game than he did the first time we saw him. Haener versus Rattler has been an ongoing debate this year, and Rattler seemed to have the edge earlier in the season.

The first few starts for Rattler didn’t go well, but he’s clearly learning from his mistakes.

One half of football isn’t enough, though. What’s next for Rattler? The next step is to see him put it together for a full game.

The rookie doesn’t need to blow you away, but what you saw from Rattler against the Commanders was big throws under pressure, playing safe, but not tight, and a comfortable feel in the pocket.

If Rattler starts next week, you should look to keep those attributes as a net positive.

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Saints’ final drive showed a glimpse of what could be a future dynamic duo

The Saints got a potential look into the future on their final drive versus the Commanders, led by Spencer Rattler and Kendre Miller:

The New Orleans Saints’ final drive felt like a look into a potential future of the offense. With 1:55 remaining on the clock, it was youngsters Spencer Rattler and Kendre Miller leading the charge down the field.

Injuries to Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara provided an opportunity to see two young building blocks in a critical situation. Together, Miller and Rattler gave the Saints the opportunity to pull off the upset.

The interesting thing about where the Saints currently are as a franchise is it’s difficult to properly assess the future. If the Saints don’t go with Darren Rizzi full-time, the next head coach will step in with a new philosophy and attitude on players.

Because of that, it’s hard to predict how impactful these type of performances are. For Miller, he can continue being a part of the rotation. His runs early in the drive caught Washington off guard and set the tone. As long as he stays healthy, Miller has shown he deserves a role with the new regime.

For Rattler, he’s either your quarterback or he isn’t. With where the Saints are going to pick in the draft this year, a new coach could decide to see what Rattler has for a year. That brings up more questions about Derek Carr’s contract.

Before we start evaluating questions that won’t be answered in the near future, Rattler has to show he can play well for an entire game. Once we’ve seen that over a couple of games, we can talk about what’s next.

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Alvin Kamara (groin) questionable to return vs. Commanders

Alvin Kamara (groin) is questionable to return in the fourth quarter of the Saints’ game with the Commanders:

This isn’t what you want to see: Alvin Kamara was seen walking to the New Orleans Saints locker room escorted by members of the team’s medical staff after scoring a long touchdown catch against the Washington Commanders. The Saints later announced that Kamara was dealing with a groin injury and was questionable to return midway through the fourth quarter.

He’s a huge loss. Kamara is the team’s best player and on Sunday brought a couple of much-needed sparks in the passing game, including that touchdown and a field-flipping catch earlier on. We’ll see if he can return. Kamara has dealt with a variety of injuries this season including a broken hand.

In the meantime, expect a heavier workload for second-year running back Kendre Miller and veteran backup Jamaal Williams. But there’s no replacing No. 41.

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WATCH: Saints use a trick play to score first TD of Week 15

Alvin Kamara caught a long touchdown pass against the Commanders, but it wasn’t thrown by a Saints quarterback:


The New Orleans Saints dug into their trick play bag to score to get on the board for the first time against the Washington Commanders.

Alvin Kamara scored his first touchdown since Week 6 and his first receiving touchdown since Week 2, but it didn’t come from a quarterback. Spencer Rattler pitched the ball backwards to Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Wilson threw the touchdown. Kamara pulled in the pass with one hand to add some extra flair at the end.

Wilson has a perfect completion percentage in his career. This was his sixth pass attempt and completion of his career, in addition to his second touchdown.

The play came off the heels of Rattler’s big pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. That pass brought them down the field, and the trick play closed out the drive.

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New Orleans Saints set season-high in sacks vs. Commanders

In just the first half, Saints have recorded their most sacks in a game this season vs. the Commanders and rookie QB Jayden Daniels:

It’s only the first half, but the New Orleans Saints have already recorded five sacks. That’s more than New Orleans has recorded in an entire game this year. To make it more impressive, they are doing this against the elusive Jayden Daniels

Ugo Amadi,  Demario Davis, Willie Gay, Cameron Jordan, and Chase Young all recorded a sack in the first 30 minutes.

Containing Washington Commanders was a point of emphasis for the New Orleans Saints. Joe Woods told reporters this week that “We’re going to have different ways to control him and keep him in the pocket.”

There have been a few plays Daniels has used his legs to extend a play, but the Saints have done a better job than expected against him. You have to tip your hat to the secondary as well, because some of these sacks have been a product of Daniels having nowhere to go.

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Saints announce inactive players for Week 15 vs. Washington Commanders

The New Orleans Saints announced their inactive players for Week 15’s game with the Washington Commanders, who made a last-second decision on their starting center:

The New Orleans Saints announced their inactive players for Week 15’s game with the Washington Commanders, who had to make a last-second decision on their starting center Tyler Biadasz after he contracted an illness. He was a late addition to the injury report and officially labeled questionable, but wasn’t able to play.

As for the Saints? They had already ruled out starting quarterback Derek Carr (left hand/concussion), with a couple of players also unavailable on injured reserve in third-year linebacker D’Marco Jackson (ankle) and rookie wide receiver Bub Means (ankle). Washington put wide receiver Noah Brown on their own injured reserve list after he suffered a significant kidney injury.

Here are the full inactive lists from each team:

New Orleans Saints inactive players

  • QB Derek Carr
  • RB Jordan Mims
  • WR Mason TIpton
  • DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
  • DT Khristian Boyd

Washington Commanders inactive players

  • C Tyler Biadasz
  • WR K.J. Osborn
  • CB Michael Davis
  • LB Dominique Hampton
  • K Zane Gonzalez
  • DT Phidarian Mathis
  • QB Jeff Driskel (emergency QB3)

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Saints activate a veteran defensive lineman from the PUP list for Week 15

The New Orleans Saints activated veteran defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon from the PUP list for Week 15’s game with the Washington Commanders:

There it is. The New Orleans Saints activated veteran defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon from the PUP list for Week 15’s game with the Washington Commanders. In a corresponding move, third-year linebacker D’Marco Jackson was sent to injured reserve after hurting his ankle last week.

Kpassagnon injured his Achilles tendon in the offseason and missed all of training camp recovering, plus most of the regular season. It’s impressive that he’s been able to play this year at all while dealing with such a serious injury. The Saints stashed him on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) until three weeks ago, at which point he returned to practice. Now he’s been cleared to dress for a game.

And he’s arriving at the perfect time. The Saints’ pass rush has been heating up behind Chase Young and Bryan Bresee, and Kpasagnon is a versatile defender who can get after the quarterback from inside or outside, though he’s spent most of his time at defensive end. He’s also going to be a free agent in the spring so this gives him an opportunity to pad out his resume with some quality game tape down the stretch.

As for Jackson? His year is likely done, though we don’t know the severity of this ankle injury. He’ll have to miss at least the next four games on injured reserve before he’ll be eligible to return, and at that point the regular season will be over. If the Saints can manage to qualify for the playoffs despite their 5-8 record thus far, he’ll have a shot, however slim.

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Jayden Daniels’ versatility is a huge challenge for Saints defense

Joe Woods understands Jayden Daniels can hurt you with arm and legs, but the Saints are stressing the need to keep him in the pocket:

Jayden Daniels’ ability to pass and run provides the New Orleans Saints with one of their most difficult challenges of the season.

New Orleans has a poor history of stopping quarterbacks from running the football. It’s been this way for years, and Daniels is the wrong quarterback to face when that’s one of your struggles.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods recalled when he knew the Washington Commanders quarterback would transition to the league seamlessly. “One game against a really good team he had about 100 yards on three scrambles, so right then I was like this dude is going to be a problem.”

Daniels’ speed gives him the upper hand if he has to get to the edge. Woods told reporters “We’re going to have different ways to control him and keep him in the pocket.”

Woods was sure to highlight Daniels’ ability to throw at a high level, not just run. Woods said: “I think he’s a pocket passer. I think he goes through his progressions. I think he has the arm strength to make all the throws, very accurate on his deep balls.”

His running gets a lot of attention, but Daniels will threaten New Orleans’ defense through the air and on the ground.

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