Washington – Syndication Server

Darren Rizzi ‘really impressed’ by Spencer Rattler’s final drive vs. Commanders

Saints coach Darren Rizzi was “really impressed” with how well Spencer Rattler handled the two-minute drive to close out Week 15’s game with the Commanders:

When Spencer Rattler stepped in for Jake Haener against the Washington Commanders, he led four consecutive scoring drives. Darren Rizzi’s explanation for inserting Rattler into the game was the New Orleans Saints needed a spark. Mission accomplished.

One of the more impressive things about Rattler’s game is how he performed in crunch time. Rattler returns to the starting lineup until Derek Carr is healthy enough to play, if that happens in 2024. The rookie will need to take some of the positives from end of Week 15 and carry them throughout the game.

Rizzi walked away from the final drive of the game impressed by some of the intangibles the rookie quarterback displayed.

Rizzi highlighted some of the impressive parts of Rattler’s final drive, including “the way he operated that that final drive, the way we managed the drive, managed the clock, understood the situation,” as well as that, “We got the ball clocked there to allow us to have one final play in regulation.”

What impressed Rizzi the most was Rattler handled the situation with great poise despite being in just his fourth professional game.

We’ve seen one rookie this year not handle a late fourth quarter drive with such calmness and efficiency. This is a good starting point and shows Rattler can handle himself when the pressure is on.

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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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Jake Haener feels he ‘earned’ the starting role in Week 15

It’s another new QB for the Saints. Jake Haener feels his performance in relief duty showcased why he deserved the opportunity to start on Sunday:

When Derek Carr fractured his hand last week, there was a belief Jake Haener would be the New Orleans Saints starting quarterback. Darren Rizzi kept the door open to Spencer Rattler getting a second shot in the starting lineup.

Ultimately, the Saints went with the expected decision of starting Haener against the Washington Commanders. It’s an opportunity the quarterback feels he “earned” by entering games “with no preparation in practice no reps, (and) being able to come in and move the ball.”

Haener has spent the entire season as the second quarterback on the depth chart. Even when Carr went down with injury at the beginning of the year, Rattler jumped ahead of Haener. Through it all, Haener’s preparation stayed steady. Now it’s the second year quarterback’s time to shine.

The only difference is the amount of reps Haener is taking in practice. “You get reps with the guys who are out there playing. Having an idea of the speed of the guys and being able to rep the plays you’re going to run in the game is huge.”

Haener showed a good sense for timing in his small sample size. Having a week of practice should only increase the synergy to maximize the timing that has highlighted the few snaps Haener has taken.

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Cameron Jordan had the perfect response to Marshon Lattimore’s debut vs. Saints

Cameron Jordan found out Marshon Lattimore would make his debut against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and he reacted just like any other fan:

Marshon Lattimore had to return from injury at some point, and all signs point to him making his Washington Commanders debut against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan had an extremely relatable reaction to this news: “Just knew it. Just knew he was going to wait for this game.”

This was a predictable scenario, so we’ve been tracking Lattimore’s health for a couple of weeks. His practice status improved just before the Commanders’ bye week. That was a huge signal he’d be ready for Week 15, coming out the bye, against his former team.

Jordan, like many Saints fans, still believes in Lattimore’s talent. Jordan gave Lattimore his credit, calling him the team’s best cornerback. Quantity of games has been a much larger obstacle than quality of play for the former Pro Bowler.

As the Saints take on the Commanders, Lattimore will be going against a depleted Saints receiving corps. Regardless of who he’s facing, the “Marshon Lattimore Revenge Game” is the attention-grabber of Week 15.

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Marshon Lattimore getting plenty of motivation from facing former team

Marshon Lattimore isn’t hiding anything. He feels plenty of motivation from facing his former team, and wants to prove the Saints were wrong to trade him:

Marshon Lattimore was often thrown out as a potential trade piece for at least a year before the New Orleans Saints actually traded their star cornerback to the Washington Commanders.

Lattimore hasn’t played since being traded, but he’ll make his debut in a Commanders uniform in Week 15.

While some players may downplay what this game means, Lattimore put it all out in the open. He went as far as to say he’d be lying to say making his debut against the Saints doesn’t mean more than if it were any other team.

Any time a player plays his former team, fans will label it a revenge game. That term is usually just fan discussion and in jest.

This isn’t just within the fan base. This is a true revenge game, at least from Lattimore’s side. His comments ahead of the Week 15 matchup confirms at Lattimore views this as a revenge game. He told reporters, “They traded me away. I’m going back to show why they shouldn’t have.”

There was documented tension between Lattimore and, then head coach, Dennis Allen. Despite the change at head coach, Lattimore still enters this week with a chip on his shoulder.

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Week 15 injury report: Saints practice again without their best player

The Saints practiced on Thursday again without their best player. Alvin Kamara (illness) is still a DNP on the injury report:

This isn’t good. The New Orleans Saints practiced on Thursday again without their best player. Star running back Alvin Kamara (illness) was still a non-participant on the injury report ahead of Week 15’s game with the Washington Commanders.

Now, Kamara is only dealing with an undisclosed illness, so this could be something as minor as the flu. But it’s worth watching for changes to his status closely in the days ahead. At the same time, if there’s a player on the roster who could walk onto the field Sunday afternoon without having taken a single practice rep, it’s him.

The only change to the injury report was the Saints downgrading rookie wide receiver Bub Means (ankle) from limited reps to non-participation. He’s still on injured reserve with another week of eligibility remaining to get the green light to play, but this is two weeks now we’ve seen him test that ankle and then have to scale back on the days that followed.

Here’s what we learned from both teams:

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Saints share first injury report ahead of Week 15 game vs. Commanders

The Saints shared their first injury report ahead of Week 15’s game with the Washington Commanders. Here’s the latest on Alvin Kamara, Derek Carr, and Marshon Lattimore:

The New Orleans Saints started off the week with a positive injury report leading into their matchup against the Washington Commanders. There were only six players on the Saints injury report, and three of them were designated as not participating.

You knew Derek Carr (hand) would be one of those players. Darren Rizzi didn’t place the quarterback on injured reserve, so Carr will remain on the injury report until he returns, if he returns at all.

Seeing Alvin Kamara’s name on the report may give you a slight pause, but his inclusion was merely due to an illness opposed to an injury. We see these on a regular basis throughout the season. Often, a player returns as a full participant before the end of the week. Stay tuned for updates on him.

Juwan Johnson was probably the biggest inclusion on the injury report. Johnson is coming off his best game of the season. He was limited with a foot injury. Hopefully he’s able to go because the offense is beginning to use the tight ends more.

As for the other side? Former Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore hasn’t played for the Commanders since Washington acquired him from the Saints at the trade deadline back on Nov. 2, but he practiced fully on Wednesday and is on track to make his debut with his new team. Of course he’s playing against his former team in what was his home stadium.

Here’s the initial injury report from each team:

Week 15’s result could have a heavy impact on Saints’ playoff hopes

There may not appear to be much on the line for the Saints against the Commanders, but a loss would drastically shape New Orleans’ playoff hopes:

The New Orleans Saints surprisingly have a lot on the line when they face the Washington Commanders.

If you look at playoff picture, the Commanders hold the final wild card in the NFC. Look down a couple spots and you’ll see New Orleans in the “in the hunt” section.

A loss wouldn’t take the Saints out of the running for a playoff spot, but it would eliminate New Orleans from wild card contention, officially. The chances of the Saints getting a wild card spot are slim, but possible, even if they’re victorious on Sunday.

If the Saints lose to the Commanders, they’ll drop to four spots behind Washington with three games left. Mathematically, that is a gap incapable of being closed.

Catching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the lead in the NFC South doesn’t appear to be in the cards, but a loss wouldn’t take the Saints out of the race. It would make it much more difficult

When it comes to the playoffs, the Saints are essentially a team that is out of the running but waiting to be officially eliminated.

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