Washington Commanders (8-5) @ New Orleans Saints (5-8)
Sunday, December 15, 1:00 PM ET
The Washington Commanders got a late bye week this year, but honestly I can’t help but wonder how many teams are actually going to prefer these late bye weeks when they have Thursday night games earlier on in the season. Because a bye week at this time of the year is just really well-timed.
Teams are obviously not just automatically undefeated coming off of a bye week, but a team like the Commanders being able to get extra preparation and get healthy before facing off against a beaten up Saints team? Even with the Saints coming off of a win, it feels like this is shaping up to be a routine walk in the park for Dan Quinn and his boys.
The Saints just lost Derek Carr on Sunday and we’ve seen what this team looks like without Carr in 2024. We’ve seen what they look like at times with Carr. It’s going to be tough for a team like New Orleans, even playing at home, to beat a team that has found its stride like Washington.
New Orleans is rocking with an interim head coach, a backup quarterback, and they actually traded one of their best defensive players – Marshon Lattimore – to the Commanders earlier this year. The Saints are clearly focused on next year as an organization but again – this is the NFL.
The Commanders are 7.5-point favorites on the road this week and I think they’re going to find a way to cover that easily. The Commanders defense should be able to take advantage of the situation without Derek Carr out there and get the offense extra possessions.
Prediction: Commanders win 30-16