The Washington Commanders are heading to the Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints in a Week 15 matchup. Here are three keys to them securing their first winning season since 2016.
1. Stop Alvin Kamara.
With Chris Olave and Taysom Hill both on Injured Reserve, Alvin Kamara has had to carry the load for the Saints this season. He leads the team in rushing and receiving yards and has 1,000 scrimmage yards for the eighth consecutive season. So, the plan is simple for the Commanders: stop Kamara from taking off, and they can severely hamstring the Saints' offense.
Of course, that's easier said than done. Kamara is on pace for his first-ever 1,000-yard season at the professional level with 938 yards, which ranks eighth among running backs, and averaging 4.2 yards per carry. He's also averaging 7.6 yards per reception -- his best since 2022.
The Commanders rank 28th in rushing yards allowed, so expect the Saints to force feed Kamara, who has had two performances of 100-plus yards in the last five games. The hope is that the Commanders have turned a corner with their ground defense after holding the Tennessee Titans to 35 yards two weeks ago, although that did come in a 42-19 win where it was 28-0 in the second quarter.
Kamara is going to be a challenge for the Commanders, as his 51.6 success rate this season is the fourth best of his career. They will need exceptional days from Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, who have combined for 186 tackles this season.
2. Put pressure on Jake Haener.
The Saints are in a tough spot at quarterback with Derek Carr in the concussion protocol and dealing with a fracture in his non-throwing wrist. They announced Thursday that Jake Haener will make his first career start against the Commanders.
Haener, a fourth-round pick by the Saints last season, has completed 14 passes this season for 177 yards with a touchdown. He appeared late against the Los Angeles Chargers in relief for Spencer Rattler in Week 8, but his 122 passing yards were not enough to prevent a 26-8 loss.
It will be important for the Commanders to make Haener as uncomfortable as possible in his first start. Although New Orleans have allowed just 25 sacks this season, there will be opportunities to get Haener on the ground. They rank 31st in pass block win rate, winning their matchups just 52% of the time.
Once again, the team will need to rely on players like Luvu to create havoc in the backfield. Luvu has been particularly good at that this season, ranking 10th in pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus with eight sacks. Dante Fowler Jr., who leads the team with 8.5 sacks, has had a career year and forced 24 hurries.
Washington's loss against Cooper Rush and the Dallas Cowboys was a reminder that the team cannot overlook any quarterback, but the Commanders have a chance to make Haener's life much more difficult on Sunday.
3. Lean on the run game.
The Commanders suffered a significant loss in their passing game against the Titans when Noah Brown went to the locker room with a kidney injury. Head coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that Brown will be out "for a while" and could be done for the season. The Commanders will need to find other options to replace Brown, but another way to replace that production could be to lean into their run game.
This should be feasible against the Saints, who have given up 134.2 yards per game this season and are tied with the Carolina Panthers with five yards allowed per carry. Players like Bryan Bresee are solid pass-rushers but struggle with getting pushed off the line of scrimmage in the run game. As a result, the Saints have given up at least 100 rushing yards in all but five games this season, including 277 against Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Another reason this could play into the Commanders' game plan is that they seem to have rediscovered their ground attack led by Brian Robinson, who is healthy after a week of rest. He rushed for 100 yards against the Titans in Week 13, leading a 267-yard day for the Commanders, without even playing much in the second half. Chris Rodriguez took over from that point and had 94 yards on 13 carries, scoring the final touchdown of the game.
The Commanders were at their best earlier this season when their offense relied on their ground presence. As they get ready for a final playoff push, it will be paramount for them to get back to that.
