Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. New Orleans 43 at Washington 27 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW New Orleans Saints: Aaron Brooks wasn't spectacular, but he didn't need to be. He had touchdown passes of 2, 17, and 31 yards. Brooks' only major mistake was an interception that he threw to Redskins safety Ifeanyi Ohalete that was returned 78 yards for a touchdown. With the Saints up in the second half, they relied more on Deuce McAllister to run the ball instead of Brooks throwing it. Eight Saints caught a pass today but only Joe Horn and Michael Lewis had more than one. That's not good news for owners of guys like Jerome Pathon and David Sloan. New Orleans' pass rush was phenomenal. The front seven applied consistent, unrelenting pressure all day, forcing five turnovers and sacking Patrick Ramsey seven times. WR / PR / KR Michael Lewis enjoyed a career day, returning a kick and punt for touchdowns (one of the few players to ever do that) and catching two passes for 70 yards. With the Saints up in the second half, Deuce McAllister was the focal point of the offense. He was bottled up well early by the Redskins defense, especially on the goal line. McAllister was ineffective running to the outside. As the game progressed, he was able to break longer runs. The Saints defense played great today, picking Patrick Ramsey off four times. They were putting pressure on Ramsey constantly, forcing him to make bad decisions. Washington Redskins: Don't let the final score fool you, the Redskins defense had a great game today. They held the Saints to only field goals when they intercepted Patrick near the Redskins goal line. If you take away the points scored off of the Redskins five turnovers and two kick returns, the defense only allowed a field goal. Patrick Ramsey started off terrible, starting 0 for 6 with four interceptions. You should note that two of those interceptions were not his fault. He got no help at all from the offensive line. He was sacked 7 times, and had little time to throw the ball. After the bad start, he began to settle in. He finished with 21 completions for 320 yards and two touchdowns (one pass, one run). To be fair though, he would have been picked off more but drops and defensive penalties negated four more Saints interceptions. Stephen Davis showed no signs of his knee injury of last week. He was not used late in the game as the Redskins were down. Washington's special teams play was absolutely horrible, surrendering touchdowns on a kickoff return and a punt return. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW New Orleans Saints QB: Aaron Brooks wasn't spectacular, but he didn't need to be. He had touchdown passes of 2, 17, and 31 yards to Boo Williams, Joe Horn and Jake Reed. With the Saints up in the second half, they got conservative and only threw short screens or ran the ball. His only major mistake was an interception that he threw to Redskins safety Ifeanyi Ohalete that was returned 78 yards for a touchdown. Brooks finished with 12 completions for 205 yards. Joe Horn dropped an easy TD. RB: Deuce McAllister looked good. With the Saints up in the second half, he was the focal point of the offense. He was bottled up well early by the Redskins defense, especially on the goal line. McAllister was ineffective running to the outside. As the game progressed, he was able to break longer runs, including a 46 yard run where he was pushed out of bounds at the 13 yard line. His final numbers show he had a good game (29-121-0) but it was very streaky and he was kept out of the end zone. Continued to display the rare speed and toughness that make him one of the best backs in the game. WR: Joe Horn was the main target of Aaron Brooks today, catching 5 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Horn had a nice 41 yard reception at the end of the third quarter. Horn also dropped a would-be touchdown pass in the first quarter. Jerome Pathon started opposite of Horn, but was a non-factor only catching 1 pass. Michael Lewis, the former truck driver had the game of his life, scoring a TD on a kick return and a punt return and logging 70 pass receiving yards. Had a big third-down catch in the third quarter, when Brooks was forced to move. Lewis found a soft spot in the Redskins coverage and Brooks found him for a big 58-yard gain. With the injuries at wide receiver, he may be worth a follow-up look next week. Jake Reed, one of the six who only caught one ball but it was an important one, a 31-yard touchdown that put the game out of reach in the 4th quarter. TE: David Sloan wasn't a factor today with one catch for five yards. Boo Williams had a touchdown reception of 2 yards in the first quarter. Pass Defense: It started and ended with the incredible pressure the Saints put on Ramsey all game. Darren Howard had three sacks, Kenny Smith had two and Grady Jackson had 1.5 sacks for the day. Ramsey was beat on mercilessly. The pass rush forced four interceptions, including three inside the Redskins first four possessions. The Saints played deep zones all day. They picked off Patrick Ramsey 4 times. These interceptions gave the Saints great field position. On passing downs, they were able to get enough pressure on Ramsey to force him to make a bad decision. Rush Defense: once again, the Redskins focused on the passing attack and for good reason, as they got down 20-0 in a hurry. When Washington did run, the "Lunch Bunch" did a marvelous job. Saints Special Teams: Michael Lewis probably won many a fantasy football game today. His second touchdown return absolutely broke Washington's back. Look for much more from this guy. Kicker John Carney hit everything he attempted, including three short field goals. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Washington Redskins QB: Patrick Ramsey started off terrible, going 0 for 6 with four interceptions. He had what amounted to 1.5 quarters of good football but the rest was pretty ugly. You should note that two of those interceptions were not his fault although to be fair, he could have had several more interceptions. He got no help at all from the offensive line. He was sacked 7 times, and had little time to throw the ball. With the way he was getting hit, it's surprising he didn't leave the game with an injury. After the bad start, he began to settle in. Steve Spurrier began to call more screen passes to counter the pressure from the defense. One of those screens was taken 62 yards by RB Kenny Watson for a touchdown. He did a good job of spreading the ball around to 9 different receivers. RB: Stephen Davis was effective when he was used, but was taken out of the game plan in favor of the pass in the second half with the Saints up. Davis showed no signs of his knee injury. He is still the main target on the goal line. He had a one yard run to the outside for the Redskins first touchdown. Davis fumbled in the first quarter, which eventually lead to a touchdown for the Saints. The game's announcers were very surprised by the fact that Coach Spurrier was not using Davis more to try and protect his rookie quarterback. As long as he scores touchdowns, he is still a decent fantasy back but it's looking more like he'll struggle to see a consistent number of carries each week. Kenny Watson's role continues to evolve. He's starting to look like a pretty decent third-down back. Led the team with 74 receiving yards on four catches, including a 62-yard fourth quarter touchdown in which he took a screen pass and made several nice moves to break the big gainer. Put him on your watch list for a few weeks. If he shows a pension for breakaway runs, he may be a cheap pickup. Ladell Betts - ran for two yards and caught a screen pass for 40 more. Just making it back from a training camp injury. Keep an eye on him for the next few weeks. WR: Rod Gardner was unable to get open in the deep zone defense that the Saints were playing. He was the target of a few short fade routes, but Ramsey was unable to get the ball to him. He finished with four catches for 40 yards. No other Redskins receiver was the prominent number two receiver with Ramsey spreading the ball around to nine different receivers. Kevin Lockett started opposite of Gardner, but only caught two passes for 23 yards. Chris Doering was targeted deep a few times, but those balls were all overthrown by Patrick Ramsey. TE: No tight end played a huge role in the passing game today. Walter Rasby had two catches for 20 yards. Pass Defense: Don't be fooled by the final score, the defense played great today. They came on strong and pressured Brooks very well in the first half. Mental lapses led to some big gainers for the Saints, who also exploited Washington's poor safeties. Too many stupid penalties get drives alive, specifically in the first half. Still a unit in desperate need of a consistent pass rush. Rush Defense: Did a phenomenal job in the first half but got blown away inside in the second half. DT Daryl Gardner played like an all-pro in the first half but fell apart in the second, as McAllister and friends plowed the middle road. By the end of the game, the defense looked very tired and couldn't stop McAllister at all. Redskins Special Teams: Awful. Lewis' returns were not only the difference in the game but they came at times when Washington had just pulled close. Washington is not a disciplined team and it showed in the special teams play. On the bright side, kicker James Tuthill made all of his kicks (three extra points).