Saints-Redskins Preview

SCOUTING REPORT

Bush, Shockey must step up in passing game This should be a more favorable matchup for the Redskins than the Week 1 matchup against the Giants because the Saints are much less physical. It will be interesting to see whether the Saints are as good and the Redskins are as bad as they seemed to be in their openers. But this should be a better matchup than the raw statistics would suggest.

· Full Scouting Report

Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
NOR	8-8	463	393	6-2	2-6	2-4	5-7
WAS	8-8	265	296	4-4	4-4	3-3	7-5
· Complete Standings

Individual Leaders

New Orleans Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Brees 70.6 4388 34 11 Brunel... 50.0 102 0 1

Washington Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Campbe... 64.5 3618 20 15 Collin... 52.2 144 0 0

New Orleans Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Thomas 147 793 5.4 6 Bell 172 654 3.8 5

Washington Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Portis 124 494 4.0 1 Campbe... 46 236 5.1 1

New Orleans Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Colsto... 70 1074 15.3 9 Hender... 51 804 15.8 2

Washington Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Moss 70 902 12.9 3 Randle... 50 530 10.6 0

Full Player Stats: New Orleans | Washington

TEAM AVERAGES & NFL RANKS
TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	NOR	411.0
	WAS	320.0
Yards Passing	NOR	311.1
	WAS	189.1
Yards Rushing	NOR	99.6
	WAS	130.9
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	NOR	339.5
	WAS	288.8
Pass Yds Allowed	NOR	221.7
	WAS	193.4
Rush Yds Allowed	NOR	117.8
	WAS	95.4

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
Washington leads 3-2
Dec 17, 2006	NOR 10, @WAS 16
Nov 30, 2003	NOR 24, WAS 20
Oct 13, 2002	NOR 43, WAS 27
Dec 30, 2001	NOR 10, @WAS 40

Drew Brees and the explosive New Orleans Saints offense didn't lack for big plays in the team's opening-week victory.

The unit will, however, be lacking one of its biggest playmakers for at least the next month, something the Saints hope to overcome when they hit the road for the first time this season to face the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

Receiver Marques Colston had surgery on his left thumb this week and will miss four to six weeks after sustaining ligament damage during his team's 24-20 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.

The Saints also learned Wednesday that defensive tackle Hollis Thomas, originally expected to miss about six weeks with a torn triceps, will be out for the season. Colston's injury, however, was an unexpected blow.

Colston burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2006, helping New Orleans reach the NFC title game with 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns.

The seventh-round draft pick out of Hofstra didn't slow down last year, improving on both those numbers even as New Orleans struggled to a 7-9 record. Colston had 168 receptions through his first two seasons, more than any receiver in history to start his career.

"Losing Colston is huge," Redskins defensive end Jason Taylor said. "We all know what kind of player he is and the things he can do with the football."

Colston, though, had only three catches for 26 yards against the Buccaneers while playing hurt, and Brees still managed to throw for 343 yards and complete three touchdown passes of at least 39 yards.

Devery Henderson caught an 84-yard pass for a score in the third quarter, while Reggie Bush scampered 42 yards for the winning touchdown on one of his eight receptions.

"Drew is going to continue to spread the football around," Colston told his team's official Web site. "The other teams can't just key on stopping one guy, because that would play right into Drew's hands."

The Saints are hoping Bush's emergence will help offset Colston's absence. The Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 draft hasn't yet lived up to his billing in the NFL, but he totaled 163 yards from scrimmage against the Bucs and dodged tacklers en route to his highlight-reel touchdown.

"That's what everybody expects. Every game, they want to see that," Bush said. "I would love to see that, too, every game, but I know it may not come every game. It may not come for another few games, but as long as I'm out there making plays, keeping my team in the game, keeping the drive alive, doing that, we should be fine."

New Orleans is already better off than last year, when it started 0-4 after coming within a game of the Super Bowl the previous season.

The Redskins are hoping to avoid a similar fate after earning a playoff spot with four straight wins to close last season. Washington struggled in its opener Sept. 4 against the New York Giants, managing only 209 total yards in a 16-7 loss.

Quarterback Jason Campbell had trouble in his first game in the West Coast offense under new coach Jim Zorn, going 15-of-27 for 133 yards. Zorn said Campbell needs to quicken his reactions to adapt to the new style.

"I think he's got enough athleticism, I really do, to speed up his game in certain situations," Zorn said. "And part of that I'm hoping is just the idea of understanding the offense better, the speed of it. He's not there yet."

Campbell agreed, adding that the whole team needed time to get comfortable with the new scheme.

"It's not just me; it's everybody," Campbell said. "Hopefully the light's going to come on quick for all of us, including the offensive coaches, and we build some kind of continuity and get trust going with each other, and get things going."

Nine full days of rest could help Washington, as could the return of defensive backs Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs for the team's home opener. Smoot left Thursday's game with a hip pointer and Springs missed it with a bruised shin, but both are expected to face the Saints' strong air attack.

The Redskins handled Brees just fine when the teams last met Dec. 17, 2006. They limited him to 207 yards passing and held New Orleans to season lows in points and total yards in a 16-10 victory at the Superdome.

The Saints have won their last two games at Washington, however, scoring a combined 67 points in victories in 2002 and '03.

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