The Saints just couldn’t keep up with the Redskins in this football game.  Drew Brees completed 22 of 33 passes for 216 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions.  Reggie Bush was a busy player yesterday for the Saints as he carried the ball 10 times for 28 yards (2.8 ypc) and he also caught 7 passes for 63 yards (9.0 avg).  Bush also returned a punt 55 yards for a TD.  Pierre Thomas pitched in with 8 yards rushing on 6 carries (1.3 ypc) with a 1-yard TD run.  David Patten led the way in the passing game for the Saints with 5 catches for 55 yards (11.0 avg).  Robert Meachem finally caught his first NFL pass and it went for a 19-yard TD.  The Saints finished up with 55 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 33 passes for 195 yards.

The defense was down 5 starters for the Saints yesterday but that’s no excuse considering how badly they were pushed around.  LB Jonathan Vilma led the way for the Saints in this game with 16 tackles.  CB Tracy Porter pitched in with 9 tackles against the Redskins.  The Redskins finished up with 149 yards rushing on 31 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 36 passes for 306 yards.   The Saints are now 1-1 on the season.

This will be a interesting football game to watch unfold tomorrow afternoon in Washington.  The Saints won 24-20 last week at home against the Bucs while the Redskins did not look good in losing 16-7 to the Giants.  The Saints don’t match up especially well against the Redskins’ Defense without Marques Colston available for this game.  The Redskins had all kinds of trouble with Plaxico Burress because of his size but the Saints don’t have anyone at WR like that now.  Devery Henderson and David Patten will be going deep but look for Brees to use Jeremy Shockey early and often in this game as well as Reggie Bush out of the backfield.  Reggie Bush will also put a lot of pressure on the linebackers of the Redskins when he’s running to the perimeter of the defense.  Pierre Thomas handles the rough stuff inside but the Redskins should be able to handle that stuff better than they did last week against Brandon Jacobs.

The Redskins will likely attack the middle of the Saints’ defense as the Bucs ran the ball all over them rushing for 146 yards on 20 carries (7.3 ypc).  The Bucs didn’t have the patience to stick with the running game but the Redskins will without a doubt.  Clinton Portis could have a huge game for the Redskins tomorrow unless linebacker Jonathan Vilma meets up to the challenge.  The Redskins do have some speed at WR in Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El but that will only matter if Jason Campbell plays a lot better than he did last week.  Look for TE Chris Cooley to have an important role in this game after he only caught 1 pass for 7 yards last week against the Giants.

PREDICTION:  NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 20, WASHINGTON REDSKINS 19

The Saints have lost linebacker Mark Simoneau for the season due to a serious back injury.  This will hurt the depth in the linebacking unit as Simoneau was the top backup there for the Saints.  He played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he made 70 tackles, defensed 1 pass and he had 2 sacks.  Simoneau has played in 32 games for the Saints the last two years and he made 131 tackles, defensed 2 passes, had 3 sacks and 1 interception.  He will be missed, especially if the Saints suffer any more injuries in the linebacking corps.

The Saints have released DT Hollis Thomas with a injury settlement as he has torn triceps.  Thomas played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he made 50 tackles and had 3 sacks.  In two years with the Saints, Thomas played in 28 games and he made 93 tackles, defensed 2 passes and he had 6.5 sacks.  The Saints might miss Thomas’ run defense but 1st round pick Sedric Ellis is replacing him and he has a much bigger upside.

This was a signing to add veteran depth to the defensive line.  McKinley played in 15 games for the Broncos last year and he made 14 tackles, had 2.5 sacks and he forced a fumble.  He will come off of the bench for the Saints unless they suffer some more injuries.  McKinley has now played in 97 games in his NFL career and he has made 231 tackles, has defensed 3 passes, has 11.5 sacks and he has forced 2 fumbles.  This was a good move for the Saints.