Saints vs. Washington: Who are the experts picking in Week 5?

Both the New Orleans Saints and Washington Football Team are 2-2 entering Week 5, making this matchup on Sunday afternoon even more important. Neither team wants to drop under .500.

The Saints were a big favorite last week against the Giants and came up short, losing in overtime after holding an 11-point lead. It was a pathetic loss and one that can be placed squarely on Sean Payton’s shoulders.

This week, NOLA has to bounce back, but it won’t be easy.

Sure, Washington’s defense isn’t the same group we saw feast on opposing offenses last year, but Chase Young can pick up where he left off at any moment. Jonathan Allen has three sacks. This defense is talented but injuries and early rust have seen them struggle.

Offensively is where the Football Team has thrived this year and that seems crazy to say with Taylor Heinicke running the show in our nation’s capital. He took over for Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was injured in Week 1 and probably won’t relinquish the job unless he starts to bomb down the road.

Who are the experts picking in the Saints/Washington game?

• Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) – Saints 28, WFT 17
• Mike Triplett (ESPN) – Saints 24, WFT 16
• John Keim (ESPN) – Saints 21, WFT 17
• Bill Bender (Sporting News) – Saints 23, WFT 24
• Bleacher Report – Saints 21, WFT 23

It was pretty evenly split this week and it’s not hard to see why. NOLA is only favored by 2.0 points per WynnBET despite being the better team on paper.

This game, as funny as it is to imagine, could turn into a shootout. That’s something none of us would have predicted when we first saw this game on the 2021 schedule, as both defenses looked like top-10 units entering the season.

Hopefully, Rosenthal, Triplett, and Keim are right and New Orleans moves to 3-2. I won’t be shocked by either team winning because these teams are very inconsistent right now and hard to predict.