Washington
Commanders
11-6
16
FINAL
33
New Orleans
Saints
12-5
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a decisive Wildcard Round matchup, the New Orleans Saints took down the Washington Commanders with a final score of 33-16, securing their spot in the next round of the playoffs. The Saints capitalized on their home-field advantage, showcasing strong performances that highlighted their offensive prowess and defensive grit.
Tyler Shough led the way for New Orleans with an efficient passing game, throwing for 211 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Terry McLaurin was a standout in the receiving corps, racking up 127 yards, providing crucial catches that kept the chains moving. On the ground, Jacory Croskey-Merritt shined for Washington, amassing 107 rushing yards, but it wasnโt enough to keep pace with the Saints' offensive firepower.
Defensively, Kaden Elliss was a key contributor for New Orleans, recording five total tackles, while Chase Young made his presence felt with two sacks, putting pressure on Washington's offense throughout the game. The turning point came in the second quarter when the Saints scored back-to-back touchdowns, creating a lead that the Commanders could never fully overcome. With this win, New Orleans advances with momentum as they look ahead to the next round of the playoffs.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Shough | QB | 15 | 13 | 211 | 1 | 1 | 113.1 |
| Jayden Daniels | QB | 6 | 5 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 118.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | HB | 16 | 107 | 6.7 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 12 | 65 | 5.4 | 3 | 15 | 0 |
| Jayden Daniels | QB | 8 | 35 | 4.4 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
| Rachaad White | HB | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaytron Allen | HB | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry McLaurin | WR | 7 | 127 | 18.1 | 1 | 58 | 0 |
| Stefon Diggs | WR | 2 | 71 | 35.5 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| Chris Olave | WR | 2 | 62 | 31.0 | 0 | 54 | 0 |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | WR | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Young | LEDG | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Quan Martin | FS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | WILL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Reid | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr. | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Odafe Oweh | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sonny Styles | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charles Omenihu | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jer'Zhan Newton | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrell Burgess | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Amik Robertson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorance Armstrong | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeremy Reaves | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey Amos | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leo Chenal | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julian Blackmon | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Beanie Bishop Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Jordan | DT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Moody | K | 3 | 3 | 1 | 28 |
| Tress Way | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charlie Smyth | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 46 |

