2021 · Week 5

Final

Saints

New Orleans

QB Jameis Winston

33·22

Commanders

Washington

QB Taylor Heinicke

FedExField · outdoors · grass · 70°F · wind 12mph

Closing spread

NO -2.5

Total

43.5

Model margin

-2.0est.

WAS perspective

Push chance

None

half-point line — cannot push

Win probability

  • Commanders
  • Saints

How each play moved the game.

Commanders winsSaints wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Saintsedge mapCommanders
  • -0.063EPA / play-0.036
  • 41.1%Success rate44.8%
  • +0.003EPA / dropback-0.018
  • -0.147EPA / rush-0.062
  • 7.0%Explosive rate8.3%
  • -5.00CPOE-0.08
  • 36.1%Third-down rate38.3%
  • 64.1%Red-zone TD rate59.5%
  • 1.88Points / drive1.78
  • 1.6%Turnover rate2.2%

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

All square 6–6 since 1999

Meetings average 55 points. WAS are 7-5 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2024 · W15WAS @ NO2019WAS
2018 · W5WAS @ NO1943NO
2017 · W11WAS @ NO3134NO
2015 · W10NO @ WAS1447WAS
2012 · W1WAS @ NO4032WAS
2009 · W13NO @ WAS3330NO
2008 · W2NO @ WAS2429WAS
2006 · W15WAS @ NO1610WAS

Box score

Individual performances

Saints

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Jameis Winston15/3027941

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Alvin Kamara16714.41
Jameis Winston6264.30
Kenny Stills111.00

Commanders

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Taylor Heinicke20/4124802

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Antonio Gibson20603.02
Taylor Heinicke5408.00
Jaret Patterson4133.30
DeAndre Carter11111.00
Curtis Samuel188.00
J.D. McKissic2-1-0.50

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line -2.53.0%4.7%3.1%7.5%7.1%2.7%4.1%

Positive margins favour Commanders; negative favour Saints.

Half-point at risk

2.14%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

43.7%

Expected total

41.4est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)-2.00
  • Home-field advantage+1.71
  • Quarterback adjustment-1.70
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin-2.00