The Commanders enjoyed a bye last week after snapping a three-game losing streak with a decisive 42-19 win over Tennessee in Week 13 but return to action with a mountain to climb in their bid to overtake the first-place Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional standings. The Saints return home on the heels of a 14-11 win over the New York Giants that marks their third victory in four games and leaves them just two games back of Tampa Bay in the race for the top of the NFC South standings.

The Commanders arrive in the Big Easy perched as 7.5-point road favourites on the NFL Week 15 odds. The Saints are a distant +310 underdog on the NFL moneyline and total is listed at 43.5.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

The Commanders make their first visit to New Orleans in six years looing to snap a three-game head-to-head losing streak. The Saints have enjoyed steady offensive production while taking three straight from te Commanders, scoring an average of 36.7 points, capped by a 33-22 win when they visited Washington three years ago. High scoring is nothing new when these teams meet, with the total topping 50 in each of their dates during a 7-0 run for the OVER in totals betting. However, the Saints have struggled to consistently put up points this season, scoring just 14 points in each of their past two games and scoring 20 or fewer points in four of their past six home dates. Conversely, the Commanders return from their bye ranking fourth in the NFL with 28.9 points scored per game. However, they have been prone to defensive letdowns that enabled opponents to rack up 29.3 points per game during their recent three-game slide.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders were due for a break but return to action facing the daunting task of reversing a 1-5 straight up and against the spread in games immediately following bye week, with those five defeats coming by an average margin of 12 points. But on a positive note, the team comes back from their bye in reasonably good health, with the big exception being Noah Brown, who could be done for the season due to a kidney injury. Jamison Crowder looks set to fill that downfield void after returning to practice this week and is expected to be in the lineup for the first time since Week 3. Crowder’s return gives Jayden Daniels another receiving target to work with. The talented rookie is coming off a career-best three-TD performance in the team’s win over the Titans and has connected on six scoring passes while running for two touchdowns over the past three games. However, Daniels has also tossed four picks over the past three games after getting intercepted just twice over his first 10 outings.

New Orleans Saints

While the Commanders have enjoyed a week off to recover from injuries, the Saints enter Sunday’s action dealing with an array of health issues. The status of Derek Carr does no look good after the veteran pivot missed Wednesday practice due to both a broken left hand and a concussion suffered in last week’s win over New York. The concerns about Carr’s health have been serious enough to lead the Saints to sign journeyman passer Ben DiNucci early this week. However, it is looking likely that either rookie Spencer Rattler or second-year passer Jake Haener will get the call under center. Whoever is taking the snaps will be leading a banged up offence. Versatile rusher Alvin Kamara has been away from practive this week due to an illness and is joined in the clinic by tight end Juwan Johnson, who has been limited at practice by a foot injury.

NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Commanders vs. Saints?