The 4-5 New Orleans Saints will travel to the nation’s capital after a disappointing overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, the 3-5 Washington Redskins are hoping to rebound from a loss to the New England Patriots. Both teams definitely need this win, because another loss could end any chance they have of winning their respective divisional races.

The Saints were playing well before losing to the Titans last Sunday, having won four of their five games prior to their Week 9 loss. The Saints can still salvage something from this season, but their defense has to play better. Two weeks ago, their defense allowed 49 points against the Giants, and last week, it surrendered 34 points to the Titans. Specifically, the Saints are struggling to stop opposing quarterbacks. In the past two weeks, opposing quarterbacks are averaging 360.5 passing yards and five passing touchdowns against the Saints’ defense. This has to change if the Saints want to get back into the win column.

The Redskins will always be judged by their offense, and it has been inconsistent for much of this season. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has done a respectable job running the team’s offense. However, the Redskins are still struggling to find the end zone consistently. The team is only averaging 19.8 points and 2.1 touchdowns per game. They will have a lot of opportunities to score against a vulnerable Saints defense, and they will have to convert these into points if they want to come away with a home win.

The Saints will continue to rely on Drew Brees and the passing offense to win them football games. The Redskins have a solid defense, but they do not force opposing quarterbacks to throw a lot of interceptions. The Redskins’ defense only has four interceptions on the season. They do a good job staying with receivers and keeping them from getting yards after the catch, but if they can’t force Brees into a few turnovers, they will be in serious trouble. Brees is averaging 358.3 passing yards and 2.6 passing touchdowns since returning from a rotator cuff injury, so it’s hard to see the Redskins stopping him effectively.

Fortunately for the Redskins, the Saints do not have a very good defense. The Saints’ defense is ranked 29th against the run and 31st against the pass. Cousins should have a lot of opportunities to hit open receivers. Also, the Redskins will look to unleash their two solid running backs on the Saints’ defense. Matt Jones and Alfred Morris did not have good days against the Patriots last week and will be looking to have big days against a susceptible New Orleans front seven.

This game is hard to predict because the matchups are in favor of the Redskins, but the Saints are still rolling offensively. Ultimately, this game will come down to turnovers, and neither team is good at forcing them. With that said, the team that makes the most mistakes will end up losing this game. In the end, the Saints’ defense is too much of a liability, and the Redskins should win this game by a field goal.

Prediction: Redskins 27, Saints 24

Kyle Nishida is a beat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kyle_Nishida, “Like him” on Facebook or add him to your network on Google