NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The last time Jayden Daniels played in the Superdome, he was making his LSU debut — and starting a second chapter in his college career that would culminate with him winning the Heisman Trophy one year ago.
The last time Marshon Lattimore played in the NFL, he was wearing a New Orleans Saints uniform in what turned out to be his final game with the team that drafted him 11th overall in 2017.
Both are expected to be back in the dome Sunday with the contending Washington Commanders (8-5), who’ll try to vanquish the recently resurgent Saints (5-8).
“I’m excited to go back and be able to play in the state of Louisiana again,” said Daniels, who had a chance to attend some Saints home games during the two falls he spent in Baton Rouge, about an 80-mile drive up the Mississippi River from New Orleans.
“It is going to be fun,” Daniels said. “Superdome gets pretty loud and they’re rolling. So, we’ll go out there, we’ll see what we could do and compete.”
Whether the Saints are really “rolling” could be up for debate. They narrowly held on — thanks to a late, blocked field goal — to beat the reeling New York Giants last week. But New Orleans also lost starting quarterback Derek Carr to a concussion and a left, non-throwing hand injury is expected to sideline him this weekend and possibly beyond.
On Thursday night, interim Saints coach Darren Rizzi informed the team that second-year pro Jake Haener would make his first-career start this week.
New Orleans’ victory last week was its third in four games since third-year coach Dennis Allen was fired and replaced by Rizzi, the club’s special teams coordinator since 2019. But the Saints don’t have any victories this season over a team that currently has a winning record.
And now New Orleans must try to contain the dual-threat Daniels, who has hardly looked like a rookie to Rizzi, given the Commanders QB’s 69.6% completion rate and his relatively few six interceptions.
“Those are usually the things, when you’re dealing with a rookie quarterback, that you don’t see,” Rizzi said. “It’s not like they got him out there just managing the game. … He’s got some highlight film plays, too.
“To sit here and say that he’s only 13 games into his professional career, his body of work has been really impressive,” Rizzi added, noting that Daniels’ ability to make big plays with his feet will challenge a Saints defense that has struggled against adept scramblers. “He’s going to be more dangerous than maybe every quarterback we’ve played.”
Lattimore’s return
The Saints traded Lattimore more than a month ago, ending a nearly eight-year stint with New Orleans that saw him win defensive rookie of the year in 2017 and receive four Pro Bowl nods.
While the Saints regarded Lattimore as their best defensive back and often left him in single coverage against opponents’ best receivers, his last few seasons were plagued by injuries — making the five-year, $97 million extension he signed in 2021 harder for New Orleans to justify.
“Marshon’s as good as corner as I’ve seen,” Rizzi said. “There’s really not a guy in league that he can’t cover.”
Rizzi also noted the “irony” of Lattimore — who was traded on Nov. 5 and hasn’t played since Oct. 27 — making his Washington debut in New Orleans.
“We traded him what seems like a long time ago,” Rizzi said. “But it just so happens — happenstance — it’s against us. So, all good.”
Rizzi also expects no shortage of interaction between Lattimore and his former teammates on the field.
“Any time you have one of those homecoming games, if you will, there’s always a little extra added juice to it,” Rizzi said. “I’m sure there’ll be some yapping going on.”
Playoff push
The Commanders’ grip on the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC loosened during their bye week, when the Los Angeles Rams beat Buffalo to improve to 7-6. Washington’s chances of climbing up to the sixth seed also increased when Green Bay lost to Detroit to fall to 9-4.
Being in the mix this late is a nice change for Commanders players.
“It’s a great feeling,” receiver Dyami Brown said. “Previous years, it was just, ‘Man, we’re ready to go,’ because these are the last couple games. This one here, just knowing that we have the opportunity — we can control this — it’s just for us to go out there and take it.”
Moving pieces
Daniels, receiver Terry McLaurin and tight end Zach Ertz have started every game for the Commanders. Around them, there has been a series of moving pieces.
Brian Robinson Jr. should again shoulder the load at running back with Austin Ekeler out. The wideout rotation is a bit uncertain after Noah Brown was sidelined by a kidney injury. Olamide Zaccheaus, Dyami Brown and rookie Luke McCaffrey are likely to split what were Brown’s snaps.
“We know that we’ve got to step up as a unit,” Zaccheaus said. “It’s going to be a group effort. I think we’ll all just be rotating in there as we usually do. We’ll see.”
QB competition
Haener and Spencer Rattler spent the first two practices this week splitting first-team snaps before Rizzi settled on Haener.
Haener is a 2023 fourth-round draft choice out of Fresno State who’s passed for 177 yards and one TD without an interception in seven career appearances — all this season.
Rattler, a fifth-round draft choice out of South Carolina, has 571 yards and a TD passing with two interceptions in three career starts while Carr was sidelined with an oblique injury earlier this season.
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report from Ashburn, Va.
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