Commanders Must Stop One Player to Beat Saints

The Washington Commanders are facing a beat-up New Orleans Saints team that won't have starting quarterback Derek Carr, who fractured his hand in Week 14 against the New York Giants.

With Carr out, the team will have second-year pro Jake Haener under center for his first career start.

As Haener is a first-time starter, he will look to rely on the other playmakers in the Saints offense, including star running back Alvin Kamara.

"They run the ball really, really well," Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said. "Their screen game is really good. They understand how to get Kamara the ball. And so it all goes through him. We understand that and we understand that they have talent throughout. So, we have to make sure that we do our job of making sure we know where 41 is and not letting the guys get on top of us.”

If the Commanders can find a way to limit Kamara's impact, their chances of winning will increase tremendously.

The Commanders and Saints are set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET. The game can be watched on FOX.