Eagles Have Lost Three Straight To Saints, Can The Streak End?
By Kevin McGuire
The Philadelphia Eagles are in need of a win in a bad way. The NFC East is still within reach despite a 1-3 start for the Birds, but can the Eagles stop their losing ways against a team that has defeated them three straight times? The Eagles hope so as they prepare to host Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Here's the quick rundown on the Saints.
#CBS3KICKOFF Vote: Will the Eagles end their losing streak to the Saints this week?
Season Record
The New Orleans Saints picked up their first win of the season on Sunday night by getting by the Dallas Cowboys in overtime. That put the Saints at 1-3 in the young NFL season. The Saints went 7-9 last season, doing so for the second time in the last three years. It would appear the Saints are on the downslide from their stretch between 2009 and 2011 that included a Super Bowl victory and an NFC Wild Card victory against the Eagles in Chip Kelly's first season on the job.
The Saints have won three straight meetings with the Eagles since 2009, including the most recent playoff meeting, but the Eagles still own the all-time edge in the series, 16-13, dating back to 1967. The last time the Eagles beat the Saints at home was in 2003.
Saints on Offense
The Saints may have been struggling to pick up some wins this season, but the offense has been among the best in the NFL in accumulating yards. The Saints are fifth in the NFL in total offense with 304.5 passing yards per game leading the way. With a quarterback as battle-tested as Drew Brees, the passing game has been what the Saints have thrived on, because the running game is lagging with just 82.8 rushing yards per game. While theSaints can get the yards, points have come at a premium, just like in Philadelphia. The Saints have averaged just 21.5 points per game so far.
Brees may be winding down his NFL career, but he can still be dangerous with his accuracy and smart decision-making. Against the Cowboys, it was clear he had some struggles when the Cowboys defense brought a blitz in his face, but Brees seemed to handle four-man rushing calls fairly well. If the Eagles can figure out a way to bring pressure, they can knock Brees off his game. This is so often much more difficult than it sounds. Brees is 5-3 all-time against he Eagles with a career passer rating of 96.2, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Saints on Defense
The offense for New Orleans has been somewhat serviceable, but the defense has been a mess. New Orleans will enter this game as one of three teams in the NFL without an intercepted pass (Seattle, Washington), and the Saints also have allowed an average of 381.5 yards per game. The Saints have also struggled to stop the run, with the league's 27th-ranked run defense allowing 123.3 rushing yards per game. If there is a defense that should be vulnerable enough for the Eagles offense to get going, it may be New Orleans. That's the hope of Eagles fans, at least.
On Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans gave up 246 passing yards to Brandon Weeden and allowed 21 first downs on just 57 plays by Dallas. The 20 points allowed was the lowest point total allowed to an opponent this season for New Orleans. The Saints have seen the points allowed trend downward since, allowing 31 to the Arizona Cardinals in the season opener. The Buccaneers and Panthers each managed to score 26 points on this defense. If the Eagles cannot do that, this really will turn into a long march to the offseason in Philadelphia.
Saints Players to Watch
Mark Ingram, RB: New Orleans may not be running the ball well, but Mark Ingram is finding himself as the team's leading rusher. The former Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama, in his fifth season, has rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns so far for the Saints, a year after rushing for 964 yards and nine touchdowns.
Hau'oli Kikaha, LB: Kikaha comes into the week leading New Orleans in sacks. The rookie out of Washington has registered 16 tackles and three sacks (one sack in each of the last three games) and has forced two fumbles.
Outlook
The way the Eagles have been playing this season there is no game that can be considered an easy win. With the offense slow out of the gates every game this season, aside from the win at the Jets, the Eagles cannot afford to get caught behind Drew Brees and the Saints early. The Saints defense appears ripe for the picking for this Eagles offense to awaken from a slumber, but if the Eagles cannot get going this week, they will be in trouble in a hurry and fans will continue to serenade the team and head coach Chip Kelly with plenty of negativity. It will be deserved if they cannot beat the Saints, because this is not the good Saints of a few seasons ago.
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.