Saints vs. Eagles: Full New Orleans Game Preview
Fresh off their first victory of the season, the New Orleans Saints will look to begin a winning streak Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Saints (1-3) defeated the Dallas Cowboys in dramatic fashion last week on Sunday Night Football, as Drew Brees found C.J. Spiller for an 80-yard game-winning touchdown pass in overtime.
If coach Sean Payton’s club is to make it two in a row this Sunday, it must get it done on the road in a hostile environment. New Orleans came up short in its first two road trips of 2015, albeit against stiff competition in the form of the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers.
As for Philadelphia, coach Chip Kelly’s squad is also 1-3 on the season. The Eagles' retooled offense, of which much was expected heading into the season, has been slow to take flight under quarterback Sam Bradford. The Washington Redskins defeated Philadelphia in Week 4, 23-20.
The Saints' young defense will attempt to build on its recent momentum against Bradford and Co. Sunday, while Brees and the New Orleans offense will square off against former Saint Malcolm Jenkins and the Eagles' No. 21-ranked defense.
Read on for a full preview of this Week 5 matchup, which kicks off Sunday on Fox at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.
Week 4 Recap
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With his team in desperate need of a win, Drew Brees shook off a shoulder injury to lead the Saints to a 26-20 overtime victory over the Cowboys in Week 4.
Brees, who sat out the previous week against the Carolina Panthers, went 33-of-41 for 359 yards and two scores. For his efforts, he was named by the NFL as its NFC Offensive Player of the Week, according to Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com.
Josh Hill snagged a three-yard touchdown reception to give the Saints their first points, but the home team trailed at the half, 10-7. After kicking two field goals in the third quarter, the Saints went up 20-13 on their first possession of the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by Khiry Robinson.
The Cowboys put together a final rally and forced overtime, however, thanks to Brandon Weeden’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams with just over two minutes to play.
New Orleans quickly put Dallas to bed in the overtime period. On the second play from scrimmage, Brees got the matchup he wanted and took full advantage of it. The Saints signal-caller fired his 400th career touchdown pass with an 80-yard game-winning strike to C.J. Spiller, who was matched up on the play with Cowboys rookie linebacker Damien Wilson.
News and Notes
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Saints-Eagles Series
Sunday’s contest will mark the 30th meeting in the Saints-Eagles series, which includes three playoff contests.
Philadelphia holds a 16-13 advantage, but New Orleans has won five of the six meetings since Sean Payton took over in 2006.
The last meeting took place in January 2014, when Payton’s club bested Kelly’s Eagles, 26-24, in an NFC Wild Card Game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Saints were powered by Mark Ingram’s 97 rushing yards, and they advanced to the divisional round on a 32-yard field goal by Shayne Graham as time expired.
Another memorable contest between these two franchises occurred in January 2007, as New Orleans hosted Jeff Garcia and the Eagles for a much-anticipated divisional playoff game. The Saints rode the arm of Drew Brees and the legs of Deuce McAllister to 27-24 win and a berth in the NFC Championship Game.
Rookie Defenders Making Noise
The Saints defense received its share of due criticism throughout the team’s 0-3 start, but in the win over the Cowboys, New Orleans leaned on its group of promising rookie defenders.
Linebackers Stephone Anthony and Hau’oli Kikaha, chosen by the Saints this year with the No. 31 and No. 44 overall draft picks, respectively, stood out against the Cowboys as bright spots in coordinator Rob Ryan’s defense.
Both young New Orleans 'backers dropped Dallas’ Brandon Weeden for sacks, and Kikaha finished the contest as the Saints’ leading tackler with eight stops. Anthony, who manned the “Mike” spot for New Orleans, was right behind with seven.
Also registering a sack was rookie defensive tackle Tyeler Davison, while undrafted rookie free-agent signee Bobby Richardson started the game at defensive end and rang up two tackles for losses.
In the secondary, former CFL star Delvin Breaux, who has turned heads since minicamp, delivered his best performance yet as a Saint. Breaux didn’t win all his battles with Dallas wideout Terrance Williams, but he held his own more often than not.
Fellow cornerback Damian Swann, although he struggled at times against the Cowboys, has also made a name for himself this season with his solid play.
Even with accomplished veterans such as Jairus Byrd, Keenan Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe returning to the field after recovering from injuries, the rookies continue to establish themselves as important pieces in the Saints defense this season.
New Orleans to Face Former Saints Jenkins, Sproles
When the Saints line up to face the Eagles Sunday, they’ll be seeing a couple of familiar faces across the field.
Former Saint Malcolm Jenkins, New Orleans’ first-round pick in 2009, is a starting safety in Philadelphia. Thus far on the year, he’s totaled 28 tackles and three passes defended for the Eagles No. 21-ranked defense. He’s looking to follow up a solid 2014 season in which he racked up 63 stops to go with three interceptions, one of which was returned for a score.
Meanwhile, running back Darren Sproles, who enjoyed three highly productive seasons in New Orleans, plays a prominent role in the Eagles offense.
He scored six rushing touchdowns and averaged a whopping 5.8 yards per carry in 2014. Like the Eagles offense as a whole, his numbers haven’t been quite as impressive this season, although he’s been heavily featured in the Philadelphia passing game (15 receptions for 118 yards).
Injury Report
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The Saints released their first injury report of the week Wednesday afternoon on their official website.
Left tackle Terron Armstead, who was injured in Sunday’s win over Dallas, sat out with a knee injury. Armstead went down in the second quarter against the Cowboys, but he returned to play the second half.
Another Wednesday no-go was punter Thomas Morstead, who also handles kickoff duties. Morstead injured his quadricep Sunday night, and kicker Zach Hocker filled in nicely for the seven-year veteran, dropping his only punt inside the 20.
New Orleans has since signed veteran punter Brandon Fields to replace Morstead as he recovers from his injury, according to ESPN Saints reporter Mike Triplett.
Wide receiver Marques Colston and defensive tackle Kevin Williams also missed Wednesday’s workout, although both absences were not related to injuries.
Meanwhile, safety Jairus Byrd (knee), wideout Brandin Cooks (ankle), guard Jahri Evans (knee) and cornerback Keenan Lewis (hip) were all limited in workouts.
Evans missed his second straight game in Week 4, and he was replaced both times in the starting lineup by backup Senio Kelemete. Byrd and Lewis both saw snaps for the first time this season Sunday night, although their playing time was limited.
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Key Matchups to Watch
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Saints Cornerbacks vs. Eagles Wide Receivers
New Orleans’ front seven started out slowly against the Cowboys, but the Saints eventually hunkered down and slowed down Joseph Randle and Co. while racking up five tackles for loss.
The group will look to continue its spirited play against a struggling Eagles running game this week, but it’s the Saints' defensive backfield that will have its hands full.
Sam Bradford will look to push the ball down the field in a hurry, and he has a talented receiving corps that features polished second-year pro Jordan Matthews, experienced veteran Riley Cooper and explosive rookie Nelson Agholor.
Saints corners Brandon Browner, Delvin Breaux and Damian Swann had their ups and downs last week, and if they can be a bit more consistent Sunday, New Orleans' chances for a win will dramatically increase.
Also, look for Keenan Lewis to see a bit more action that he did a week ago. The Saints’ top cover man played sporadically against Dallas, and with Breaux progressing at a fast pace, the Saints appear to be bringing Lewis back slowly from his lingering hip injury.
Saints Running Backs vs. Eagles Linebackers
New Orleans revived its dormant running game a week ago against the Cowboys, going for over 100 yards on the ground at an average of 4.1 yards per carry.
Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis knows he’ll face a physical downhill rushing attack when Mark Ingram and fullback Austin Johnson are in the Saints backfield. Meanwhile, Khiry Robinson brings an added element of quickness to the table.
With a healthy C.J. Spiller now in the mix, the Saints have a diverse set of capable backs to turn to, and the running game is only half the concern for Philadelphia.
New Orleans completed 13 passes to its trio of running backs last week for 155 receiving yards and a touchdown. While Ingram, Robinson and Spiller each bring a unique skill set to the table, they’re all more than capable as receivers out of the backfield, and they can all three carry the football between the tackles, as well.
Eagles linebackers Jordan Hicks, DeMeco Ryans, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham will have to be on top of their game collectively in order to slow down the Saints’ talented backfield trio.
Prediction
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The Eagles head into Sunday’s contest in an offensive slump, as they rank 29th in the league in total offense. This is a far cry from where many expected this group to be right now, especially given Chip Kelly’s reputation as an offensive guru.
The young New Orleans defense, meanwhile, comes in riding a wave of newly discovered momentum. Rob Ryan’s unit will likely bring an aggressive mindset into this one, and Sam Bradford will be a marked man come kickoff time.
Philadelphia will be a tough out on its home turf, but thanks to another stellar outing from Brees, the Saints will return to New Orleans on a winning streak.
Saints 27, Eagles 23
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