Saints vs. Eagles: Philadelphia Grades, Notes & Quotes
The Philadelphia Eagles kept their playoff hopes alive with a 39-17 win over the New Orleans Saints in their first home victory of the season.
The Eagles are now 2-3 on the season, competing for the NFC East division title among other struggling teams. Philadelphia's Week 5 victory was its best performance of the season as they played well for all four quarters.
Philadelphia finished the game with 519 yards, including 300 yards in the first half. The Eagles had more yards in the first half against the Saints than they had in any other game so far this season.
The Eagles moved the ball early against the New Orleans defense as quarterback Sam Bradford completed six passes for 58 yards on their second possession of the game to get into the red zone. However, Bradford short-armed a pass to Riley Cooper, and Brandon Browner intercepted the pass in the end zone.
The Saints marched down the field on the ensuing possession and scored a touchdown on a pass to Benjamin Watson. Bradford's interception turned into a 14-point swing, following an 80-yard scoring drive by Drew Brees and the Saints.
On the ensuing possession, the Eagles marched back down the field again just to have Bradford throw yet another interception in the end zone. The quarterback tried to laser a pass to Miles Austin rather than executing the fade pass.
Despite the early errors, Philadelphia went into the half with a 10-3 lead following a 41-yard touchdown reception from Josh Huff and a big defensive play. Fletcher Cox strip-sacked Drew Brees, and Jordan Hicks recovered the fumble to give Philadelphia's offense favorable field position. The offense moved the ball into field-goal range, and Caleb Sturgis converted from 39 yards.
Philadelphia continued its season trend of coming out strong in the second half. But instead of trying to dig itself out of a hole, it just continued to put pressure on the Saints. New Orleans marched down the field for a field goal on the opening possession of the third quarter but then did not score again until the very last play of the game.
Billy Davis' defense continued its early-season success as they forced four turnovers on the day with three fumbles and one interception. The great play of the defense allowed it to get off the field quickly and gave the offense short field to work with.
The Eagles then relied on a balanced offensive approach the entire game as they threw the ball 48 times, compared to 34 carries. Philadelphia also won the time-of-possession battle as they held the ball for 34 of the 60 minutes. The defense looked fresh, and the offense wore down its opponent late in the game.
Philadelphia scored 16 points in the third quarter behind a two-yard run from Ryan Mathews, a 13-yard touchdown reception from Brent Celek and a field goal from Sturgis. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Eagles looked in complete control, up 26-10.
The Eagles added two more field goals and one more touchdown in the final quarter. Walter Thurmond intercepted Brees, and DeMarco Murray converted immediately on a four-yard touchdown run.
New Orleans tacked on a garbage-time touchdown with a 14-yard pass to Brandin Cooks, but it did little to change the outlook of the game. Philadelphia won comfortably and could have scored 50 points against the Saints without the early interceptions.
Position Grades for Philadelphia
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | B- |
| OL | A- |
| DL | A |
| LB | B+ |
| DB | B |
| Special Teams | B- |
| Coaching | A- |
Quarterback
Sam Bradford effectively led the team down the field on two early drives but threw interceptions in the end zone on both occasions. The quarterback could have been the scapegoat yet again if the team went into the half trailing this week.
Luckily, the defense shut down the Saints the entire game, and Bradford did not let the interceptions affect him. He finished 32-of-45 for 333 yards and two touchdowns. This was Bradford's second 300-yard performance this season, and he finished with his highest completion percentage, 71.1, of the year.
Bradford effectively spread the ball around and completed passes to nine different players.
Running Backs
DeMarco Murray finally got it going in an Eagles uniform as he carried the ball 20 times for 83 yards and a touchdown. The tailback also caught seven passes for 37 yards to put him over the 100-total-yards mark for the first time this season.
Ryan Mathews continues to be a bruising back coming out of the Eagles backfield. He continually stayed in bounds, lowered his head and fought for the extra yards. Mathews did not feature as heavily, but he was effective when he was on the field. Mathews added 73 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Wide Receivers
Philadelphia did not have one breakout receiver this week, but it performed very well as a group. Four different wide receivers and two tight ends caught passes on the day.
Josh Huff was not a factor in the Eagles' first four games but scored a 41-yard touchdown for Philadelphia's first score of the game. The former Oregon wide receiver looked dangerous all day and led the team with 78 receiving yards.
The main concern for the receiving group remains its tendency to drop passes. Although the play would not have counted due to an offensive pass interference call, Jordan Matthews dropped an easy touchdown reception. Riley Cooper, Zach Ertz and others failed to bring in fairly routine passes.
Offensive Line
The biggest question mark for the team so far this season has been the offensive line, but it dominated the New Orleans front throughout the entire game. The line effectively pushed the defenders back and got to blocks on the second level.
Philadelphia came in with injuries to Jason Peters, Lane Johnson and Allen Barbre, but all three played well and remained on the field for the entire game. Following an offseason with a lot of change, this unit is finally starting to look comfortable playing alongside each other.
Defensive Line
The defensive line shut down the New Orleans running game from the start as the Saints only gained 96 yards on 21 carries. Mark Ingram, C.J. Spiller and Khiry Robinson failed to establish any form of rhythm in the game.
The front three also effectively pressured Drew Brees and made him uncomfortable in the pocket. The defense hit Brees seven times, four by the defensive line. Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan combined for 11 tackles and four sacks on the day.
Linebackers
The linebackers did not disrupt the offense on every possession, but they did not make mistakes, and they made a few game-changing plays.
Rookie inside linebacker Jordan Hicks recovered yet another fumble as he pounced on a ball following a strip-sack by Cox in the second quarter. DeMeco Ryans also put his helmet on the ball and forced a fumble by Benjamin Watson late in the game.
Defensive Backs
Drew Brees finished with two touchdowns on the day, but the secondary made the quarterback work for his completions. An elite quarterback will be able to make pin-point throws, but the defensive backs took away his easy targets.
The secondary also came away with two turnovers on the day. Byron Maxwell recovered the fumble forced by Ryans, and Walter Thurmond also jumped a route to intercept Brees in the fourth quarter.
Malcolm Jenkins played against his former team for the first time and continued his stellar season. The safety tied Cox for the team-lead in tackles with six and also brought down runners twice for a loss.
Special Teams
Caleb Sturgis added 15 points for the Eagles in his second game wearing midnight green. The former Miami Dolphin made all four of his field goals but missed an extra point. Sturgis showed his ability to make a range of kicks, but inconsistency may be an issue for the kicker moving forward.
Huff made an impact in the return game, as well, as he returned a kick 40 yards. The Eagles did not have another kick or punt return on the day.
Coaching
Chip Kelly remained committed to the running game throughout the entire game, which also opened up the passing attack for Bradford. He also effectively rotated his backfield to keep the three-headed monster fresh on long drives. Kelly adjusted his system to open the run game by having Bradford take some snaps from under the center.
Philadelphia executed a well-designed offensive game plan against the New Orleans Saints, and it kept momentum throughout the rest of the game once they took the lead in the second quarter.
The one negative came near the end of the first half. The coaching staff received a 15-yard penalty for misconduct during a review of a turnover. Hicks recovered a New Orleans fumble on the 30-yard line, but the Eagles had to start with a 1st-and-25 on the 45 due to the penalty. The Eagles were then forced to settle for a field goal on the possession.
Important Note No. 1: Fletcher Cox's Dominance
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Philadelphia's defensive line often goes unnoticed, but Fletcher Cox made his presence felt against the New Orleans Saints.
The defensive end had a career day with two forced fumbles and one recovered fumble. Even without the turnovers, Cox had three sacks and tied for the most tackles on the team with six.
Cox pushed New Orleans offensive linemen around all afternoon, especially Andrus Peat. The defensive end beat the rookie lineman and got to Brees for a strip-sack. Cox then showed the awareness to quickly scramble and recover his own forced fumble.
The former Mississippi State star now has four sacks on the season through five games, which already ties his season total from last year. The 24-year-old is off to a good start to earning his first Pro Bowl selection
Cox enjoyed praise from the fans as he left the field to an "MVP" chant from the home crowd, according to NFL Network's James Palmer.
Important Note No. 2: Josh Huff's Breakout Game
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Jordan Matthews has emerged as Sam Bradford's primary target this season, but fellow second-year wide receiver Josh Huff showed his abilities against the Saints.
Chip Kelly's offense barely utilized the Oregon product in the first four games of the season, but he was the most effective wide receiver for Philadelphia in Week 5. Huff finished the game with four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.
The highlight of his day came on his 41-yard touchdown reception. Bradford hit Huff about 10 yards from the line of scrimmage, and then, two defenders collided. Huff cruised down the sideline and did a flip into the end zone.
"I turned around and saw there was no one around me, so I just took it into my own hands to celebrate and jump into the end zone," Huff said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Breen. "I always knew I could flip, I just haven't had the opportunity."
Before Week 5, the receiver only had four catches for 39 yards. After his performance, the third-round pick may have earned himself a larger role in Kelly's offense.
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Quote: Josh Huff
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Huff talked about the offensive game plan, per 97.5 The Fanatic's Tim McManus:
"Right before the game (Bradford) brought the whole offense (together) in the shower and just told us to go out and play like we know how to play, and that he has confidence in each and every one of us.
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The Eagles came out against the New Orleans Saints looking inspired, and Sam Bradford's pep talk in the locker room may have played a part in that. Bradford is in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, but his confidence to rally the team showed on the field.
The Eagles moved the ball down the field on two consecutive drives, only to lose possession as Bradford threw interceptions in the end zone. However, the quarterback did not seem fazed by his poor decisions.
Bradford continued to make quick decisions and trust his reads throughout the entire game. He no longer looked like a deer in headlights who only thought he could find a completion by checking the ball down. Bradford did not make all the throws Sunday, but he showed the confidence that he lacked in the first four weeks.
There is a major difference between being 1-4 and 2-3, and the entire team, starting with Bradford, played like they recognized the significance of this game.
Quote: Jason Kelce
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"We gave Sam time to throw, and we gave the backs room to make plays. If we do that, it’s going to be very, very hard to stop us," Jason Kelce said, per CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank.
The changes to the offensive line from last season are well-documented, and the performances of the big guys up front did not justify the shifts through the first four weeks. However, against the Saints, the offensive line dominated and dictated the play throughout the game.
Like Kelce said, the line opened up holes all game long, and the running backs ran aggressively after weeks with few opportunities. The Eagles ran the ball 34 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday.
The offensive line also created a reliable pocket for Bradford, and the quarterback looked comfortable when he dropped back to pass. The Eagles halted the Saints pass rush as Rob Ryan's defense did not hit Bradford even once.
This performance is even more impressive as both Jason Peters and Lane Johnson found themselves on the injury report coming into the game. Both linemen played the entire game and played well.
When Philadelphia's line gives Bradford time to make his reads and opens up holes for DeMarco Murray and Co., Chip Kelly's offense will be hard to stop.
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