The New Orleans Saints moved to 2-0 after a thrashing of the Dallas Cowboys last weekend. Now, they get another opportunity to show the entire league they are for real this season with their upcoming Week 3 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. If this Saints team wins again, then you’re going to see a lot more analysts and NFL fans jump on the bandwagon.
Eagles’ Brutal Defeat Last Weekend
We’ve talked enough about the Saints’ dominant performance over the Cowboys, so let’s start with the Eagles. Philadelphia fell to 1-1 on the season after a very disappointing loss at home against the Atlanta Falcons. There were two minutes left in the game, Philadelphia had the ball, they were inside the red zone, and the Falcons had no timeouts remaining. On a third down and short, Philadelphia attempted to throw the ball, and it wound up being a dropped pass by Saquon Barkley, who would have likely turned up field and converted the first down to ice the game. Instead, they took the three points, saved the Falcons 40 seconds, and Atlanta marched down the field to ice the game. Even after they scored, Jalen Hurts had some time to try and match a field goal but threw a game-sealing interception. This team wants to bounce back, though it’s no question they aren’t happy with that last performance.
This Week 3 matchup is going to be taking place in New Orleans, which is huge information here. The Saints are probably going to be playing in an electric atmosphere following their Cowboys victory, and it’ll give them an incredible advantage against an Eagles team that is looking for their own momentum already. However, it’s still worth remembering that the Eagles are a great team. Jalen Hurts is going to make defense difficult for New Orleans with his legs and his arm strength, and Saquon Barkley is never an easy tackle. Those two are going to be the game-wreckers in Philadelphia. Luckily, the Saints signed Willie Gay, who thrived last season with the Kansas City Chiefs as a quarterback spy, a role he’ll likely play against Hurts. If he takes that run away and forces Hurts to pass into this vaunted secondary, the Saints will have a good shot to win.
Injuries Are A Story
Other news that is worth talking about is that the Eagles superstar receiver A.J. Brown will not be playing due to his hamstring injury. This leaves DeVonta Smith as the number one option in this passing attack. It makes the Eagles’ offense significantly easier to defend, and it will give the Saints more options in how they use their defensive backs. There is also a chance that former Saint CJ Gardner Johnson will not play after aggravating a foot injury during practice in the middle of the week. That would be another MASSIVE loss for this defense that got torn apart against the pass in Week 1 and during the final drive of Week 2.
The New Orleans Saints Might Have Some Advantages
From the Saints’ perspective, they have the pieces to take the win here. This secondary (with Marshon Lattimore anticipated to play) should be able to at least limit what the Eagles want to do in the passing attack. They’ve also been incredible at forcing turnovers, something they’ll probably have to do again. The interesting matchup is going to be with the Saints’ defensive line and the Eagles’ offensive line. New Orleans has been pretty good up front through two games, but this was a concern for them, and it’s why they brought in Chase Young. That’ll be fun to watch. On the other end, this Saints offense will need to stay hot and take advantage of the Eagles’ weaknesses. Philadelphia is strong on the defensive line, so if this offensive line keeps rolling and takes that advantage away, they’ll have a great shot at exploiting a young and vulnerable secondary with their receivers.
All in all, I think we are in store for a very fun and exciting matchup in the dome. New Orleans fans haven’t had something to cheer about in some time, and this is the first game in quite some time where a win would tell the world that they can compete for a Super Bowl. It’s going to be loud.