Saints vs Eagles
The Saints lost their first game of the season this past Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles in what was a night and day performance from the last few weeks. The Saints offense, who put up over 40 points in both of their first two games, struggled to get into any rhythm and were out-gained by the Eagles 460 to 219 in total yards.
Throughout the first half, the offense was constantly bailed out by the defense, who forced turnovers deep into their own territory to end long Eagles drives that should have been (if not for some costly mistakes) converted into points. The game continued to stall through two and a half quarters, with the Saints offense looking more like the conservative, predictable one from last year as opposed to the dynamic, motion filled one we have seen for the first two weeks. During this time, despite leading 3-0, no Saints drive lasted for longer than six plays, and they failed to convert on both the turnovers and the blocked punt forced by the defense and special teams, respectively.
When the Saints fell down 7-3, the offense finally came alive (somewhat), putting together two scoring drives to put them up 12-7. The standout for the offense this game was receiver Chris Olave, who finally got going this season with 86 yards and a touchdown.
By that point, however, the defense was clearly fatigued. When the Eagles got the ensuing possession, down 12-7 at the two-minute warning, they were able to immediately get down the field and score. This drive largely came from a 61-yard pass to Dallas Goedert from Jalen Hurts on a Third and 16 play where multiple Saints players collided into each other trying to play man coverage. The following two plays were a Saquon Barkley touchdown and two-point conversion that put the Eagles up 15-12.
Despite coming up big in the previous two drives, the pressure from the Eagles defense got to Carr on the last drive of the game, resulting in an interception to Reed Blankenship that ended the game. It definitely didn't help Carr or the offense that starting offensive linemen Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz both came down with injuries during the game, giving him less time in the pocket.
The
Saints better hope their offensive line, and entire offense in general,
regroups before a big game this weekend in Atlanta against the rival Falcons.
Continuous production from the offense will give a dominant Saints defense the
rest needed to attack Atlanta's playmakers and bring home a critical division
win.
