Eagles vs Saints Prediction

Philadelphia Offense vs New Orleans Defense
Since Donovan McNabb went down to injury, and the play-calling has been shifted to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, the Eagles offense has found more balance.

The Eagles now pass and run an equal amount of the time, which could be the difference in the coming game versus the Saints.

In the first meeting between the two teams, the Eagles passed the ball 32 times and rushed it only 19 times.

That will change this time around as the Eagles will have to rely on Brian Westbrook if they plan to win.

The Saints rushing defense gives up 129 yards per game and will need to stay disciplined. Westbrook is dangerous in the open field and the Eagles like to find him with short passes as well, evidenced by his 77 receptions.

The New Orleans defensive line will get a boost with the return of run-stuffing tackle Hollis Thomas, who is returning from a four-game suspension.

The Eagles are one of the league’s better road teams and will have to play mistake-free football if they plan to advance. Jeff Garcia struggled in last week’s squeaker against the New York Giants, completing only 17 of his 31 passes.

The Saints will do their best job to keep him inside the pocket, as he likes to escape outside of it and find receivers who have broken off of routes.

The Eagles offensive line is performing at a much higher level right now than it did in the Week six match-up earlier this season.

New Orleans Offense vs Philadelphia Defense
No coach has done a better job of devising offensive game plans this season than Sean Payton.

The Saints have preferred the pass over the run throughout most of the season, but in the previous match-up with the Eagles, the Saints offense pounded the ball until they earned a 17-3 second quarter lead.

Recognizing that the way to attack the Eagles defense was on the ground, 11 of the Saints first 18 offensive plays were runs.

The Eagles rushing defense allowed over 150 yards last week and, since it is still feeble, expect the Saints to attack the same way on Saturday.

The Eagles will be without their top cornerback, Lito Sheppard, who dislocated his elbow against the Giants. After he left the game, the Giants made their comeback to tie the game on a simple 11-yard touchdown catch by Plaxico Burress. Rod Hood, the player who replaced Sheppard, got burned on the play.

The Saints have a plethora of wide receivers, who will cause the Eagles fits. In the last meeting, the Eagles tried to counter these mismatches by sending non-stop blitzes, but the Saints were still one step ahead.

Quarterback Drew Brees used a lot of three-step dropbacks and released the ball very quickly, not allowing the Eagles pressure to get to their target. The Eagles have to make an adjustment – either avoiding these blitzes if they are ineffective or finding another way to get to Brees – or they will lose this battle again.

Special Teams
The Saints have excellent return units highlighted by Reggie Bush and Michael Lewis and boast solid kicking units with John Carney and Steve Weatherford.

The Eagles returns units are not nearly as strong and, while David Akers is an accurate place kicker, punter Dirk Johnson has been average this season.

Prediction
The Saints have a lot of tantalizing match-ups in their favor. The Eagles blitzing schemes didn’t affect them in the first meeting and the Saints have ample weapons locked and loaded against a beaten up secondary and a weak rush defense.

But, on the other sidelines is a world of playoff experience and a seasoned coaching staff that has dealt with far more situations like this than the Saints have. The Eagles have also won six straight games.

Eagles 31, Saints 28

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