Philadelphia Eagles vs New Orleans Saints
Time: October 11th , 1:00 ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia PA
Line: Philadelphia Eagles (-5.5)
What Happened Last Week:
The Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the biggest disappointments of the NFL thus far. After being picked by many to win the NFC East and possibly even the Super Bowl, they are far from that after beginning the season 1-3. Things have not looked better recently as they are coming off a tough loss against their bitter rivals, the Washington Redskins. The Eagles led for a large majority of the fourth quarter but lost late after Kirk Cousins found Pierre Garcon for the game winning touchdown with just 30 seconds remaining in the game.
The New Orleans Saints are trending in the opposite direction of the Eagles. After a horrendous 0-3 start to the season that featured no Drew Brees for a game, the Saints may have started to find their stride. After looking like the 0-3 team they were, the Saints began to turn things on last week. After a back and forth game with the Dallas Cowboys last week, the Saints eventually won it in overtime on an 80-yard TD pass from Brees to C.J. Spiller. The won may have saved the Saint's season
Major Injuries:
Philadelphia Eagles:
LB Kiko Alonso: The Eagles star linebacker continues to miss games due to a partial tear in his ACL. There is no timetable for his return.
OT Jason Peters: The Eagles offensive tackle is listed as questionable with a quad injury. If he is out it will be a big blow to a young Eagles offensive line.
New Orleans Saints:
OT Jahri Evans: The stud Saints tackle could possibly return from a knee injury. It would be a big boost to the Saints offense as they have struggled to protect the quarterback this year.
Matchup to Watch:
Byron Maxwell - Brandon Cooks:
A big matchup will be Eagles corner Byron Maxwell vs speedy Saints receiver Brandon Cooks. Maxwell has been getting better week after week and his play will likely be a deciding factor in this game.
If Cooks is able to burn Maxwell it will be a big win for the Saints, but if Maxwell is able to shut him down it will put the Eagles in a good position to come out of the game with the win.
Prediction:
This should be a very testy game between two teams desperate for a Win. The Saints should come out with a ton of momentum after their huge victory last week. After a tough loss last week the Eagles will come out fired up but in the end they will fall short.
Saints 27, Eagles 20