Eagles Rally To Beat Saints Behind Dominating Defense, Two Offensive Stars

Here are my studs, duds, turning point, and more from the Philadelphia Eagles' 15-12 win over the New Orleans Saints to reach 2-1.

Sep 22, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) passes against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Eagles defense did its job. The offense left points on the board all over the place in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints inside a raucous Superdome, thanks to two more turnovers from Jalen Hurts and some questionable decisions from Nick Sirianni.

Then along came Saquon Barkley, Dallas Goedert, and Reed Blankenship.

Barkley’s 65-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter led to the Eagles’ first score and Goedert’s 65-yard catch on third-and-16 in the final two minutes led to their second. Both plays were huge in getting the Eagles to 2-1 with a 15-12 win over the Saints.

So too was Blankenship’s interception with 48 seconds left and the Saints trying to do what the Atlanta Falcons did last week and come back in the final minute.

The Eagles’ defense was superb all game long, holding a Saints team averaging 45.5 points per game and more than 400 yards of total offense per game to one touchdown and 219 yards of total offense with just 12 first downs.

Barkley’s 65-yard touchdown run put the Eagles up 7-3 early in the fourth quarter.

Things looked bleak after the Saints forged ahead 12-7 on a 13-yard touchdown catch from Chris Olave with 2:03 to play. The Eagles got the ball but found themselves in third-and-16 situation.

That’s when Goedert was wide open on a crossing route and went 61 yards before being forced out at the 4. Barkley finished it with his second touchdown run of the game with 1:01 to go.

Should it have come down to the final seconds?

Maybe not.

Sirianni chose not to kick field goals in two important sitatuions.

The Eagles coach chose not to take a chip shot field goal in the final 15 seconds of the first half, opting to go with a fake tush push and run to Saquon Barkley, which went nowhere. Taking the points to tie the game at 3-3 was the smarter choice, especially in a hostile environment and with injuries to the offensive line that had backups Tyler Steen at right guard and Fred Johnson at right tackle.

On their first possession of the second half, Sirianni chose not to try for a 52- or 53-yard field goal and dropped Hurts back to pass on fourth-and-three. He got sacked.

Hurts was bitten by turnovers again, too, both in the first half.

He threw his second end zone interception of the season to ruin one drive. He also lost a fumble on a sack after the Eagles moved to the Saints’ 40.

TURNING POINT

Fourth-and-one stop. Linebacker Zack Baun made the tackle on Alvin Kamara just inside the red zone after the Saints had blocked a punt to set them up at Philly’s 27. A good play was also made by Brandon Graham, who was double-teamed, but he didn’t budge, forcing Kamara to try to navigate traffic in the hole. Baun finished the game with 13 tackles.

STUDS

Saquon Barkley. The running back’s 65-yard TD was his longest TD run in five years and the longest in the NFL so far this season. He finished with 147 yards on 17 carries (8.6 yards per carry). The score prevented the Eagles from getting shut out for the first time since Dec. 31, 2017, in a 6-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in a game played with all backups.

Dallas Goedert. The tight end had career-highs with 10 catches for 170 yards. His previous highs were nine in 2019 and 135 in 2021.

Jalen Carter. Two deflected passes at line of scrimmage, both on third down. He also made a three-yard tackle for loss on drive that forced a punt after Saints had made it to Eagles 40 after Jalen Hurts fumble then another TFL on third-and short early in the second half.

Jordan Davis. The run-stopper did his job and had a sack, too. he had four tackles. he had four tackles.

Brandon Graham. The veteran not only stood his ground on the fourth-and-one stop, but pressured quarterback Derek Carr into throwing an interception that sealed the win.

Jeff Stoutland. The Eagles coach prepares his backups as well as he does his starters. The Eagles needed Tyler Steen to step in at right guard and Fred Johnson at right tackle early in the game when injuries struck down Mekhi Becton and Lane Johnson. Steen and Johnson played well.

DUDS

Nick Sirianni. See above.

Jalen Hurts. He has thrown an interception in seven straight games. He added a lost fumble. The two turnovers give him 26 now dating back to last season. He put up numbers though – 29-for-38, 311 yards. And an 88.8 passer rating.

Red zone offense. Eagles hit two big pass plays – 21 yards to DeVonta Smith and 43 yards to Dallas Goedert to get to Saints 13, then a zone read from Hurts gets 0 yards. The Eagles were 2-for-5 last week and 1-for-3 this week.

Penalties. The Eagles had 12-men in the huddle late in the third quarter to run a third-and-2 on the Saints’ side of the filed to third-and-7. They couldn’t convert. They also had an illegal formation penalty that negated a positive offensive play. For the game, they had seven for 45.

THOUGHTS

-That was a huge bounce-back win after last week’s collapse against the Falcons.

-The Superdome was a house of horrors for the Eagles. They had won there only once since 2001 with five losses in that time.

INJURIES

The game was costly with injuries:

-WR Britain Covey (shoulder)

 -RT Lane Johnson (concussion)

-RG Mekhi Becton (hand).

-DeVonta Smith (evaluated for concussion)

-Darius Slay (unknown injury).

None of those players returned after being injured. Yet, the Eagles persevered.

More NFL: Eagles Defense Gets A Boost With Addition Of Safety Off Injury Report