Fri Dec 21 14:58:15 2007

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Saints Can Remain in Playoff Discussion With Win Over Eagles

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(Sports Network) - The New Orleans Saints, an organization with a largely dubious past, has its sights set on a positive piece of history this time around.

Sean Payton's club, which will welcome the Philadelphia Eagles to the Louisiana Superdome on Sunday, is gunning to become just the second team in NFL history, and first in NFC annals, to rebound from an 0-4 start to reach the postseason.

Only the 1992 San Diego Chargers have pulled off the feat previously, and no one can attest to the difficulty of turning the ship around like this year's Saints.

New Orleans has played 7-4 football since their poor opening stretch, with wins over NFC West Champion Seattle and the likely playoff-bound Jacksonville Jaguars along the way, and still the Saints need two victories and some help to earn the franchise's first back-to-back playoff appearances since 1991-92.

Payton and company sit one game behind 8-6 Minnesota for the final Wild Card berth in the NFC, and even if they beat both the Eagles this week and the Bears in their season finale, will need assistance in the form of one loss for the Vikings (vs. Washington, at Denver) or two for the Giants (at Buffalo, vs. New England) in order to realize their playoff aspirations.

Last week, New Orleans pulled to .500 for just the second time this season in a 31-24 home win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The Eagles were also winners last week, going to Dallas and scoring a 10-6 upset over the previously one-win Cowboys, but were knocked out of playoff contention when Minnesota defeated Chicago on Monday night.

At this stage, Andy Reid's disappointing team will play mostly to avoid the Eagles' second losing season in the last three years, and also to avenge a couple of painful losses in New Orleans last season.

The Saints took down the Eagles by identical 27-24 counts in both the regular season and playoffs last year.

SERIES HISTORY

Philadelphia leads the all-time regular season series with New Orleans by a 14-9 margin, and had won the last five matchups between the teams, a streak dating back to 1992, before the Saints' aforementioned 27-24 home triumph in Week 6 of last season. The Eagles' last win in the series came in 2003 at home, and they last won in New Orleans in 2000.

In addition to the regular season series, the teams have met twice in the postseason, with the Eagles taking a 36-20 road decision in a 1992 NFC Divisional Playoff, and the Saints returning the favor with the above- mentioned 27-24 home win in a Divisional Playoff last season.

Reid is 2-2 in his career against New Orleans, while the Saints' Payton, who served as quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia in 1997-98, is 2-0 against both Reid and the Eagles as a head coach.

WHEN THE EAGLES HAVE THE BALL

The Eagles didn't exactly run up and down the field in last week's upset of the Cowboys, but did move the chains consistently and avoided the critical turnovers that have plagued the offense at times this season. As usual, the attack's efforts were aided by recently-named Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook (1191 rushing yards, 83 receptions, 12 TD), who had 144 yards on 27 total touches and selflessly gave up a sure touchdown in the closing minutes so that the Philadelphia offense could run out the clock. Westbrook leads the NFL with 1,896 yards from scrimmage on the season. Hot-and-cold Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb (2716 passing yards, 15 TD, 6 INT) also had an efficient game, completing 23-of-41 passes for 208 yards including a one-yard touchdown strike to Reggie Brown (50 receptions, 3 TD) in the second quarter that marked the contest's only TD. Wideout Kevin Curtis (64 receptions, 5 TD) added five grabs for 40 yards, and is now 30 yards shy of his first career 1,000-yard season. Rookie tight end Brent Celek (11 receptions) had the best day of his young pro career with three receptions totaling 50 yards. The Philly line has had its share of problems in surrendering 40 sacks on the year, including four of McNabb last week.

If the Saints fail to make the playoffs this year, most fingers will be pointed in the direction of a defense that ranks just 27th overall (347.1 yards per game), including 30th against the pass (249.6 yards per game), and ranks near the bottom of the league with only 27 sacks. The secondary wasn't great last Sunday, allowing Kurt Warner to throw for 219 yards and three touchdown passes, but did get an interception from Roman Harper (78 tackles, 3 INT, 2 sacks) and five pass deflections from fellow safety Kevin Kaesviharn (35 tackles). Top pass rusher Will Smith (58 tackles, 6 sacks) contributed five tackles but was shut out in the sack department. The team has been better against the run, ranking eighth overall (87.6 yards per game), and got a big individual effort from linebacker Scott Fujita (87 tackles, 3 sacks) last Sunday. The journeyman posted 10 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in the win over Arizona. Ex-Eagle Hollis Thomas (44 tackles, 3 sacks) is the team's biggest difference-maker on the interior line at this stage.

WHEN THE SAINTS HAVE THE BALL

The big story for the Saints this week involves the possible return of running back Reggie Bush (581 rushing yards, 73 receptions, 6 TD), who is considered questionable after missing two games with a partially torn knee ligament. The presence of Bush would be somewhat controversial given the strides the running game has made in the past two weeks, with Aaron Stecker (395 rushing yards, 3 TD, 33 receptions) leading the charge with 195 yards and two touchdowns in those two wins. Stecker had 141 scrimmage yards on 28 total touches in last week's win over the Saints. That said, New Orleans' attack will remain a pass- first group, with Drew Brees (3819 passing yards, 25 TD, 15 INT) throwing often to wideouts Marques Colston (87 receptions, 9 TD) and David Patten (44 receptions, 3 TD) along with tight end Billy Miller (21 receptions, 2 TD). Colston had another huge game with eight catches for 114 yards and a score last week, while the veteran Patten hauled in six balls for 71 yards and a score of his own. Tight end Eric Johnson (44 receptions, 2 TD) is considered questionable after missing last week's win with a groin injury. The New Orleans offensive line has allowed a league-low 12 sacks on the season.

One week after putting together its finest defensive performance of the year against the high-flying Dallas attack, the Philadelphia defense will have to again play at a high level against the Saints' proficient group. The Cowboys had scored 24 points in every game of 2007 prior to last week's six-point effort, with the Eagles forcing Dallas quarterback Tony Romo (13-of-36 passing, 214 yards, 3 INT, 4 sacks absorbed) into the worst day of his young career. Cornerback Lito Sheppard (45 tackles, 2 INT) and safeties Brian Dawkins (36 tackles, 1 INT) and Quintin Mikell (61 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) all had interceptions of Romo, with Sheppard's key pick and six tackles earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Trent Cole (65 tackles) had one of the four sacks of Romo, upping his team lead in that category to 12.5. Dallas had similar bad luck on the ground against the Eagles, with Philly holding running backs Julius Jones and Marion Barber to a combined 38 yards on 13 carries. Tackles Mike Patterson (62 tackles, 4 sacks) and Brodrick Bunkley (27 tackles, 3 sacks) may have played their best game of the year on the interior, while linebackers Omar Gaither (90 tackles, 1 INT) and Takeo Spikes (86 tackles, 1 sack) had five tackles each behind them. Unfortunately for Reid's squad, Spikes suffered a torn rotator cuff in the win, and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Wednesday.

FANTASY FOCUS

The Brees-to-Colston connection has reaped a lot of dividends for fantasy owners this season, and both remain must-plays. Patten, who didn't even appear on most fantasy rosters until mid-season, has also become a worthwhile play. The running back situation in New Orleans is problematic for owners, however. If Bush is confirmed to be out, think hard about starting Stecker. If Bush plays, you should leave both Saints running backs on the bench.

On the Eagles' side, don't hold Westbrook's last-second kneel-down in Dallas against him - he still leads the league in scrimmage yards and is a must- start. Elsewhere, there's little to recommend Philadelphia, since the passing game, defense, and kicking game have not been consistent point-producers.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

It should be clear by now that the Saints' 7-7 record isn't simply a by- product of bad luck, as New Orleans is a mediocre team with talent problems in several key areas, particularly on defense. Still, New Orleans has enough offensive punch to keep itself in the playoff hunt this week, given the circumstances that Philadelphia faces. The Eagles are playing their second straight road game, have been eliminated from playoff contention, and come off an emotional win over a hated rival. All of those factors lend themselves to a loss of focus on Philly's part this week, meaning the Saints should be able to make enough plays to get victory number eight.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Saints 23, Eagles 16