Eagles at Saints predictions for Week 3 of the NFL season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles (1-1) travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints (2-0) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at the Caesars Superdome.
Let’s move on to the predictions:
Ruben Frank (0-2)
Derek Carr has played 16 drives this year. The Saints have scored 15 of them — 10 touchdowns and five field goals. And on the one drive they didn’t score, they were up 41-19 in the fourth quarter against the Cowboys. With 47 points against the Panthers and 44 against the Cowboys, the Saints have scored the 4th-most points through a two-game stretch in NFL history and the 2nd-most since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. That’s what the Eagles will face on Sunday in the fast lane at the Superdome, where they’re 1-5 over the last 20 years, allowing 29 points per game. The Eagles are in the bottom six in every major defensive category, and unless they can magically figure out how to stop the run, pressure the quarterback and make routine tackles, it’s going to be impossible to slow down Carr, Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, Chris Olave and company. Now, I don’t think the Saints will score 40 points against the Eagles. They have a lot more talent than the Panthers and they won’t give up like the Cowboys. But I don’t think they can score enough points to leave New Orleans with a win, probably still without AJ Brown.
Saints 31, Eagles 24
Dave Zangaro (1-1)
If the Eagles were at full strength in this game, I’d probably pick them. The Saints have looked great the last two weeks, but not only am I not ready to crown them. The sample size is too small. Despite the temptation to pick the Eagles, the absence of AJ Brown and CJ Gardner-Johnson has me swinging the other way. This is a tough game. The Saints offense has looked really good running the ball and the Eagles just can’t stop the run right now and I don’t have much faith that they’re going to suddenly pull it off this week. Those outside zone runs gave the Eagles trouble in Week 2 and the Saints are going to give them a lot of runs in this game.
The Eagles might be able to score some points against the Saints. This defense is really solid, but doesn’t have a lot of top-tier talent, outside of a few key players. Demario Davis is excellent at linebacker and can change a game. But the Eagles should be able to keep up. I just think there’s too much going against them in this game.
Saints 27, Eagles 24
Barrett Brooks (0-2)
Anyone using these columns to bet, please scroll past this. Again, I’m going with my heart and gut. Yes, the Birds defense looked terrible last week. Yes, they couldn’t stop the Falcons from scoring a TD to win the game and it only took 1:05. And even worse than that, the defense is giving up over 6.0 yards per carry on the ground. But my glass is still half full. I can see Vic Fangio telling everyone it’s a matter of do it or shut up! Only players who play well will be on the field from now on. No favoritism based on how long you’ve been on the team or what round you were drafted in. The productive players will play regardless of how much they’re paid or how much experience they have in the league. I’m just going to assume the hungry dogs will get a chance to eat and turn this around.
Offensively, the Eagles will do just fine. Jalen Hurts will continue to improve and the offense will evolve as he takes on more of Kellen Moore’s plays in the scheme. It will be a big day for Dallas Goedert. And Saquon Barkley will be the bell cow back for this offense.
Eagles 28, Saints 24
Mike Mülhern (1-1)
The Saints have been the embodiment of being stuck in the middle in the post-Drew Brees era. They’ve hovered around .500 and never made the playoffs, but kept making win-now moves with a roster that didn’t seem ready to win now. It appears a switch has finally been flipped with Klint Kubiak taking over for longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Shanahan’s system fits Derek Carr like a glove, especially when they’re running the ball right now. That will likely continue Sunday against an Eagles run defense that has been battered to the tune of 6.4 yards per carry. That gives Carr plenty of opportunities to take deep shots down the field on play action. What’s more, the quarterback is 6-2 with a 103.9 passer rating in eight career matchups against Vic Fangio.
I expect the Eagles offense to have a better game plan Sunday without AJ. Brown than it did Monday night. His hamstring injury late in the week made it harder to adjust against the Falcons. But with a full week of knowing they’ll be without their star player, they can make better use of Dallas Goedert and heavy doses of both Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts’ designed runs. Everyone seems ready to anoint the Saints and bury the Eagles. The matchups favor New Orleans, and they’re flying high. The Eagles are coming off an epic collapse after a short week visiting a hostile environment. There’s no reason to pick them, but the NFL is a week-to-week competition. I’ll zig while everyone else zags.
Eagles 27, Saints 24
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