Wild Card Preview: Saints Defense vs. Eagles Offense

The match-up between the New Orleans Saints defense and the Philadelphia Eagles offense is easily the most intriguing of any in tonight’s game. We pretty much know what to expect on the other side of the ball. The New Orleans offense is one of the best in the league and the Philadelphia defense is one of the worst. That’s not so much the case when the Eagles have the ball.

The New Orleans Saints surprised everyone when they came out playing great defense early on this season. Most summed it up to a hot start and assumed that they would revert back to their old ways or at the very least slow down. That didn’t happen. The Saints finished the season with the 4th ranked defense in the NFL, allowing just 305.7 yards per game. They also finished 4th in the league in scoring defense, holding opponents to 19.0 points per game. Pairing that up with the offense’s numbers, you’d think the Saints would’ve done no worse than 13-3 like in 2009, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. There aren’t many reasons to point fingers when you’re 11-5 and in the playoffs, but considering how well this team played through the better half of the season, it’s hard not to. Frankly, the defense did it’s part. The numbers may not show it, but the offense put the defense in bad positions throughout the year. The defense was relied on to keep the team in the game multiple times and they didn’t disappoint. Take the game against the Rams, for example. Even when playing probably their worse game of the season, the defense did all they could to help the stagnant Saints offense. Looking at a game in which New Orleans won, the defense single-handily kept them in the game against San Francisco. Whether it was interceptions, a muffed punt, or a turnover on downs, the defense fought all day and held the 49ers to under 200 yards of total offense. Thankfully at the end, Drew Brees and his unit did their part. The point is that the defense has come through on multiple occasions. Rob Ryan has worked wonders with this record-breakingly bad unit from a year ago. There aren’t awards for top coordinators, but if there was, he’d deserve it. 

Speaking of huge turnarounds for a unit, the Philadelphia offense went through a makeover from a season ago. Head Coach Chip Kelley brought his fast-paced, point scoring offense from the college ranks, where he led his Oregon Ducks to multiple double digit win seasons and PAC championships. Not many believed his no-huddle attack would work well in the NFL, mostly do to the lack of extra offensive players to rotate to keep those on the field fresh. You have to give the Eagles credit, though. They showed what great condition they were in and how hard they worked in the off-season to get there. The offense actually underwent another big change a little less than halfway through this season. 2nd year quarterback Nick Foles took over for Michael Vick, who continued to battle health issues and staying on the field. Foles played in relief for a couple games early in the season and did well enough to be given the job full time halfway through the year. He didn’t disappoint. He led Philadelphia’s offense to a second place finish behind Denver for best offense in the NFL, racking up 417.3 yards per game. They are very good at converting those yards in to points, finishing 4th in the league with 27.6 points per contest. With Kelley’s offense, the key is to keep them from getting on a roll. Once they get you on your heels, watch out.

Pass Defense

Of the Saints magical defensive turnaround, the pass defense has truly been the most surprising and impressive. Whether it be better coverage in the secondary or a relentless pass rush, the formula has worked. New Orleans finished with the 2nd best pass defense in the league, allowing just 194.1 yards per game. It’s hard to pick out one MVP from this unit, but Cam Jordan is likely the top choice. The 3rd year defensive end improved upon his 8.0 sack season from a year ago and got the opposing quarterback 12.5 times this year. Even when he doesn’t get the sack, he’s gotten to the passer with relative ease. Speaking of improvement, Junior Galette more than doubled his 2012 output, recording 12.0 sacks in 2013. The tandem has been nearly impossible to slow down, creating a dangerous rush from both edges. On the backside of the pass defense, Keenan Lewis has been a huge boost in the secondary, making his homecoming that much sweeter. Lewis finished the season with the team high 4 interceptions. He also broke up 11 passes. Corey White has stepped in for Jabari Greer, who was lost for the season in a gruesome knee injury back against San Francisco. White has struggled at times, but has recorded an interception and had 7 passed defended. 1st round draft pick Kenny Vaccaro was up there with Lewis for how much of a boost he provided to this unit. Unfortunately, Vaccaro fractured his ankle in Week 16 against Carolina and will be out for the rest of the year.

Nick Foles’s offense is truly known for their rushing attack, but their passing game is dangerous as well. They finished the season with the 9th best unit in the league, airing it out for 256.9 yards per game. As a starter in the second half of the year, Foles averaged 283.3 yards per game. What’s most impressive is his touchdown to interception ratio. He threw 27 touchdowns compared to just 2 interceptions. For a young starter with such little experience, how well he has protected the ball is extremely impressive. It doesn’t hurt to have weapons like LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson, though. Jackson led the team in all receiving categories with 82 receptions, 1,332 yards, and 9 touchdowns. McCoy added in 52 receptions, 539, and 2 touchdowns, showing his ability to be a dual threat out of the backfield. Despite the preseason controversy surrounding racist comments, Riley Cooper stepped up and proved his worth in the Eagles offense. He finished the year with 47 receptions, 835 yards, and was second on the team with 8 touchdown receptions. From the tight-end position, the combination of Brent Celek and Zach Ertz has provided fantastic production. They combined for 68 receptions, 971 yards, and 10 touchdowns. Ertz, a rookie out of Stanford, has steadily improved throughout the year. Philadelphia is certainly not lacking in weapons, if you haven’t noticed.

The match-up in the passing game may end up being the mos crucial of any of them on either side of the ball. With as good as Philadelphia’s rushing attack is, it’s very important that New Orleans limits Foles and the rest of their passing game’s ability to move the ball down the field through the air. The Eagles allowed the 8th most sacks in the league this year, so Jordan, Galette, and company are going to have to take advantage of that. He may be playing at home, but Foles is still a second year quarterback playing in his first playoff game of his career. If the Saints can create the pressure, his confidence could be shaken early on and Coach Kelley may try to rely on the rushing attack, becoming more predictable.

Rush Defense

Much like the rushing offense, the run defense is the weak link of it’s unit. I truly believe they aren’t quite as bad as advertised, though. Actually, they haven’t been criticized that much in recent weeks, mostly because of how poorly the offense has played on the road. The numbers say that New Orleans finished 19th in run defense, giving up 111.6 yards per game. Watching every game from start to finish this year, you’d notice that the Saints rarely get pounded on the ground all the way down field. It’s the big plays that kill them. They likely allow more 20+ yard runs of anyone in the league. Just like the Eagles, the Saints heart and soul of their defense sits with the inside linebackers of their 3-4 scheme. Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne finished the year with the 1st and 2nd most tackles. They finished with 125 and 91 tackles, respectively. Both of them have the tremendous ability to get from sideline to sideline with lateral quickness, tracking down running backs who are trying to stretch out their run.

If you’re looking for the best rushing attack in the NFL, look no further. The Eagles finished at the top of the league, churning out a whopping 160.4 yards per game. LeSean McCoy has done it all by himself this year on his way to the NFL’s rushing title. He ran his way to 1,607 yards and 9 touchdowns. Of starting running backs, he was tied for 1st in the league with a 5.1 yards per carry average. His ability to stick his foot in the ground and take it to the house is unparalleled. You hear analysts, announcers, and writers use the phrase, “the ability to take it all the way every time he touches the ball”, all the time, but McCoy is the the truest of that description.

The Saints have likely already accepted that McCoy is going to get his yards. I urge you to do the same. If he breaks a 20 yard run in the second quarter, try not to get to frustrated. He does it to everyone. He does it in wins and he also does it in losses. The keys are to prevent him from doing it multiple times and to disallow him from breaking something of 40+ or so and turning it in to a score. If New Orleans can hold McCoy to around 120 yards and one touchdown, while keeping Foles and the passing game from lighting it up, they should have a very good chance.

Players to Watch

Cam Jordan/Junior Galette

The pass rush will be crucial to throw off Nick Foles. The Eagles attack with a vertical passing game, so these two, along with the other guys, can’t let him sit back with tons of time in the pocket to find Jackson, Cooper, and the tight ends down field. DeSean Jackson is very fast, but even he needs some time to be able to get deep down field. Even if Foles is able to get throws off, the pass rush needs to be close enough to affect his throws.

Curtis Lofton/David Hawthorne

They’ve been the heart and soul of the run defense all year, so they’re going to have to show up big tonight. McCoy sets up his holes by moving east and west, then cutting on a dime up field. We’ve seen both Lofton and Hawthorne show the ability to move laterally and stretch out a run for nothing more than a short game, but they are going to have to display the patience and discipline to be prepared for McCoy’s quick steps.

Keenan Lewis

If Lewis can keep DeSean Jackson at bay, the Saints should have no problem limiting Foles to no more than 225 yards. When I say “at bay” I’m talking around 50 yards. Lewis has shown the ability to lock down top receivers throughout the year, so there’s no reason to believe he can’t do it tonight. I’m looking for around 65 from Cooper, 75 from the tight ends, so adding in 30-40 yards from other receivers would keep Foles around that 225 mark. If New Orleans can make that happen, McCoy would have to have one hell of a game to beat them.

Prediction

Even after another day of thinking and looking at the numbers, I still feel confident about a close Saints win. The weather report still shows mid to high 20s, no snow, and low wind, so things should be as favorable as possible. Now it’s just in the hands of Coach Payton, Drew Brees, and the other guys to pull out the victory.

Saints – 27

Eagles – 24

Who Dat?!