The New Orleans Saints were looking to get to 3-0 for the first time in roughly a decade as they faced the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, but that opportunity slipped away from them last-minute. The last time New Orleans went unbeaten for its first three games of the season was in 2013, and it’s a feat they’ve only accomplished seven times in team history.
In what was largely a defensive contest, the Saints ultimately lost the edge offensively against an Eagles team that left it all out on the field in a bounceback effort after falling in an equally close game to the Atlanta Falcons last week.
Here’s a look at everything to know from the Week 3 loss for the Saints, the biggest storylines, who stood out and what is coming up next on the schedule:
The Eagles won the time of possession battle in the first half and stifled what has been a difficult-to-stop Saints offense. The unit was on a historical track through the first two games of the season, putting together some 91 points.
The Eagles zapped the run game from the Saints early, holding running back Alvin Kamara to just 33 yards on 12 carries in the first half. The Eagles dominated the majority of the game at that point, but did not have anything to show for it on the scoreboard through the first two quarters. The Saints walked into the locker room with a 3-0 lead.
The defensive slugfest continued into the second half, but both offenses started to find some life in the fourth quarter as the Eagles lessened their self-inflicted wounds — something that Saints did not do. Outscoring the Saints 15-9 in the final quarter made all of the difference for Philadelphia.
There were injury issues for both teams in this one as the Saints did not suffer losses in the same way the Eagles did, but still suffered the effects.
- OL Erik McCoy suffered a groin injury early in the game and did not return
- OL Cesar Ruiz left with an injury, but quickly came back into the game
With the amount of back and forth that transpired in the second half, it was anyone’s game until quite literally the final seconds of the contest.
Quarterback Derek Carr threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Olave in the final three minutes of the game to make it 12-7. The two-point conversion failed.
The defensive effort by the Saints on the Eagles’ last drive started off strong, as defensive tackle Bryan Bresee gets the sack on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on a key play. But tight end Dallas Goedert’s 60-yard reception set up a Barkley touchdown, and it was Barkley again who took it in for the two-point conversion to send the Eagles up.
The Saints had a chance to tie the game with a field goal or to get a win with a touchdown on the following drive, but a poor decision by Carr under pressure sent a pass intended for Rashid Shaheed to Eagles defender Reed Blankenship instead.
The Saints didn’t have the same number of offensive standouts this week as defense told the story of the game for both teams. There were several key plays made on that side of the ball, though, to get New Orleans the outcome it was after.
- Special teams ace J.T. Gray blocked a punt at the bottom of the third quarter that was recovered by Jordan Howden, setting the Saints up with favorable field position.
- CB Paulson Adebo finished as the team’s leading tackler with 10 total tackles, all of which were solo.
- S Tyrann Mathieu was also a force, notching 7 solo tackles and one interception
- WR Chris Olave was an essential part to generating somewhat of an offensive spark for the Saints as he scored the team’s only touchdown of the day. Olave caught six passes for 86 yards with the score.
- RB Alvin Kamara, despite the slowed offense, continued to be the team’s most important piece on that side of the ball. Kamara finished the game with 87 rushing yards on 26 carries, also catching three passes for 40 yards.
The Saints will face the division rival Atlanta Falcons up next on the schedule as they hit the road to travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons come off of a thrilling 22-21 victory full of last-minute heroics against none other than the Eagles, and have their work cut out as the Kansas City Chiefs travel to Atlanta for Sunday night’s game.
The Saints and the Falcons are set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET in Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 29.