Saints Eagles Game Recap

Although this game was not a shootout like the Chiefs Colts game, it was not any less exiting. The Saints were able to eek this one out on the last drive of the game. By no means did they play very well, but they did enough to win the game.
The Eagles offense was not able to do much in this game. LeSean McCoy struggled to find much running room, which left the Eagles vulnerable to third and longs. Nick Foles struggled to find much success downfield and had to settle for shorter passes most of the game. He finished with 195 yards on 33 attempts, but did throw for two touchdowns. DeSean Jackson was neutralized by the Saints as they focused on him the whole game and allowed the other receivers to get theirs as long as they didn't let Jackson kill them. Their game plan worked as Jackson finished with only three catches for  yards, but 40 of those came on one play. Riley Cooper took advantage of the increased attention on Jackson and finished with 6 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles needed to come out with a better game plan to spread the Saints defense out and make room for McCoy and Jackson. Chip Kelly was out coached in his first playoff matchup, but he should have many more ahead of him.
The Saints started to pick up their game in the second half after scoring only 6 first half points. One of the major reasons the Saints were able to put points on the board was because of the running ability of Mark Ingram. Ingram finished with 97 yards on 18 carries and he found the endzone on one of his carries. Ingram has played well recently and the Saints will need him to continue this type of production if they plan on advancing further in the playoffs. The defense will also need to continue to produce as well as they did in this game. They were able to withstand the Eagles offense and held LeSean McCoy under 4 yards per carry. This was instrumental in gaining the win because that forced the Eagles into third down situations that they do not want to be in.
Drew Brees did not play particularly well. He threw two interceptions, but came up strong when he was needed the most. He needs to be more consistent, but he was good enough to get by against the Eagles. The Eagles were focused on taking away Jimmy Graham by doubling him, but Brees knew how to find his guys when he needed to as he completed passes to nine different receivers. Brees was able to adjust throughout the game and handle anything the Eagles threw at him.
The Saints will now have to travel to Seattle for the divisional round of the playoffs. This will be a tough matchup for them and will have to find new ways to get receivers open against Seattle's great defense. Ingram will have to continue his very good play as of late if the Saints have any chance of escaping there with a win.