PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles have another chance to earn home field advantage in the NFC playoffs after falling short of the task thanks to a brutal 20-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints at Lincoln Financial Field. In arguably their worst offensive performance of the season, the Eagles failed to accumulate more than 10 points against the Saints defense, with Jalen Hurts missing his second straight game.
Gardner Minshew sealed the Eagles’ fate by throwing an interception to Marshon Lattimore, throwing it back 12 yards for a 5-10 touchdown. The Eagles, trailing 13-10, needed 91 yards for the win, but the team’s first giveaway came at the worst possible time. Philadelphia never led that game, going three and out on its first four possessions and allowing New Orleans to build a 13-point lead that the Eagles couldn’t break.
The Saints took the lead on a 15-play, 75-yard drive to start the game, which lasted 8:58 a.m., capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from Taysom Hill to put the New Orleans with 7-0 lead. Wil Lutz hit 54- and 20-yard field goals to extend the lead to 13-0 before halftime. The Saints held on from there, stopping the Eagles in the fourth quarter with a fourth and a quarterback sneak from Minshew and Lattimore intercepting Minshew in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Philadelphia must beat the New York Giants, who secured a playoff berth and Sunday No. 6 berth, in Week 18 to capture the NFC East crown and home field field advantage for the playoffs. New Orleans kept its shot alive for the NFC South with the win, but the Saints were eliminated from playoff contention when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Why the Saints won
The New Orleans defense came to play Philadelphia and kept the Eagles offense at a season-low 10 points and just 313 yards in the loss. The defense kept the Eagles offense in check by putting pressure on Gardner Minshew, pressuring him just 12 times but getting six sacks. Cameron Jordan had four pressures and three sacks in the win, utilizing an Eagles offensive line that Lane Johnson didn’t have.
The offense built a lead early enough to stay in the end, with Marshon Lattimore sealing the win with an interception return for a touchdown ahead of Minshew in the fourth quarter. The Saints defense has only allowed 38 points in the last three quarters.
Why the Eagles lost
Philadelphia’s offense clearly misses Jalen Hurts as the Eagles only had one offensive touchdown in the loss. Minshew failed to convert a fourth and a quarterback sneak with 8:35 left and threw an interception return for a touchdown on the next possession to seal the win for New Orleans. The Eagles started their first four possessions with 3-and-outs, very uncharacteristic for football’s highest-scoring offense in Week 17. They only conceded possession twice and had just 21 yards when the Saints went for 13 yards . 0 lead.
The Eagles were free all day but still had a chance to win it in the fourth quarter. They’ll get hurts back next week in a game they absolutely must win to gain home field advantage.
turning point
The Eagles were in midfield at 8:35 in a 13-10 game and faced a fourth and a 1 in a 13-10 game. With the momentum, Philadelphia called Minshew’s number to get the first down on a quarterback sneak — but he couldn’t convert. Jalen Hurts has been 27 of 30 on quarterback sneaks this season while Minshew has been 1 of 2 — including Sunday’s failed attempt.
Philadelphia didn’t have any hurts, but still tried the sneak. That shows how valuable he is to a crime.
game of the game
Marshon Lattimore’s interception on Gardner Minshew was the takeaway the Saints needed to steal the win in Philadelphia. With 5:31 left in a 13-10 game, Lattimore easily read Minshew’s slant to AJ Brown and snatched the ball before it even got there – ending the Eagles’ chances of a win.
Minshew threw three crucial interceptions in the second half of his two games, all of which played significant roles in the losses. The Eagles could have taken the lead as they had the ball with 91 yards to score just over six minutes from time when possession began.
The quote
“We can’t assume that the season will just go the way we want it to. Unfortunately, we put ourselves in this position and need to find a way to win next week.” – James Bradberry to CBS Sports on the recent adversity the Eagles are facing.
Philadelphia hasn’t managed to gain home field advantage in the last two weeks. The Eagles are still in control of their own destiny and need a win over the Giants – who have nothing to play for – next week.
Next
The Eagles (13-3) meet the New York Giants in their regular season finale, with a win needed to secure home field advantage. The Saints (7-9) end their season against the Panthers.