Philadelphia Eagles vs New Orleans Saints (PHI -3, 49.5)
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Philadelphia Eagles vs New Orleans Saints
There isn’t a single team in football that has further outperformed expectations so far in 2024, than the New Orleans Saints. Derek Carr and co. have been playing lights out, but their Week 1 performance was overlooked because it came against a struggling Carolina Panthers team.
So when they went out in Week 2 and dominated Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys, suddenly fans started to take them a little more seriously, and all of a sudden they’re a very serious contender not only for the division, but for a run in the playoffs.
The Saints currently rank #1 in points per game (45.5), #3 in yards per game (405.5), #1 in yards per play, #2 in third down conversions, and #2 in red zone scoring. Their offense is humming, with a minimum of 44 points scored in both games so far, and the likes of Rashid Shaheed and Alvin Kamara lighting up fantasy football in the process.
The defense ranks inside the top ten in every major category too, which is what makes them such a frightening unit at this early point in the season. Nobody wants to play the New Orleans Saints in Week 3, but it's the Philadelphia Eagles stepping up to the plate, off the back of a bitterly disappointing second half collapse against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.
Vic Fangio’s defense allowed Kirk Cousins and the Falcons to go the length of the field in three plays, and then convert for a touchdown to Drake London, in the dying moments of a home game on primetime. That absolutely cannot happen, and Philly fans aren’t happy about it.
Jalen Hurts played well, scrambling for 85 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Saquon Barkley put up another 95 yards rushing. Had the two connected on a crucial third down near the goal line, they likely would have won the game too.
The question for Philadelphia is whether they’re progressing with a very talented roster, or slowly falling out of the conversation for the NFC title. The answer will be the difference in Nick Sirianni’s job status this season, once again turning to two new coordinators to run the show.
The Eagles are still top five in points per game with one of the league's most talented rosters. Their offense is tough to slow down with a top three offensive line and a premium running back behind it, and that seems to be opening up the field for Jalen Hurts to scramble when he pleases.
Philly go into this one a 2.5 point underdog, something you wouldn’t have expected to see before the season began. The Saints are 2-0 against the spread, covering as a 6 point underdog in the win over Dallas. The Eagles are 1-1 against the spread following the loss against Atlanta, despite being a 5.5 point favorite.
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