It took four sub par performances and disjointed efforts, but the Eagles broke out against the Saints in emphatic fashion. Six second half scoring drives sealed the deal for the Eagles in a 39-17 win over New Orleans.
After an inconsistent start, Sam Bradford enjoyed a thunderous game. The Eagles Quarterback went 32/45 and 333 yards to go with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The interceptions were simply bad decisions by the former Ram in the early stages of the game..but the team rebounded by shutting up the nay sayers yet again with an explosive game.
To complete the 519 yards of offense, the Eagles backfield finally got pumping. Like we predicted in our “bold predictions” article, DeMarco Murray exploded on the second home game of the season, rushing for 83 yards on a number of a snaps far more reminiscent of what we’re used to from last years rushing leader..20 carries and a touchdown to boot. However, Murray accounted for over 100 yards overall by adding 37 receiving yards to his tally.
The game started slow for the backfield but once Mathews got the ball rolling, the rest was history. Mathews himself rushed for 73 yards on 8 carries with Darren Sproles accounting for 27 yards on 5. But overall, the Offense played a much more complete game. The Offensive line blocked incredibly well on sweep plays, finally allowing Murray to get the steam he needed and despite three more receiver drops, the Eagles pushed through the errors to claim the win.
Not only that but here’s a fun fact; EVERY offensive drive saw the Eagles march past the Saints 40 yard line…the Eagles also picked up 34 first downs and even had the ball for 34 minutes…THE EAGLES OFFENSE SUSTAINED DRIVES….FINALLY. THE EAGLES OFFENSE WERE ABLE TO CONTROL THE PACE OF THE GAME.
But the real stars of the show were the Eagles Defense who forced the Saints into 4 turnovers on the night. Fletcher Cox put in a pro bowl performance by not only forcing two fumbles, but sacking Drew Brees three times and having six total tackles to his name.
Walter Thurmond got the teams only interception, using his previous cornerback experience to utilise his ball hawk tendencies and intercept a flying Drew Brees dart which he then returned inside the five yard line.
Jordan Hicks was close to an interception but was able to break up a play late on to add to his dominant debut season. Hicks recovered another fumble and totalled four tackles on the day.
Byron Maxwell may have been injured earlier in the week..but you would never have known, the former Seahawk finally played a game that we were expecting him to play when we first heard the news the Eagles had signed him. Picking up a forced fumble was the tip of the iceberg for Maxwell who was glued to receivers all day. The Defense gave up just 389 yards total.
We are going to have PLENTY of analysis over the coming days but the main thing to take from tonight was that the Eagles played with fire. For all four quarters they played with a burning passion. Riley Cooper was seen cursing after an incompletion before leaping up after catching a pass in the fourth quarter with aggression. Ertz was seen screaming as he pushed for extra yards and the fans made the entire stadium shake with noise.
The Eagles had struggled to start games quickly but after scoring their first first half touchdown of the year, they went into the second half with the lead for the second time this season. They played hard for all four Quarters. Bradford did not stutter, he did not wobble, he did not falter. He made two bad plays but rallied this team back to six..yes six second half scores.
This was perhaps just a glimpse of what the Eagles are capable of under Chip Kelly and once again, our bold predictions held strong throughout the game. We were the ONLY news source to predict a Braman appearance, the ONLY news source to predict 300+ yards for Bradford and a breakout game for Murray….we’re coming.
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