The stakes are rising for Eagles vs Saints
The Eagles fell short of the mark against the Cowboys on Christmas Eve and will be hoping to start 2023 in a much more promising way. They play host to the New Orleans Saints on New Year’s Day and a win would not only see them gain home advantage in the NFL playoffs but a first-round bye too.
How to watch Eagles vs Saints
What: Eagles vs Saints
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
When: Sunday January 1st, 1PM EST
How: FOX, NFL Gamepass
Eagles vs Saints betting odds
- Moneyline: Eagles -265 | Saints +220
- Against the spread: Eagles -6.5 | Saints +6.5
- Over/Under: 43.5 points
Eagles vs Saints betting preview
The Eagles did well to push the Cowboys all the way to the bitter end in Dallas considering they were without Jalen Hurts and injuries were beginning to pile up. It doesn’t excuse the way the game fell apart, but fans should at least be optimistic of a different result this weekend.
All signs are pointing to another Gardner Minshew start. He completed a little over 50% of his passes in the loss to Dallas, throwing 2 touchdowns and 2 picks in the process. It wasn’t pretty by means, but the offense put up 27 points against a top-10 defense. That loss is not really on the shoulders of Minshew, and with two 1,000+ yard receivers catching his passes, the Eagles should fancy their chances here…however, it will be anything but plain sailing.
The Saints may be 6-9, but they’re somehow only one game back of the Bucs in the NFC South, meaning that the playoffs are a real possibility. The Eagles defense was very much on the ropes in Dallas and with rookie wideout Chris Olave coming to town with his near-1,000-yard season, the Birds have to brace for the possibility of more explosive plays.
Darius Slay has struggled in recent weeks and if he does end up shadowing Olave, it could well be a matchup that Andy Dalton looks to exploit. And with Avonte Maddox sidelined with injury, there could well be some opportunities for both Jarvis Landry and TE Juwan Johnson to make things happen. If there is ever a time for Jonathan Gannon to show that he can make adjustments, it’s now.
As always with the Saints, the story is their defense. They rank 9th in the NFL overall despite their 6-9 record, which should highlight just how well the unit has to be playing. They rank 4th in yards allowed per game over the last 3 weeks, which hints that they’re trending positively into this matchup. However, the Eagles are no stranger to overcoming this defense.
Going into their 2021 clash, the Saints’ run defense had allowed only one opponent to gain over 200 rushing yards against them in the last 93 games. That same opponent also broke a streak that the Saints held for not allowing a 100-yard rusher in 55 games. Have any idea who that opponent was?
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.
What happened in that 2021 game? 242 rushing yards and a 40-29 win.
The Eagles will obviously be without Jalen Hurts this time around, who was quintessential in those emphatic performances, but they do have a 1,000+ yard rusher in Miles Sanders, a semi-mobile QB in Gardner Minshew, and an offense that can do more damage to this Saints defense than it’s arguably ever been able to. If the Eagles are going to win this game, it will come down being able to dominate time of possession and dictate the tempo of the game through a strong rushing performance that not only takes the weight off of Minshew’s shoulders, but also targets the weakness of the Saints defense, given that they’re allowing 143 rushing yards per game over their past three outings.
Eagles vs Saints Betting pick
I like the over here. When these two teams get together, there’s always a chance of fireworks. The Eagles match up really well here and the Saints could be able to really gash a Philadelphia unit that has struggled with the same issues all season. It could well end up being a shootout, I’ll back the over.
Pick: Over 43.5 points
Best Eagles vs Saints betting offers
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
