Breaking down the key matchups as the 1-3 Eagles meet the 1-3 Saints Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Linc:
When the Eagles have the ball
Sam Bradford finally completed some deep balls last Sunday against the Redskins, four total, which is four more than he entered with.
The Eagles should be able to build off of that, especially against a mediocre Saints defense.
As CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank pointed out Thursday, the Saints have allowed six passes of 40-plus yards, most in the NFL.
However, New Orleans played its first three games, all losses, without No. 1 cornerback Keenan Lewis and expensive safety Jairus Byrd. Both returned against the Cowboys last Sunday night in limited fashion. Byrd played 36 of 61 defensive snaps and Lewis played 18.
Neither Byrd nor Lewis, who notably shut down DeSean Jackson in the playoffs two years ago, was targeted against Dallas, according to Pro Football Focus. In that game, Cowboys WR Brice Butler did haul in a 67-yard reception on a Saints coverage breakdown.
Bradford said this week that he hopes the deep completions force defenses to back off a bit, which could/should open up more space in the short and intermediate passing game. Eagles fans have been waiting for that.
NFL
They've also been waiting for some semblance of a run game. Aside from Ryan Mathews' 24-carry, 108-yard performance against the Jets, Eagles running backs have 59 rushes for 151 yards for a pathetic average of 2.56 yards per carry.
Head coach Chip Kelly said this week that the Eagles need to be more of a downhill running team. Perhaps that means fewer shotgun sweeps. That's just not DeMarco Murray's game. Murray is a straight-ahead, one-cut runner.
The problem is that the Eagles' interior offensive linemen have struggled mightily. Jason Kelce is getting pushed backward a lot, and the right guard spot has been a revolving door of mediocrity. It hasn't helped that both tackles, Jason Peters and Lane Johnson, have dealt with leg injuries.
The Saints have struggled against both the run and the pass. They've allowed 493 rushing yards already, which is the sixth-highest figure in the NFL. That's 123.3 rush yards allowed per game. The Eagles would be ecstatic to have even that level of production Sunday.
Look for Murray to touch the ball more, whether it's by design or just by game flow. He said after last Sunday's loss that he is not getting enough carries and that's completely true. Murray has carried eight, 13 and eight times in his three games.
New Orleans is also allowing 83 receiving yards per game (third-most in the NFL) and 15.1 yards per catch (second-most) to opposing tight ends, which could mean good things finally for Zach Ertz.
When the Saints have the ball
As long as Sean Payton is on the sidelines and Drew Brees is on the field, the Saints are a scary team to face. But they're not the explosive team they used to be.
Brees no longer has matchup nightmares like Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles. His favorite target for years, Marques Colston, is struggling to separate as he gets older. And while Brandin Cooks is a tantalizing talent, he hasn't put it all together yet.
The result is a more conservative pass attack that better suits the Saints' personnel and Brees' bruised rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder.
Against the Cowboys last Sunday, Brees was 17 for 20 for 115 yards at the half. Dink, dunk, dink, dunk. He finished with 359 yards on 41 attempts, but you have to remember 80 of those yards came on a walk-off wheel-route TD to C.J. Spiller that traveled about 12 yards in the air. In fact, of Brees' 41 passes in that game, 32 traveled no farther than nine yards through the air.
Eagles safety Walter Thurmond said this week that the Saints are running a more "passive" offense. But cornerback Nolan Carroll cautioned that it doesn't make New Orleans any less dangerous. The Saints are converting 47.4 percent of their third downs, which Carroll says is owed largely to their success on first and second down.
"A lot of 3rd-and-2 to 3rd-and-5," Carroll said.
That is obviously a great contrast to what the Eagles are experiencing on third down. The Saints have more than twice as many third-down conversions (27) as the Birds (13).
Spiller's role is growing in New Orleans' offense. Payton brought him in to fill the void left when the Saints traded Sproles to the Eagles. The Eagles' defensive backs said this week that practicing against Sproles every day helps them for when they face dual-threat running backs because they are trained to have their eyes in the backfield at all times and be ready for a RB to chip-block and then release and run a route.
We'll see.
Out wide, the Saints have the speedy Cooks and emerging WRs Willie Snead and Brandon Coleman. Brees has also checked down a ton, which is why RB Mark Ingram is second on the team with 24 receptions.
Ingram is a hard-nosed, physical runner the Eagles are all too familiar with. He ran through them for 97 yards on 18 carries in that Eagles playoff loss on Jan. 4, 2013.
That said, the Eagles' run defense this season has been terrific.
Special teams
The Saints should know not to punt to Sproles.
Caleb Sturgis needs a rebound game after missing a field goal and an extra point, both from 33 yards, in the loss to the 'Skins.
If Congress does investigate the daily fantasy sites, it should ask FanDuel why in the world Sturgis is the highest-priced kicker of Week 5.
The Saints have also struggled with kicks. Rookie Zach Hocker missed a 30-yarder in the final minute of regulation against the Cowboys to force overtime. His kick hit the left crossbar. Payton said after the game that the Saints have struggled with snaps, holds and kicks all season. Hocker is 7 for 9 on field goals and 5 for 6 with extra points. His misses have come from 30, 33 and 42 yards.
Prediction
I've picked the Eagles to win each week, meaning I have the same record as they do. But what can I say? Again, I feel like this matchup favors them. The Saints are always worse on the road, their secondary is still getting healthy, and the run defense should make New Orleans one-dimensional, which is not a good look for a QB with an injured throwing shoulder.
Eagles 28, Saints 24