Eagles vs Saints Preview

(My Sportsbook) - The 2006 season has already been a magical ride for the New Orleans Saints. Now the NFL's best rags-to-riches story has the opportunity to accomplish an unprecedented feat when it hosts the high-flying Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC Divisional Playoff this Saturday at the Superdome.

The Saints' remarkable one-year turnaround from a three-win campaign filled with adversity to the NFC South championship has re-energized a franchise that had been wallowing in mediocrity for years, as well as a city that sorely needed something to be proud about. The team still has one more obstacle to overcome, however, and that's a history of postseason failures.

New Orleans has won only one playoff game in its existence, a 31-28 triumph over the St. Louis Rams in a Wild Card matchup in 2000, the last year the Saints reached the second season. The club is just 1-5 lifetime in postseason play, including a 1-3 mark at the Superdome.

The Saints will put that dubious record up against a Philadelphia squad that has been the conference's hottest team down the stretch. The Eagles vaulted to the NFC East title by winning their final five regular-season games, then topped the rival New York Giants, 23-20, this past Sunday on a last-second David Akers field goal to advance to the divisional round.

While New Orleans has never advanced to the NFC Championship game, Philadelphia has played in four of them since Andy Reid took over as head coach in 1999. The Eagles have won four straight Divisional Playoff games and are a splendid 7-1 in the first two postseason rounds under Reid.

Philadelphia wouldn't have even made the playoffs without the strong play under center of quarterback Jeff Garcia, who took over for an injured Donovan McNabb in mid-November and helped fuel the Eagles' late-season resurgence.

Garcia has deftly engineered the NFL's second-ranked offense that trailed only the Saints' high-powered unit for the most total yards in the regular season. New Orleans also finished atop the league in passing yards, while the Eagles ended up third overall in that category.

Both potent offenses were clicking when these two teams met at the Superdome back in Week 6, a contest in which the Saints pulled out a hard-fought 27-24 victory when veteran kicker John Carney drilled a 31-yard field goal on the game's final play.

New Orleans received a bye last week as the conference's No. 2 seed, but does come in having lost two of its three most recent contests, although head coach Sean Payton rested nearly all of his regulars in a meaningless defeat to Carolina in the regular-season finale. The Saints were firing on all cylinders the previous week, however, when they dismantled the Giants in an impressive 30-7 win at the Meadowlands.

SERIES HISTORY

Philadelphia leads the all-time regular season series with New Orleans by a 14-9 margin and had won the last five matchups between the teams, a streak dating back to 1992, before the Saints' Week 6 triumph. The Eagles are 6-3 all-time at the Superdome, which includes a 36-20 victory there in a 1992 NFC First-Round Playoff.

Prior to that October win, New Orleans hadn't defeated Philadelphia since a 13-6 triumph at Veterans Stadium in 1991. The Saints' most recent home win in the series occurred in 1989.

Reid is 2-1 in his career against New Orleans and 8-5 lifetime in postseason games. Payton, who was recently named the 2006 Associated Press Coach of the Year for orchestrating the Saints' dramatic about-face in his first season at the helm, will be making his playoff debut as a head coach.

EAGLES OFFENSE VS. SAINTS DEFENSE

While Garcia has deservingly received a lot of the credit, the player probably most responsible for Philadelphia's late run of success has been running back Brian Westbrook (1,217 rushing yards, 7 TD). The versatile 27-year-old turned in a huge performance in last week's Wild Card win, rushing for 141 yards and a touchdown on just 20 attempts. Thirty-five of those yards came on the game- winning drive. Westbrook runs behind an outstanding offensive line, headlined by All-Pro guard Shawn Andrews, that paved the way for 185 yards on the ground against the Giants. The Eagles, who finished 11th overall in rushing yards (124.0 ypg) during the regular season, ran the ball only 19 times in their earlier game with New Orleans but averaged a sturdy 5.2 yards per carry.

The Saints ranked just 23rd in stopping the run (128.9 ypg) and allowed an average of 4.9 yards per rush, the second-worst mark in the league. The defense should get a boost up front for Saturday's tilt, however, as ex-Eagle Hollis Thomas (43 tackles, 3.5 sacks) will be back at his starting defensive tackle spot after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's steroid policy. If veteran strong safety Omar Stoutmire (56 tackles, 2 INT), who missed the last three regular-season games with a knee injury, is able to return, that would help as well. The linebacking corps, consisting of the underrated outside duo of Scott Fujita (96 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 INT) and Scott Shanle (97 tackles, 4 sacks) and another former Eagle, Mark Simoneau (61 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) in the middle, has generally been effective.

Reid's offseason free-agent signing of Garcia (1,309 passing yards, 10 TD, 2 INT), thought to be finished after enduring two straight unproductive campaigns in Cleveland and Detroit, has turned out to be a season-saving move. The 36-year-old has been exceptionally efficient and a strong leader in the huddle. Garcia didn't put up big numbers last week, completing 17-of-31 throws for 153 yards with a touchdown, but he managed the game well and didn't turn the ball over. Reggie Brown (46 receptions, 816 yards, 8 TD) caught seven of those passes for 73 yards and was a big factor in Philly's narrow loss to the Saints back in October. The second-year wide receiver compiled a career-best 121 yards on six catches, including a 60-yard touchdown connection with McNabb, in that game. Westbrook (699 yards, 4 TD), who led the team with 77 receptions, and tight end L.J. Smith (50 receptions, 611 yards, 5 TD) also play key roles in the Eagles' west coast attack. Saturday's game also marks the return of Donte' Stallworth (38 receptions, 725 yards, 5 TD) to New Orleans. The former first-round pick spent his first four NFL seasons with the Saints before being traded to Philadelphia in August and missed this year's earlier meeting with a hamstring injury.

New Orleans doesn't force a lot of turnovers on defense, as evidenced by the club's low total of eight interceptions during the regular season, but the unit has been strong versus the pass all year long. The Saints yielded the third-fewest passing yards (178.4) for the year and limited opposing quarterbacks to a 56 percent completion percentage. Mike McKenzie (33 tackles, 2 INT, 10 PBU) put together a very good season on one corner, while 33-year- old Fred Thomas (55 tackles, 1 INT, 10 PBU) is still adequate on the opposite side. The secondary benefits from an outstanding tandem of pass-rushing ends in Pro Bowler Will Smith (49 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles) and Charles Grant (64 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 forced fumbles). Tackle Brian Young (46 tackles, 5.5 sacks) is a quick, high-motor guy who can also apply consistent heat from the interior.

SAINTS OFFENSE VS. EAGLES DEFENSE

LaDainian Tomlinson may have won the league's MVP award, but it's hard to say that any player has meant more to his respective team than Drew Brees has to the Saints. The gritty quarterback has been sensational as the director of the NFL's most dangerous offense and was hands-down this year's most significant offseason free-agent signing. Brees (26 TD, 11 INT) led the league with 4,418 passing yards and completed better than 64 percent of his throws, earning the ex-Charger first-team All-Pro status. He's had plenty of support, though. Reggie Bush made the impact expected of the draft's No. 2 overall pick, as the explosive running back set a league rookie record with 88 catches totaling 742 yards. New Orleans' other first-year sensation, 6-foot-4, 230-pound wideout Marques Colston (70 receptions, 8 TD), racked up a team-best 1,038 receiving yards and could present a serious matchup problem for a smallish Philly secondary that struggled containing another big target, the Giants' Plaxico Burress, last Sunday. Brees may be without his most experienced receiver on Saturday, however, as Joe Horn (37 receptions, 679 yards, 4 TD) is still bothered by a partially torn groin muscle that caused the four-time Pro Bowler to miss the final four games. Devery Henderson (32 receptions, 745 yards, 5 TD) isn't the reliable route-runner Horn is, but the speedy youngster has developed into a dangerous big-play threat. A sturdy line anchored by terrific left tackle Jammal Brown has yielded a mere 23 sacks all year long.

The Eagles finished a very solid ninth overall in pass defense (191.7 ypg) and accumulated 19 interceptions during the regular season, but the secondary suffered a serious blow when Pro Bowl cornerback Lito Sheppard (30 tackles, 6 INT, 13 PBU) dislocated his right elbow in the Wild Card win. Roderick Hood (21 tackles, 1 sack) is a capable fill-in on the left side, but whether the unit has the necessary depth to combat the Saints' multiple-receiver looks is a question yet to be answered. Philadelphia has no such concerns at free safety, where the fiery Brian Dawkins (93 tackles, 4 INT, 1 sack) is a ferocious hitter and an invaluable team leader. The Eagles failed to sack Brees back in October, and the defensive end group of Trent Cole (62 tackles, 8 sacks), Juqua Thomas (25 tackles, 6 sacks) and former Saint Darren Howard (35 tackles, 5 sacks) will need to generate consistent pressure if Philly is to hold New Orleans' high-octane attack in check.

While New Orleans is a pass-oriented team, the Saints do have the ability to run the football despite finished the year tied for 18th in the league in rushing yards (110.1 ypg). The offense features a two-back attack, with Bush (565 rushing yards, 6 TD) the lightning and powerful veteran Deuce McAllister (1,057 rushing yards, 10 TD) providing the thunder. The system has managed to keep both players fresh, and it showed when both Bush and McAllister eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the Week 16 win over the Giants. McAllister was the more effective runner in the October matchup with Philadelphia, compiling 64 yards on 12 carries to Bush's 26 on 11 attempts.

One down note in last week's playoff win was the 137 rushing yards the Eagles surrendered to Tiki Barber in the New York back's curtain call. Defending the run has been a sore spot for Philadelphia for much of this season, reflected in the club's No. 26 overall standing in rushing yards allowed (136.4 ypg). The Eagles did limit the Saints to 98 yards on the ground on 30 attempts back in October, however. The best run stuffer among the front seven is middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter (112 tackles, 1 INT), while rookie Omar Gaither (62 tackles, 1 INT) has played pretty well since winning a starting job on the weakside late in the season. The defense could use more consistency up front from tackles Darwin Walker (36 tackles, 6 sacks) and Mike Patterson (52 tackles, 1.5 sacks), though.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Akers is a three-time Pro Bowler and a proven performer in the clutch, as evidenced by last week's outing against the Giants. The left-footed kicker hit on all three of his field-goal tries, including a season-long 48-yard boot, and calmly knocked down the high-pressure attempt that sent Philly into the next round.

The Saints have a good one of their own in Carney, who remains an elite kicker even though he'll turn 43 in April. The grizzled veteran turned in a terrific 2006 season, connecting on 23-of-25 field-goal attempts and making 6-of-7 kicks from 40 yards or beyond. He was also a perfect 10-for-10 at the Superdome.

Both Westbrook and Bush are terrific return men who will likely see action in punting situations on Sunday. Westbrook had a 65-yard punt runback for a touchdown called back on a holding penalty in last week's victory. Bush, who averaged a respectable 7.7 yards per punt return, produced one of New Orleans' most memorable plays of the season when he raced 65 yards for the go-ahead score in a 24-21 victory over Tampa Bay in Week 5.

Reno Mahe takes care of most of the Eagles' returns and averaged 22.2 yards per kick and 9.4 a punt during the regular season. Thirty-five-year-old Michael Lewis remains an outstanding special teams performer for New Orleans and averaged 24.7 yards bringing back kickoffs.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Many observers feel this game will determine the NFC champion, even though the possibility of a road matchup with the top-seeded Chicago Bears possibly looms for the winner. While that remains to be seen, Sunday's showdown should provide plenty of excitement from two offenses that are very adept at putting up yards and points. The Eagles have the edge on experience, but the Saints will have the support of a raucous home crowd that's waited a long time for a game such as this. In the end, New Orleans' wealth of offensive weapons will prove to be too much for a wounded Philadelphia secondary to overcome.

Seahawks vs Bears Preview
Colts vs Ravens Preview
Eagles vs Saints Preview
Patriots vs Chargers Preview

divisional playoff weekend football - PHILADELPHIA vs new orleans 8:00 PM

Divisional Playoff Weekend Football Matchup
Philadelphia Eagles vs New Orleans Saints
Sat. January 13, 2007- Superdome
Check Out Our Handicappers >>
NFL Playoff Handicapping Info >>
NFL Playoff Football Injury Report - In Depth Previews - Transactions - Weather >>

MySportsbook - divisional playoff football betting

MySportsbook.com is a the best Online NFL gamble source for divisional playoff NFL Playoff Betting, odds, and point spread information on the internet today. The online sportsbook industries best football gamble promotions, bonuses, lines, teasers and futures anywhere in the world. My Sportsbook offers tons of playoff gamble options and if you check their lines now you'll see NFL futures are already posted. MySportsbook.com has an extremly wide range of NFL gamble including NFL props, NFL spread gamble, future gamble Review >>

More Articles from MySportsbook.com...