Eagles vs. Saints: Strategies for Winning
Jan. 8, 2007— -- A quick breakdown of the Philadelphia-New Orleans divisional playoff game.
The Eagles will win if ...
1. They keep Brian Westbrook at the 100-yard rushing level. Westbrook ran for 141 yards on 20 carries in the Eagles' 23-20 win over the Giants. Westbrook makes the Eagles a more balanced offense, which is important for quarterback Jeff Garcia. Against the Giants, the Eagles ran 31 times and passed 31 times. Garcia doesn't have a strong arm, but he is very accurate. Given the chance to have a big-time running threat, Garcia can work some play-action passes to get the ball downfield and prevent the Saints' cornerbacks from squatting on routes. In the 27-24 loss to the Saints in New Orleans earlier this season, Donovan McNabb was the quarterback and the Eagles called pass plays more than 60 percent of the time. Back then, the Eagles couldn't hold a 24-17 lead with 13 minutes left because they couldn't use the rushing game to run out the clock.
2. They borrow a page from the Seahawks and find ways to cover for the absences of key cornerbacks. The Seahawks were down three corners against the Cowboys but found a way to limit Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo to 189 passing yards. Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard dislocated an elbow on Sunday, so the Eagles pass defense will be thin. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson won't be able to use too many man coverages to free up an extra blitzer to pressure quarterback Drew Brees. Brees burned the Eagles, going 27-of-37 for 275 yards and three touchdowns in their earlier meeting. Being fresh and probably having Joe Horn available, Brees figures to throw for 250 yards and will look to find matchups he can exploit with Sheppard out. 3. Two ex-Saints have big games. Former Saints receiver Donte' Stallworth is the team's best deep threat. Defensive end Darren Howard, another former Saint, offers pass-rush and great run-stopping ability. Stallworth was inactive in the first meeting against the Saints, and Howard played a decent game with three tackles. This is the playoffs and everything is at stake. Stallworth is playing for a contract extension with the Eagles because he's a free agent at the end of the season. Howard would also like to show up the team that didn't re-sign him.
