The New Orleans Saints will return home in Week 3 for a matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles at the Caesars Superdome on Sept. 29, fresh off a road trip to face one of the Eagles’ biggest NFC East rivals — the Dallas Cowboys. This is another game against a 2023 playoff team, so it’ll be both a challenge for the Saints to rise to as well as a major opportunity to make a statement.
New Orleans won their last game against Philadelphia, beating the Gardner Minshew-led Eagles 20-10; but the Saints went home with a loss in each of the two previous meetings when Jalen Hurts was under center. The Eagles have built a 19-16 lead over the Saints since their first matchup back in 1967.
And the Eagles are looking to make some noise in the playoffs again this year, having been upset by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January. They’ve signed free agents like former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley as well as a couple of ex-Saints in safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and linebacker Zack Baun. They also added Bucs linebacker Devin White as a free agent.
In the draft, Philly added Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, the top player at his position, before trading the No. 50 pick they received from the Saints a few years back to move up and get another defensive back: Cooper DeJean, from Iowa. So the Eagles secondary is flush with young talent. They’ll be a big test for Klint Kubiak’s passing attack.
And we can’t overlook Hurts’ impact. He’s only played the Saints twice but Hurts has ran 36 times for 175 yards on Dennis Allen’s defense, scoring 3 touchdown runs. He also completed 24 of 54 pass attempts for 314 yards through the air, scoring another touchdown pass, but he’s covered so much ground against the Saints that passing has almost become an afterthought. Allen’s porous run defense has continued to be a problem, so he’ll need to do a better job preparing his unit for this third matchup with Hurts. Maybe the third time’s the charm?
- Game information: New Orleans Saints vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- Location: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, La.
- Date: Sept. 29
- Time: Noon CT / 1p.m. ET
- TV Channel: FOX
