New Orleans--The Philadelphia Eagles got revenge by defeating the New Orleans Saints in the Louisiana Superdome and virtually defeating the 2007 version of the post-Katrina Saints, 38 to 23. In effect, it would take a Christmas miracle for the Saints to make the playoffs. For the Saints to make it into the playoffs now, Washington would need to beat Minnesota Vikings Sunday night and both Washington and Minnesota must lose next week and the New Orleans Saints must win their last game of the year.
The loss for the Saints sent their record to 7-8.
The Eagles, due to the victory, are now also 7-8.
Last year, the Saints defeated the Eagles in the regular season and then again in the playoffs.On Sunday, it was the Eagles’ turn to fly with the win.
The Eagles utilized sharp passing by Donovan McNabb, strong running by Brian Westbrook and a stiff defense to destroy the New Orleans playoff hopes.
The turning point in the game was the Saints’ failure to pound the ball into the end zone in the third quarter.The Saints had four chances to score but failed in their four runs within the Eagles’ two-yard line.Had the Saints scored, New Orleans could have tied the Eagles 24 to 24.The Eagles then took the football deep within their own end zone and drove down the field and scored with a nine yard pass play from McNabb to Frank Lewis, making the score 31 to 17.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Saints attempted a comeback and scored on a field goal by Martin Gramatica to inch the Saints to 31 to 20 margin.However, the Eagles then responded with a touchdown with McNabb hitting WR Kevin Curtis in the end zone, which gave the Eagles a 38-23 lead.Then Philly picked off a Drew Brees pass to ice the game.
The Saints were hampered with the loss of their star receiver, Marcus Colston who got injured early in the game.
The Eagles took a 24-17 halftime lead with Gramatica kicking a field goal with seconds left to end the half.The first quarter was an offensive explosion with the Eagles scoring 21 points to the Saints 14.
The Saints finish their regular season against the Chicago Bears who clobbered the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.The Eagles will play the Buffalo Bills.Ironically, the Bears ended the Saints season last year by drubbing them in the playoffs in Chicago.
