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| ESPN.com |
SNF crew, Michaels, Collinsworth and Michelle Tafoya on the call for NBC.
FIRST QUARTER
Eagles win the toss and defer - really? Give Drew Brees the ball first? Kelly's first interesting call, and the game hasn't even started. Short, fittingly, kick to Darren Sproles returned to the 27. I thought the Saints would miss Pierre Thomas, but here's Mark I'm-Not-A-Draft-Bust! Ingram rounding right end for 17. Super job by Zach Strief to seal the edge, and for those nostalgic for Steve Spagnuolo, a terrible missed tackle on the edge by Bradley Fletcher. Swing to Sproles for 6 gets N.O. to midfield. Ingram bulls up the middle for a first down. Play action drag route to Ben Watson incomplete, covered well by Trent Cole dropping back in coverage. Brees catches Sproles beating Connor Barwin - yes, that's a defensive end - badly down the sideline but underthrows him. Ouch. That should have been a TD. Also, good luck with all these ridiculous zone blitzes, Eagles. Brees has to blow a timeout less than 2:00 into the game. The Saints get it back from the referee, though, because of "debris on the field", a long piece of tape Brees picked up and cleared away from his center's feet without any significant loss of time.
That referee, by the way, is Bill Vinovich, AND OH MY FREAKING GOD HOW DID THIS COMPLETE BUFFOON AND WASTE OF GENETIC MATERIAL QUALIFY TO WORK A PLAYOFF GAME? Vinovich called Rams' losses in Carolina and Seattle, two of the worst officiating butcher jobs I have ever seen. AND HE'S WORKING A PLAYOFF GAME? Something the f*ck is seriously wrong here.
On 3rd-and-10, Brees settles for a short crossing route to Kenny Stills that only gets 8. They'll go for it on 4th-and-2, but Brees dipped his knee trying to hard-count the Eagles and drew a false start. Would have been nice if Vinovich had known what a false start was in Carolina. Very short punt fielded by DeSean Jackson at the 16. Looked like the Saints were going to march right for a TD. Brees actually kind of hurt them, with the underthrow and the false start.
Eagles come out firing, but Nick Foles misses an open Jackson air-mailing one to the ball boy. Former Eagle Brodrick Bunkley trips up LeSean McCoy for 3. Plenty of time for Foles on 3rd down, though, and Zack Ertz is wide open over the middle for 18. McCoy off left tackle for 2. Rollout screen to Jason Avant only good for another 2. 3rd down this time is a mess, they set up a screen for McCoy but he's running something else and doesn't turn around. 49 yard punt by DONNIE JONES, rolled ten.
Saints at their 13. Somebody called Khiry Robinson goes off left tackle for 4. Hey, the Rams don't draft all the West Texas A&M players. The Eagles blow up a screen for Ingram, and Brees again settles for a short dumpoff, to Ingram, on 3rd-and-long. Poor punt only makes the Eagles' 47.
Two drives, and so far Jimmy Graham's only a rumor and the Saints are showing little ability to stretch the field. The Eagles watched tape of the Rams game!
Now we've got Foles running the read option, for 3 out to midfield. Cameron Jordan and Junior Galette both come in UNBLOCKED to stuff McCoy for a big loss, though. A run play where no one blocks EITHER defensive end? McCoy's limited to 7 on a dumpoff and we're punting again. Jones' punt is brutally botched by the coverage unit inside the 3 - I think one of the idiots actually kicked it into the end zone - putting the Saints at their 20.
Um, where's all the offense in this game? Ingram plows for a first down on 2 carries. And now there's a downfield pass, and there's Graham in the seam, good for 22. Brees then goes deep and throws a TERRIBLE pass, fair caught by BRADLEY FLETCHER inside the 5. Intended receiver Stills didn't look open down the sideline at all, Brees' throw didn't even come down that near him, I have no idea what was going on. I do believe, though, that the Saints have a pretty poor record when Brees throws an INT.
Foles to Riley Cooper for 6. He gets tangled up with Illini rookie DE Glenn Foster the next play, but doesn't get sacked and gets off a throwaway. Avant over the middle for another 6. I don't watch the Eagles much, but don't they have the leading rusher in the NFL or something? There he is, up the middle for 5. Oh, is this next play sweet - play-action, fake screen pass, Foles hits Brent Celek down the seam for 24. Collinsworth is talking about the Saint defense being tired already as McCoy gets another 1st down at the NO22. Good thing there aren't ANOTHER THREE QUARTERS left or anything. Payton then does something football coaches never do - calls a timeout to give his defense a blow. Snicker. The blow stiffens the Saint D, snicker, and Corey White drops McCoy for a loss. Akiem Hicks down on the play, which the Eggle fans boo as a stalling tactic. Really? After they just had a timeout? Just kick your FG.
Collinsworth validates Hicks' injury, while Philly opts to go for it on 4th-and-1. McCoy surges off RT and nearly scores, gaining 5. Strong blocks there by Todd Herremans and others. Weird freaking throwback screen the next play loses a bunch, though. Minus-8. Foles rolled right, then threw back to the middle of the field. That's just a bizarre play, much more dangerous than it could be worth. He proves less than a master of field presence the next play, holding the ball six seconds before Jordan reaches him for a sack all the way back at the 36. I'll say this, the secondaries are faring better tonight than I thought they would.
3rd-and-30 as the quarter ends, and of course THIS is the game I picked for the over where two of the most dynamic offenses in the league can't even manage a freaking point after 15 minutes. You're welcome. Do not bet on sports, kids. Ever.
SECOND QUARTER
McCoy gains 7 to give Alex Henery a reasonable FG attempt, but he fades it barely wide left from 48. Serves Henery right for wearing any other number than 8. That's a Herman's Hermits reference, for anyone born after 1970.
As long as I'm doing lame 60s pop references, goo-goo-ga-joob Mr. Robinson for 7 to start the Saints from their 38, then he sweeps right for 2 more. Brees sneaks it across for the 1st and across midfield. Play-action dumpoff to Ingram beats a corner blitz for 12. Bennie Logan and others shut down a sweep for 1. Sproles gets wide open on an 6-yard comeback but falls down to leave it 3rd-and-3. He takes a pitch right and runs through a couple of tackles for 8. Next play is one of those things that mystify me about the Saints. Sproles runs a screen, the Eagles are all over it, but that was all Brees was ever going to throw, so he burns one into the ground. Wouldn't Mike Mayock be calling them an offense that doesn't "have any chunk plays"? Downfield coverage forces a 3-yard dumpoff to Ingram. On 3rd down, Brees steps up and finds Graham coming back to the middle, but he's stopped short by a fine tackle by Nate Allen and loses the ball trying to extend for the first down. Eagles ball!
These turnovers do not bode well for the Saints at all tonight, and this whole game certainly does not bode well for certain idiots who took the over. Thanks! Goofballs!
Looking at the replay, I say Graham's down.Vinovich reverses the call, giving the Saints 4th-and-inches at the 13. Brees sneaks it across, but apparently having learned what a false start is since the Rams-Carolina game, Vinovich calls one on Watson, forcing the Saints to settle for a 36-yard Shayne Graham FG. So, there's your first big points of the game. We're on a pace to score 10, I think. Saints 3, Eagles 0
The Eagles follow with a 3-and-out, with Roman Harper breaking up a 3rd-down pass for Celek and McCoy remaining pretty quiet. This has only been a back-and-forth game for the punters.
Saints at their 32. Marques Colston gets his first catch on a dumpoff for 10. Ingram cuts back for 4. Raise your hand if you thought the Saints would run better than the Eggles tonight. Eh, not so fast, PLANET EARTH. Brees comes up about a yard short on a scramble. Robinson runs through Mychal Kendricks' bad tackle for 6 and a 1st down. Brees kills that momentum, though, with another TERRIBLE interception, failing to see DeMeco Ryans swinging over in coverage on a throw intended for Lance Moore. Brees stinks worse than his wife's yoga pants tonight.
Foles to Cooper for 22 down to the Saint 22. Bunkley goes way past the hole and leaves McCoy a big lane for 8 down to the 11. Even though the 2:00 warning was right around the corner anyway, Philly fans boo Parys Haralson for staying down after the play. After Ertz botches a fade pass on 2nd-9, Foles gets a good 6 seconds in the pocket again and hits Cooper behind a falling Roman Harper in the end zone. That was pretty lucky; Harper breaks that up at a minimum if he doesn't trip over Cooper's foot. Eagles 7, Saints 3
Brees with 1:43 from his 25. Unbelievable sideline pass to Graham in a crowd for 17. Draw to Sproles across midfield for 13. Brandon Graham then beats Terron Armstead around the left edge for a sack, leading to a Saint timeout. Brees lobbies for and gets a holding penalty on Fletcher Cox for tackling Sproles trying to break out on a screen. The call is correct, but that is horrid refereeing. You buffoons can't let the players make the calls for you. Sliding sideline catch by Stills for 14. End zone pass for double-teamed Graham broken up by Nate Allen. Barwin bats the 2nd down pass and Trent Cole gets a sack on 3rd down when Brees tries to scramble. Another coverage sack. Somebody in one of the secondaries is getting tonight's game ball. Shayne Graham slips it in from 46 at the gun. Eagles 7, Saints 6 at halftime
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| PhiladelphiaEagles.com |
Well, RamView may have nailed the halftime adjustments for the first game, but don't expect anything like that here. I wouldn't say either defense needs to change anything. Collinsworth had already pointed out the Eagles' two main stars haven't shown up yet, and I have to agree. McCoy hasn't done much the too-few times he's carried the ball, and DeSean Jackson doesn't have a touch yet on offense to my knowledge. And here is where I just realized the Eagles' offensive coordinator is... Pat Shurmur, though I have no idea who actually calls the plays. I guess I'm not surprised they haven't found a way to get Jackson the ball on the move. Work on that #1, and #2, get some misdirection stuff going with McCoy, the Saints have really been overpursuing on the run.
The Saints, especially Brees, look almost as bad as they did in St. Louis. One of the problems is the good handle the Eggles have on Graham. Might want to use more motion or more trips and stack formations to make him harder to cover. This next bit is going to sound a little bonkers, but I'd like the Saints to lean a little more on their running game. It's been successful in the first half and it's their best chance to get the Eggle DBs sticking a little less well to their WRs. The Saints have had no downfield game at all, and they're probably going to need one before the night is through.
THIRD QUARTER
Remember my lame musical tempo reference at the start of this recap? This game has been more like a funeral dirge. I hope things pick up in the 2nd half. Not just because I have the over; I've already given up on that. Hey, I knew one game was going over today. The wrong one.
The offensive shootout continues with an dreadful 3-and-out by the Eagles. Curtis Lofton's blitz forces Foles into a grounding penalty on 2nd down and Jordan whips Lane Johnson but good for a hard sack on 3rd down. Feel the excitement. Really? THIS game is going to be the 7-6 game and the Chiefs were in the 45-44 game?
Good punt return by Sproles, across the NO45. I swear Collinsworth just stole from my halftime adjustments talking about the Saints needing to run more. After a first-down catch by Moore, Ingram surges off RT behind Jahri Evans' block for 18, down to the PHL22. The Vinovich crew makes an offensive holding call they ignored 1,000 times against Robert Quinn in the Seattle game. The penalty bothers Brees not at all. He hits Sproles running a comeback from out wide for 9, then rolls right and hits Moore at the 12, and Moore runs through an Eggle secondary that looks reluctant to tackle him and he charges in for a TD. Everybody be careful hitting that 5'9", 190 monster! Saints 13, Eagles 7
McCoy tries to cut back from his 24 but runs smack into Hicks and gains only 2. 4 more off LT. The Eagles then blow a time out on 3rd-and-4. They better make this here. Nope. Cooper DROPS a perfect ball while WIDE OPEN on a drag route. 4th down. That should have been 20 yards minimum. Another poor punt by Donnie Jones sets the Saints up nicely across their 30. This game is slipping out of the Eagles' talons.
After two Ingram carries, the Saints have to blow a timeout on 3rd-and-2. Vinovich calls Armstead for a hold; Seattle did worse to Robert Quinn about a hundred times week 17. Why only see holding now? While I was mistaking Roc Carmichael for Rock Cartwright, Brees takes advantage of the injury substitution in the Eagle secondary to hit Stills on the sideline for 14. Brees steps up again from the Philly rush and hits Ben Watson wide open down to the PHL27. Ingram crashes through a couple of missed tackles on the left edge for 10. Sproles makes a nifty grab on a swing pass and rolls down inside the 10. More poor Philadelphia tackling. Ingram rumbles for a 1st down inside the 5 and runs through Kendricks and Fletcher Cox at the goal line to blow open New Orleans' lead. The Eagles look done and dusted. Saints 20, Eagles 7
The Saints don't look so terrible on the road tonight. Best kickoff return of the day by Mizzou's Brad Smith is out to the 35. McCoy swings left and weaves for 11 after Harper dives at him and misses. Keenan Lewis knocks himself silly breaking up a swing pass to Avant, which looms as a turning point of the game. NBC's been showing us footage all night of Lewis shutting down DeSean Jackson that a good recap would have mentioned before now. Lewis, in fact, was on his way to being POTG. After drawing the Saints offside with a hard count, Foles rolls right and bombs away to Jackson for 40 yards down to the 10. Free of Lewis, who's still counting people's fingers on the sidelines, Jackson got position on White and beat him to a jump ball. McCoy makes a nifty cutback on 2nd-and-goal that sends David Hawthorne diving the wrong way like a fool, and strong blocking on the right side lets him breeze in for a short TD on 4th-and-goal. Lane Johnson and Herremans really crushed the Saints' edge but also went to the sideline limping. 20-14
FOURTH QUARTER
Huh, listening to Collinsworth talk, I kinda did nail the halftime adjustments. The Saints were moved back by Vinovich discovering another hold, so they've heard of the rule, which they DID NOT SHOW ANY CLUE of knowing last week in Seattle. Leads to a 3-and-out, and welcome back to the game, Eagles.
The Saints FOOLISHLY punt right to Jackson, who burns them with a 30-yard return up the far sideline. So the ball's already at the NO40. McCoy, not for the first time tonight, misses a fairly big cutback opportunity and stumbles into a crowd for 2. Sideline comeback to Cooper for a 1st down, working on Keenan Lewis' replacement Rod Sweeting. And Cooper beats Sweeting for another 14, almost the same play. Saints appear to be running the Tim Walton defense right now, complete with DBs 7 yards off the receivers. The Eagles can't follow that with another first down. An end zone pass is incomplete and Foles has to settle for a dumpoff to McCoy for 4 on 3rd-and-6. Henery hits from 31 after a false start penalty. 20-17
Brees goes to Sproles on an out route for 8 and a first down, then hits Robert Who? Meachem on an out-and-up for 40 yards down to the Eagle 23. Much too-tricky end-around to Stills for no gain. Robinson bounces out and cuts back for 6 as Kendricks misses again. He's missed as many tackles as he's made tonight. Saints try to throw out of an unusual 3-back formation on 3rd down but nothing's open and they settle for a 35-yard FG. Collinsworth points out how much good a late 6-point lead did the Chiefs in the first game. 23-17
Plenty of time for the Eagles, at their 23 with 8:00 to play. McCoy goes around left end for 5 then bounces one outside right for 7. I've been waiting for that all night. The fact that Foles can even target Jackson now tells us how impressive a job Keenan Lewis was doing. DeSean takes a drag route for 10. Foles is getting it out quick again, 8 to Cooper on a comeback across midfield, with McCoy then diving for another first down. Foles goes deep for Jackson down the near sideline and White interferes with him inside the 5 when Jackson tries to come back for the underthrown ball. Good grief, nobody in this league has a clue against a no-huddle offense. First-and-goal, WOW, is there any dumber place on the field to roll the QB out and throw a shovel pass back inside? Foles gets away with it with a no-gainer to McCoy.
Oh, you're kidding me. Two seconds after Collinsworth calls Ertz a major mismatch, it's a pass to him for the go-ahead TD. Simple enough play, he faked the down-block left, slanted back to the right, fooled David Hawthorne all the way. Collinsworth on top of his broadcasting game there, but he's already pointed out that Philadelphia might have scored too fast. Eagles 24, Saints 23
Kickoffs have been short all night, and Sproles burns the Eagles next, cutting back across the field for 35 and getting another 15 after Cary Williams horse-collars him. At midfield with 4:47 left, the Saints may score too fast now. Or not, as Kendricks and Brandon Graham stuff Sproles for a loss. Robinson, though, drives for 13 to put the Saints in long FG range behind a dominating block by center Brian de la Puente. Brees hits Colston on 2nd down to leave 3rd-1 at the PHL27. The Eagles use their 2nd timeout. 2:32 left.
And in what may anticlimactically have been the biggest play of the game, Brees sneaks it across for a first down, assisted by a major Bush Push from fullback Jed Collins. Pretty straightforward from there, as the Saints burn out the rest of the clock. Robinson for 5 off Ben Grubbs' pull block, and bounces outside for another 4.95 off a Watson block and an overpursuing safety. Another sneak by Brees makes it academic. New Orleans runs the clock down to :03 and Shayne Graham wins it for them from 32.
With their little-bite-at-a-time offense, the 50 was a perfect place for the Saints to start a time-consuming scoring drive.
Final score: New Orleans 26, Philadelphia 24
Boo to me for picking the kicker as the POTG, but it's going to Shayne Graham and his 4 FGs (36, 46, 31, 32). It would have been Keenan Lewis if he hadn't gotten hurt. Quietly strong game by Mark Ingram, too, 95 yards and a TD.
Actually, the MVP of this game was the St. Louis Rams. The Saints cut Garrett Hartley and signed Graham after losing to the Rams, who beat both teams that won today's games.
The win sends the Saints back to Seattle next week, where they got mauled 34-7 a month ago and have about as much chance next week. Seattle big. You need a better secondary than the Saints are going to be able to bring to have a chance up there. Serves the Saints right, anyway, for dealing me my first 0-for-3 of the postseason, making today a failure. 1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS, 0-2 O/U. Hoping to rally tomorrow.
In just one season, Chip Kelly's put together an intriguing team that appears to have a bright future. Their play in a lot of areas, including the secondary and offensive line, was easily good enough to win this game, too. A lot of teams have had difficulty pressuring Drew Brees, but as well as their secondary covered, the Eagles should have done better than the two sacks and mostly-light pressure that they got. I'd work on upgrading pass rush in the offseason.
Back tomorrow for Chargers/Bengals. In an hour, actually. I missed the end of the game originally and had to go to NFL.com Game Rewind, which is a nice feature though I had to wait overnight for them to actually put up the game.
-$-
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