Overcoming adversity is not something the New Orleans Saints have had to go through two weeks of the season. Week three against the Philadelphia Eagles proved to be the first opportunity for the Saints to come from behind in a close matchup but to no avail, falling 15-12 at home.
A last-minute four-yard touchdown by Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley proved to make a permanent lead as the Eagles (2-1) held a previously explosive New Orleans offense to just 219 yards. The Saints (2-1) also saw injuries to key offensive players, including specialist Taysom Hill, center Erik McCoy, and guard Cesar Ruiz.
Forced turnovers failed to help
Not only have the Saints excelled defensively so far in 2024, but they have also surpassed the takeaway differential to the 2023 season at this rate.
Forcing multiple turnovers on Sunday against the Eagles – including an interception by Tyrann Mathieu, a fumble recovery by Mississippi State alum Willie Gay, Jr., and a punt blocked by Clarksdale native J.T. Gray – put New Orleans in great field position time after time. But the offense couldn’t capitalize on a single turnover.
What the coach and quarterback said
Head coach Dennis Allen noted his team’s first bout of adversity after the loss and pointed out that the rushing attack was mostly absent all day. In total, the Saints managed only 89 yards on the ground, a stark difference from the first two weeks that saw over 190 rushing yards in each outing.
“Adversity is a reality of our league. Our guys are playing hard,” Allen contended. “It’s challenging to win in this league, and we have to do a better job with our rushing attack to win games.”
The passing attack wasn’t much better as quarterback Derek Carr threw for a season-low 142 yards on 14 of 25 attempts with one touchdown and one interception. Carr told reporters after the game that it was a great defensive showing by Philadelphia and his team will learn from its mistakes.
“We knew adversity would come at some point. We had to grind it out at the end, but there is no disappointment,” Carr said, reassuring his faith in offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s system and the talented group surrounding the second-year Saints signal-caller.
“We played a very good football team. I thought our guys did a great job of battling against one of the better fronts in the league. You have to give them credit; they beat us. For us, it’s staying positive and making the corrections we need to make.”
Numbers never lie
Barkley had his best day as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles after leaving the New York Giants during the offseason. He rushed for 147 yards on 17 carries, including a 65-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Barkley’s shorter touchdown run came with a notch over a minute remaining, one play after tight end Dallas Goedert’s 61-yard catch gave him a career-high 170 yards receiving.
Although the New Orleans offensive unit didn’t supply much, running back Alvin Kamara still orchestrated 127 total yards on 29 touches. Wideout Chris Olave gave the Saints a 12-7 lead with the lone receiving touchdown of the day, but it didn’t last for long as the Eagles quickly rebounded.
Mississippi natives Demario Davis and Gay combined for 10 total tackles, eight of which were solo stops.
Next up
The New Orleans Saints will play on the road against division opponent Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 29. Kickoff against the Falcons is scheduled for noon CT.
