The New Orleans Saints (2-1) couldn’t replicate their offensive success from the first two weeks of the season, falling short to the Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) 15-12 in a hard-fought battle at the Caesars Superdome. The Saints, without their dynamic utility player Taysom Hill (chest injury), struggled to find rhythm after losing starting center Erik McCoy on the first series.
Derek Carr completed 14 of 25 passes for 142 yards, while Alvin Kamara rushed for 87 yards on 26 carries. Chris Olave led the receiving corps with six catches for 86 yards. However, the offense stalled for most of the game against a relentless Eagles defense, which had allowed a late collapse the previous week but bounced back strong.
Philadelphia’s defense was the story of the game, holding the Saints to just 219 total yards and keeping them out of the end zone until Carr connected with Olave for a 12-yard touchdown in the final minutes. That score gave the Saints a brief 12-7 lead, but their failure on the two-point conversion left them vulnerable.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley responded with two massive fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 65-yard burst that turned the game in the Eagles’ favor. Derek Carr’s late-game heroics were cut short when Eagles safety Reed Blankenship intercepted a pass over the middle with 48 seconds left, sealing the win for Philadelphia.
The Eagles outgained New Orleans by a significant margin, amassing 460 total yards to the Saints’ 219. Despite some critical defensive plays by Tyrann Mathieu and Carl Granderson, who both forced turnovers, the Saints couldn’t capitalize on Philadelphia’s early mistakes. The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts threw for 311 yards, while the Saints’ defense kept them off the scoreboard until late in the second half.
However, costly decisions on fourth down, combined with a lack of offensive production, left the Saints unable to keep pace with the Eagles, dropping them to 2-1 on the season. Next up for New Orleans Vs Atlanta Falcons on the road.
