Philadelphia Eagles top obstacle, advantage to beating each playoff team
15. . . . New Orleans Saints. . team
Biggest advantage: Philly’s great on third down, Biggest disadvantage: The Brees-to-Thomas connection
Sometimes, it’s easy to ask yourself a very simple question. Would the Philadelphia Eagles have made it to the Super Bowl in 2017 if they would have crossed paths with the New Orleans Saints?
That’s a moot point now, and Philly may avoid the Saints again in 2020’s version of the postseason. That may be a good thing. The Eagles have made some very run-of-the-mill signal-callers look great, so a talent like Drew Brees poses some major issues. Philly’s secondary isn’t stopping Michael Thomas consistently if at all.
The Saints can beat everybody in the field. We all know that and if the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers both lost in the Divisional Round and New Orleans wound up hosting the NFC Championship Game (a stretch but not impossible), no one would be surprised.
The good news is this. Philly’s great on first down, and they dominate time of possession. The Saints defense goes to sleep on the field sometimes, and that might allow for some long Eagles drives. Brees can’t beat you if he isn’t on the field.