Open Thread: Eagles vs. Saints

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Photo by: Jeff Fusco.

Photo by: Jeff Fusco.

The Eagles face off with the Saints Sunday in a high-stakes Week 5 matchup at the Linc. We’ll pop in with some updates and thoughts from time to time. Feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.

4:12 – Eagles 39, Saints 17. The Birds rout Drew Brees and New Orleans and move to 2-3.

4:01 – Eagles 39, Saints 10. Walter Thurmond intercepts a Drew Brees pass and returns it to the Saints’ four-yard line, his third interception in five games this season.

On the very next play, DeMarco Murray runs it in on the left side to put the Eagles up big with 3:44 to go.

3:55 – Eagles 32, Saints 10. Caleb Sturgis converts his fourth field goal of the afternoon, a 41-yard boot, with 4:19 to play.

The Eagles now have 515 yards of offense.

3:45 – Drew Brees drives the Saints into the Eagles’ red zone, before DeMeco Ryans forces a fumble on a pass in the flat and Byron Maxwell recovers. The Eagles take over on their own 17-yard line, with 8:51 to play.

3:43 – Bob Ford gives the Birds a light-hearted razz as the Eagles’ offense continues to produce.

3:40 – Eagles 29, Saints 10. The Eagles march down the field into the red zone with a succession of Ryan Mathews runs, but can’t find the end zone once again. Caleb Sturgis buries a 26-yard field goal, his third of the afternoon, and the Birds take a three-possession lead with 10:11 to play.

3:34 – Jordan Hicks leaps and tips a third-down pass from Brees, and the ball falls harmlessly to the field. The Saints punt it again, and the Birds take over at their own 19-yard line.

The Eagles have out-gained the Saints, 417-230, through just over three quarters.

3:29 – Marcus Smith has seen his first defensive snaps of the season this afternoon. An update.

3:28 – After three quarters: Eagles 26, Saints 10. Caleb Sturgis converts his second field goal of the game, a 29-yard boot from the middle of the field. The Eagles’ scoring drive took 8 plays, 39 yards, and 3:29 of clock.

3:20 – The Eagles force another punt from the Saints, and a shanked punt gives the Birds the ball at the 50-yard line.

Here’s a wild update from Tim on the impressive afternoon from Fletcher Cox.

3:13 – Eagles 23, Saints 10. Fletcher Cox sacks Drew Brees, forces a fumble, and recovers the fumble on the same play, giving the Eagles the ball on the Saints’ 13-yard line. On the very next play, Bradford finds Brent Celek for a 13-yard touchdown.

Caleb Sturgis missed the extra point.

Bradford is now 24-of-35 for 261 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

3:10 – Tim provides an update on Ryan Mathews’ afternoon so far.

3:07 – Eagles 17, Saints 10. Ryan Mathews punches it in from two yards out and the Eagles take a one-score lead with 6:44 to play in the second half.

The Birds’ scoring drive encompassed 80 yards, nine plays and 4:28. The Eagles’ offense has run 55 plays for 367 yards through two and a half quarters; Mathews has carried the ball six times for 36 yards and a score.

3:03 – Nelson Agholor update.

2:53 – Eagles 10, Saints 10. New Orleans start the second half on their own 25-yard line and drives to the Birds’ three-yard line before kicking a 20-yard field goal.

63 of the 72 yards on the Saints’ drive came on third-down conversions. Brees found Brandin Cooks for a 46-yard pass on New Orleans’ first third down of the half.

2:33 – Halftime: Eagles 10, Saints 7. Sam Bradford is on pace for 390 yards and 60 pass attempts, both of which would be career-highs.

2:31 – Eagles 10, Saints 7. Caleb Sturgis buries a 39-yard field goal and the Eagles take their first lead of the game with 10 seconds left in the first half.

2:24 – An official Agholor update.

2:23 – The Eagles can’t get anything going in their own territory, and a picked-up pass interference call on third down forces them to punt it away with less than two minutes left.

2:20 – An update on Agholor.

2:12 – The Eagles’ second sack of the afternoon, this one from Fletcher Cox, and a great open-field tackle from Malcolm Jenkins forces the Saints into a 4th & 26 on the Eagles’ 44-yard line.

New Orleans punts the ball away, and the Birds take over from their own seven-yard line with 2:36 to play in the first half. The Eagles have all three timeouts left.

2:08 – After the Eagles’ second failed fourth down attempt of the afternoon, the Saints take over on their own 35-yard line, and a couple of injury updates ensue:

1:58 – Another Saints possession, another three-and-out. A potential third-down conversion goes through Marques Colston’s hands and New Orleans has to punt it away once again.

Since Brees’ touchdown pass, the Saints have run six plays for 11 yards.

1:53 – Eagles 7, Saints 7. Josh Huff takes a 41-yard touchdown pass to the house for his first career touchdown. Two Saints defenders collided and gave Huff a clear path to the end zone down the left side of the field. The Birds’ went 81 yards in four plays and just under two minutes.

After the touchdown pass, Sam Bradford is 13-for-18 for 160 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

1:49 – A diving E.J. Biggers pass breakup forces a three-and-out from the Saints following Bradford’s interception, and the Eagles take over at their own 19-yard line with 13:28 to play in the first half.

1:46 – Another trip to the red zone, another interception from Sam Bradford. Delvin Breaux makes a diving catch in the end zone on a pass intended for Miles Austin, and the Saints take over on their own 20-yard line.

Bradford is now 11-for-16 for 106 yards and a pair of interceptions.

1:39 – At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles are threatening in New Orleans territory, still trailing 7-0. Ryan Mathews has 46 yards on five touches in the first quarter. Bradford is 10-for-14 for 100 yards and an interception.

1:33 – Perspective on the Eagles’ slow starts this season from Reuben Frank.

1:31 – Saints 7, Eagles 0. A coverage miscommunication allows Benjamin Watson to find the end zone with relative ease. The Saints marched 80 yards in eight plays and 3:49, including a number of Brees throws down the field.

Brees is now 5-of-8 for 70 yards and a touchdown.

1:24 – An impressive Eagles drive screeches to a halt in the red zone as Bradford throws an interception in the end zone, looking for Riley Cooper on the right side.

Bradford is 7-for-11 for 73 yards after two drives.

1:13 – Zach Berman’s view of Bennie Logan’s sack.

1:12 – The Eagles generate solid pass rush on New Orleans’ first drive of the game, including a Bennie Logan sack of Drew Brees, and the Saints punt the ball away after picking up their first down of the game.

1:06 – The Eagles pick up a first down on their first drive of the game, but the drive stalls in New Orleans territory when Sam Bradford throws a pair of incomplete passes on third and fourth down.

After one series, Bradford is 2-for-4 for 15 yards. DeMarco Murray picked up three yards on two carries.

1:03 – The Eagles receive the ball first, and Josh Huff returns the ball to the Birds’ own 43-yard line.

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