Previewing 2019 Divisional Round matchup for Eagles against Saints

The Divisional Round matchups are set and the Philadelphia Eagles will head down south to take on the New Orleans Saints.

So the magical ride continues! The Philadelphia Eagles have moved on to the Divisional Round of the playoffs and will take on the New Orleans Saints. The Eagles moved on thanks to a 16-15 victory over the Chicago Bears last Sunday.

It first came down to a fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line with under a minute to play. On that play, postseason hero Nick Foles rolled to his right and hit Golden Tate for the go-ahead touchdown. Chicago then marched down the field and it came down to a Cody Parkey field goal.

Parkey’s kick didn’t just hit off the left upright, it hit again off the crossbar and then bounced back onto the field, giving the Eagles the improbable win. It was then later where we learned the kick was actually blocked by Eagles defensive linemen Treyvon Hester.

After all of that, the Eagles run continues. This Sunday, the Eagles will take on one of the best teams in the NFL, the 13-3 Saints. They will travel to the most daunting stadium in the league, where the Saints rarely lose.

The Eagles come into this game red-hot, winning four in a row since Foles was re-entrenched as the starter. New Orleans, on the other hand, has not played in a meaningful game since December 23rd, a whole three weeks off for Drew Brees and the Saints regulars.

Will that give the Eagles an advantage? We will see. Or will the rest New Orleans received serve to their advantage? It is a matchup of the hottest team in the NFL against probably the best overall team in the NFL. Is there any way the Eagles can pull this one out?

The Eagles are underdogs once again. So can they rise to the occasion again when being counted out?

Date and Time: Sunday, Jan. 13, 2018, at 4:40 PM

Network: Fox

Announcers: Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis, and Pam Oliver

Last Matchup: The last time these two teams met was in Week 11 of this past season. The Eagles played their worst game of the season, falling to the Saints 48-7. Carson Wentz threw three interceptions, and the Eagles’ defense allowed Brees to throw four touchdowns.

That game dropped the Eagles to 4-6 on the season and it seemed like there was no shot at making the postseason. Since then, the Eagles are 6-1 including the postseason, emerging as one of the hottest teams in the NFL.

Last Playoff Matchup: The last time these two teams met in the postseason was the Wild Card round of the 2013 season. New Orleans traveled to Philadelphia and beat the Eagles 26-24 on a Shayne Graham game-winning field goal.

In that game, Foles passed for two touchdowns, including the one that put the Eagles up 24-23. From there, the Eagles surrendered a big kickoff return by Darren Sproles, who was horse-collared by Cary Williams, setting up the Saints in position to win the game.

There are plenty of looming storylines surrounding this game, along with many intriguing matchups, and keys for the Eagles to win this game. Taking all of this into consideration, let’s look at what to expect come Sunday between the Eagles and Saints to see which team has the best chance of moving on to the NFC Championship game!