Who would have thought that the high-flying Saints, who scored 91 points for the first two games of the season, would manage to put up only 12 against the Eagles? Well, it’s the NFL, where anything is possible with an underdog story being written every week. This time, it was the team from Philadelphia visiting New Orleans, whose defense gave the Saints their first reality check of the season.

While the Eagles maintained a stringent defensive line, their offensive tackle was caught calling out Dallas Goebert on a Saquon Barkley TD. As the Aussie, Jordan Mailata, had a mic on the sidelines, he shouted, “Dallas, you slow m———–. I’m sorry, I’m happy, I promise.” Although that cuss word might have boiled out from the excitement of seeing Barkley charge for a game-winning TD. Mailata later expanded on his praise for the Eagles’ defense.

“They kept us in the game. What a way to respond. I’m so proud. Geez. It was just play after play, guys making plays for one another, man that’s what you need out of your defense,” Mailata shared. Coming into the clash this Sunday, the Saints had scored 11 TDs and four field goals courtesy of Derek Carr. However, on the night, the home team only managed to score one TD while scoring two field goals to end their miserable third week.

But considering the plays the Saints would have hoped for with RB Alvin Kamara. It didn’t work out even after force-feeding Kamara to eight carries within the first drive alone. Going into the match-up, Kamara had the best NFL rushing average at 5.7. However, finishing his night, he became the fourth RB ever to record less than 90 yards for 26 carries.

Considering the poor running game, Derek Carr struggled as the QB recorded just 14 pass completions with 142 passing yards. Reed Blankenship shared his thoughts about keeping the Saints QB quiet all night, “We had pressure in his face all day, and once that happens, any quarterback is going to start looking down and shorten their throws.” Well, to cap off the night, Blankenship scored his second interception in New Orleans, which confirmed their win with 55 seconds remaining on the clock.

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley praised for his sublime performance in New Orleans

Speaking after the game, NFL analyst Matt Ryan expressed, “I mean. It was a gritty win going down there. Offensively, they didn’t do much until they got the long run from Saquon Barkley and the crossing route from Dallas Goedert. A gutty win on the road.” Well, Barkey was one of the shining beacons from their lackluster offensive line that only put up 15 points on the board in New Orleans. Even though that was enough, Barkley essentially carried the offense on his shoulders.

His 17 carries for 147 yards and two TDs helped the Eagles win their second game of the season. But the former Giants RB’s best plays came during the late quarters of this game, as he recorded three carries for 69 yards and two TDs to confirm the win for his team. Continuing on those praises about Barkley, Ryan stated, “Saquon, specifially, responded to that drop. Going out there the way that he did with the two touchdowns was impressive.” 

As the Eagles managed to whisk away a win from New Orleans, will they be able to continue their impressive performance? Or will their defense fail to build on those plays that gave them a sensational win against the best offense after three weeks of NFL action? Only time will tell, as the season is long and full of ups and downs.