Eagles at Saints

Wow. Did you know the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints had the same record this year (10-6)? I’m a little surprised by this-the teams didn’t get nearly the same amount of coverage. Of course, as Rush Limbaugh would wisely point out, you’d have heard a lot about the Eagles if McNabb had stayed healthy. I’m kidding! (Besides, if any of you think that was legit, think about how many Saints highlights you saw with Drew Brees at the helm compared to when Aaron Brooks was the quarterback. It’s winning that leads to overexposure, not race.)

The Saints, of course, were the story of the season, and their postseason begins with a home game against the Eagles Saturday night (6 p.m., FOX).

Last week the Eagles looked fine, if you ask me. Yes, they only beat the Giants by three and yes, Jeff Garcia’s statistics were pedestrian. But this is a team that is well-accustomed to the crucible of the postseason. At no point did they lose confidence, and they even provided the most entertaining moment of the postseason. (That was coach Andy Reid trying to look intimidating while upset at Garcia for a timeout called right before the two-minute warning.)

The Saints, on the other hand-well, this is all new to them. You can’t say for sure how they’ll respond. (Will Reggie Bush try the lateral again this year?) They’ve been on fire, though, and it wasn’t long ago that they made a huge statement with that twenty-five point road victory over Dallas. They’re probably fine. But you know the Eagles will come to play, whereas the Saints are just a little bit iffy.

Anyway, it’s not just the records. I would have said New Orleans has a much more explosive offense, but in reality, the teams ranked 1-2 in offensive yardage in the regular season. (It’s true.) And defensively, the Saints were 11th and the Eagles were 15th, so that was pretty close, too.

Personality-wise, the teams do show some differences-the Saints go down the field a lot, whereas the Eagles’ Brian Westbrook is more effective on the ground than Deuce McAllister or Bush. But I’m surprised the teams are this close in so many ways.

What I’m saying is, the Eagles could pull off the upset. I don’t think they will. With homefield and what should be an unbelievable crowd, the Saints should roll to victory. But this ought to be a heck of a game.