The Philadelphia Eagles escaped with a 15-12 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 3. Despite several early game blunders, the Eagles bounced back and secured a much-needed win against one of the hottest teams in the NFL.
While Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts struggled to start Week 3, Philadelphia’s defense shut down the Saints and kept the offense in the game.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Defense Dominates in New Orleans
It wasn’t pretty, but the Eagles improved to 2-1 to start the regular season.
Here’s what the numbers revealed about Philadelphia’s impressive performance from this game, courtesy of TruMedia.
Quinyon Mitchell, Darius Slay Forming a Dominant CB Duo
During training camp and preseason action, it appeared as though rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell was going to primarily play slot cornerback in 2024.
Yet once Isaiah Rodgers missed Week 1 due to a broken hand, Mitchell started at outside cornerback and has never looked back. In fact, Mitchell and veteran Darius Slay have formed one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL this season.
Philadelphia’s outside cornerback duo showcased their dominance against the Saints in Week 3. According to Pro Football Focus, Mitchell allowed three receptions on five targets for just 29 yards and a passer rating of 76.3.
Slay also impressed against the Saints, allowing just one reception on two targets for nine yards and a passer rating of 62.5.
Saints WR Rashid Shaheed entered the game on fire, as he recorded touchdown receptions of 59 and 70 yards in New Orleans’ first two games. Philadelphia’s cornerbacks completely shut him down and held Shaheed to zero receptions on five targets.
Mitchell almost recorded the first interception of his NFL career while covering Shaheed.
Quinyon Mitchell: Rashid Shaheed eraser pic.twitter.com/J6QIIBCUgc
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) September 23, 2024
Philadelphia’s Defensive Front Proves Doubters Wrong
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio understood how poorly the team’s defensive front played in the first two games of the regular season. Fangio made the necessary adjustments in Week 3 and Philadelphia’s defense thrived against the Saints.
After scoring 40 or more points in each of its first two games, Philadelphia held the Saints to just 12 points in Week 3.
The Eagles allowed 6.4 yards per carry through the first two weeks of the regular season, easily the worst mark in the NFL. That wasn’t the case in New Orleans, as Philadelphia limited the Saints to just 3.1 yards per carry.
Prior to Week 3, Saints running back Alvin Kamara recorded 25 or more rushing attempts three times in his NFL career. He surpassed 120 rushing yards or more in each of those games.
In Week 3, Kamara was held to just 87 rushing yards on 26 rushing attempts. Considering Philadelphia’s struggles against the run to start the regular season, the Eagles dominated the Saints in New Orleans.
Dallas Goedert Joins Elite Company With Epic Performance
The Eagles entered Week 3 without star wide receiver A.J. Brown. During the game, Philadelphia lost DeVonta Smith and Britain Covey to injuries as well.
As the game suddenly appeared to be out of reach, Dallas Goedert stepped up and put the Eagles on his back. Goedert hauled in a 61-yard reception to put the Eagles ahead of the Saints late in the fourth quarter.
Goedert’s second reception of over 40 yards in the game put him in elite company at tight end. According to TruMedia, only five tight ends recorded 10 receptions and 170 receiving yards in the same game since 2000.
- Shannon Sharpe (2002)
- Jimmy Graham (2013)
- George Kittle (2020)
- Darren Waller (2020)
- Travis Kelce (2021, 2023)
Goedert added his name to that exclusive list as the sixth tight end to reach those marks in a single game since 2000. Considering that the Eagles could be without Brown, Smith, and Covey for an extended period of time, Goedert may need to replicate this performance.
Stoutland University in Session Against Saints
If any team in the NFL lost their starting right tackle and right guard for a significant amount of time in a game, their offense would likely struggle. The Eagles lost both Lane Johnson and Mekhi Becton in the first half against the Saints.
Despite being down two key starters along the offensive line, the Eagles were still able to gain 460 total yards on offense. Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland deserves a ton of credit for his unit’s ability to overcome two significant absences.
Fred Johnson stepped in at right tackle and Tyler Steen stepped in at right guard. According to PFF, both players played well despite being thrust into action against a stout defense.
Johnson played 53 total offensive snaps, including 33 pass-blocking snaps. While Johnson allowed five quarterback hurries, he didn’t surrender a single sack or quarterback hit.
Steen played 57 total offensive snaps, including 36 pass-blocking snaps. Steen pitched a complete shutout, as he didn’t allow a single pressure at all.