The New Orleans Saints came into their Week Three matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles riding high. New Orleans had been one of the surprise teams of the young NFL season. Last week the Saints beat the Dallas Cowboys so badly that it triggered a “major disaster” warning from FEMA. While that alert was obviously a joke, the Saints offense has been anything but through the first two weeks. The team had averaged 45.5 points per week in easy victories over the Carolina Panthers and the Cowboys.
Yet whatever magic the Saints and first year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak had to start the season ran out against the Eagles on Sunday. New Orleans was held to 33.5 fewer points than their 2024 average in the 15-12 loss to Philadelphia. Quarterback Derek Carr, who appeared to have resurrected his career, fell back to earth against the Eagles going 14/25 for 142 with one touchdown and one interception.
After the game, Carr voiced his frustration over the surprisingly poor showing. “You’re pissed because you lost. You’re mad at that… You want to win all these games. But at the end of the day, we played a really good football team,” the 11-year veteran said per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell.
Derek Carr and the Saints ran out of magic in Week Three
Despite being held in check for most of the game, Carr got the Saints in position to win with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave with just over two minutes remaining. Already playing without star receiver AJ Brown, the Eagles lost wideout DeVonta Smith to a scary helmet-to-helmet hit early in the fourth quarter. Smith was ruled out with a concussion after getting blasted by New Orleans’ defensive tackle Khristian Boyd on a hit Eagles’ safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson felt was dirty.
Without their two top wide receivers, tight end Dallas Goedert stepped up with a massive day, catching 10 passes for 170 yards. Running back Saquon Barkley did the rest, running in a four-yard score with a minute remaining to give the Eagles a 15-12 lead.
Unlike last week when Philadelphia played a prevent defense that allowed Kirk Cousins plenty of time in the pocket as he effortlessly led the Falcons down the field, ultimately delivering the winning score with seconds remaining, the Eagles were up for the challenge against the Saints. Carr faced heavy pressure during New Orleans’ final drive, which led to an interception by defensive back Reed Blankenship to seal the victory for Philly.
Although the Saints had been red hot entering their home clash with the Eagles, Gardner-Johnson is not impressed with the team. The veteran defender made a point of calling the Saints “pretenders,” specifically because of quarterback Derek Carr.
Both teams exited Week Three with 2-1 records. The Eagles will head to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers next Sunday while the Saints travel to Atlanta for a Week Four matchup with the Falcons.
