NFL GAME ODDS

Philadelphia Eagles vs. New Orleans Saints

This weekend the red hot Eagles travel to the Big Easy to play the feel good team of the year New Orleans Saints. The Eagles are winners of 6 straight and are brimming with confidence. The Saints have never won a second round playoff game so this game could be history for them. Drew Brees, 2nd MVP voting, and company will hope to stop the Eagles from extending their win streak. The Saints must be able to stop the run and Michael Westbrook in particular. When Donovan McNabb went down for the year with a knee injury the style of play changed for the Eagles, as they were a pass first team. With Garcia they now rely on the run and short passes which is Garcia's strength. If the Saints defense can clog up the front and make Garcia beat them with big plays downfield they have a good chance of winning. On the other side of the ball the Eagles defense must stop the powerful New Orleans offense and not let Brees pick them apart. Both teams are pretty even in total yards per game, NO - 392 PHI - 381, and yards allowed per game, NO - 307.3 PHI - 328.1, and both defenses are stingy against the run. With both teams ability to stop the run it could also come down to the quarterback and that advantage goes to Brees. There will be an early Mardi Gras this week as the Saints will continue to march towards Miami.

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Everyone thought the Eagles season was over when McNabb went out but Garcia, 1309 yds 10 TD's, has filled in admirably and played his best football since with the 49'ers. Philadelphia relies on the run and short passing plays to beat teams. Their rushing attack is what carries them led by Brain Westbrook, 1217 yds 7 TD's and a massive offensive line. If Westbrook can carry the Eagles 2nd rated offense, and not rely on Garcia for big plays than they have a chance. If the Saints can stop Westbrook the Eagles may not be soaring much longer. The big test will be to see if the Eagles and their mediocre secondary can contain Drew Brees and New Orleans' top ranked offense. Philadelphia has the 15th ranked defense and gives up over 190 yards per game in the air and over 19 points per game. The Eagles lost cornerback Lito Sheppard who dislocated an elbow on Sunday against the Giants so their secondary will have to step it up. For the Eagles they have to hope to stop the Saint's offense because they don't have enough offensive playmakers to match up if the game becomes a shootout.

Drew Brees, 4418 yds 26 TD's, leads the Saints 1st ranked offense as the gamble that New Orleans took by signing him after surgery on his shoulder paid off big time. Their rushing attack has two weapons with Duece McCallister, 1057 yds 10 TD's, leading the way and rookie Reggie Bush 565 yds 6 TD's, pitching in. Bush is dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield as he set a rookie reception mark by a running back this year. He has the ability to turn any play into one for a big gain with his explosive quickness and open field abilities. Brees' main target is sensational rookie Marquis Colston, 70 rec 1038 yds 8 TD's. If he has a big day against a suspect Eagles secondary it spells trouble for Philadelphia. The key to the Saints defense, ranked 11th in the league, is stopping Brian Westbrook. New Orleans was 23rd in the league against the rush giving up 128.9 yards per game. The front line of the Saints has to plug the holes and not let Westbrook get free into the secondary. If the Saints stop Westbrook they can focus on stopping the short pass plays that the Eagles thrive on. Garcia doesn't have the arm to beat teams deep and if the Saints force him to do so they will be sitting pretty. The Saints are not on a roll like the Eagles but Brees and their offense has too much firepower and if it gets to a shootout they will win handily. The Saints will continue their parade to the next round of the playoffs.

Game Pick New Orleans -6