National

Eagles blow shot at clinching NFC East, No. 1 seed with lagging loss to Saints

Had the Philadelphia Eagles won a home matchup against the below-.500 New Orleans Saints, the Eagles would have won the NFC East on Sunday.

They would have clinched the NFC’s top seed. A bye, to start the playoffs, would have been theirs.

But an offense without Pro Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts (shoulder) and right tackle Lane Johnson (core muscle) instead combusted spectacularly. A defense that lost 11-sack defensive lineman Josh Sweat early in the first quarter allowed New Orleans Saints quarterbacks to complete their first 15 passes before finding a second-half rhythm that couldn’t overcome their lagging offense.

The game-sealing play arrived with 5:27 to go in the fourth quarter. Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew attempted a quick, short pass to wide receiver A.J. Brown. Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, in his first game back from an Oct. 9 lacerated kidney, instead read Minshew’s eyes, jumped the route, and completed an 11-yard pick-six.

This wasn't just a quarterback issue, though Hurts' absence was glaring. An Eagles offense that ranks fourth on the ground inched forward just six yards in the first half. Minshew, who was productive outside a couple turnovers last week against the Dallas Cowboys, was sacked five times before the Eagles earned a first down.

The final 2 minutes of the first half were more encouraging for Eagles fans than the first 28. Eagles cornerback Josiah Scott snapped the Saints’ perfect streak, jumping a pass just in front of receiver Chris Olave to set up his offense with 34 seconds to play.

Finally, with 12 seconds to go, Philadelphia added textbook garbage yards: a first down on third-and-7 and then a 25-yard Minshew completion to receiver DeVonta Smith. The half expired and the gains faded into memory. But to open the third quarter, Philadelphia seemed to ride some renewed momentum.

An initially impressive nine-play, 53-yard drive to open the half ultimately stalled and resulted in just a field goal. Two drives later, in the final minute of the third quarter, Minshew flung a pass downfield to Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown, who caught it on the right sideline, his defender falling out of bounds. Brown cut back inside as he covered the remaining 46 yards to the end zone on a 78-yard play.

That cut the Saints’ lead to 3 points. The Eagles would never come closer.

Because despite a strong second half from the Philadelphia defense, which collected seven sacks, this offense was too weak to rally.

Minshew ultimately completed the game 18-of-32 for 274 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Dalton completed 18-of-22 passes for 204 yards and an interception. Triple-threat quarterback Taysom Hill completed two passes for 24 yards, caught a pass for nine yards and rushed 14 times for 46 yards and a touchdown.

The Eagles will win the division and the conference’s top spot with a victory next week over the New York Giants, who secured their playoff spot today. But if Philadelphia loses, and the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders next week, Dallas will steal the division.