New Orleans and Philadelphia each opened their seasons with impressive blowout victories, but the Eagles will have to defend their home turf without quarterback Donovan McNabb, who suffered a rib injury last week.
The Saints absolutely massacred the Lions in a 47-27 Week 1 win. Naturally, the offense was firing on all cylinders. Drew Brees had a mind-numbing game, tossing 358 yards and six scores. He was very democratic with the football, with four players catching at least four passes and five different players hauling in touchdowns. Running back Pierre Thomas missed the game due to injury and Reggie Bush continued to underwhelm as a runner, but former Bronco Mike Bell stepped up in a big way with 143 yards.
Of course, an overpowering offense is nothing new for the Saints. What’s more impressive is an opportunistic defense, something New Orleans has never had during the Drew Brees era. The Saints defense allowed 20 points (another touchdown was scored by Detroit’s “D”) and only 231 yards while producing three turnovers. Exercise some caution if you’re going to be betting online with New Orleans, though—it isn’t difficult to look impressive against Detroit.
The Eagles, meanwhile, had their way with Carolina in a 38-10 rout. There were many concerns at the sportsbook after defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away in the offseason—not to mention some injuries and offseason departures—but it didn’t matter last week as Philly delivered seven takeaways while holding the Panthers to a pathetic 169 yards. Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme was awful, but the Eagles “D” still deserves some credit.
Things aren’t so rosy on offense, as Donovan McNabb was lost to a rib injury during a third-quarter touchdown run. It’s unknown how long McNabb will be down for, but his replacement Kevin Kolb struggled after subbing against the Panthers, going 7-11 for a paltry 23 yards. Recently signed Jeff Garcia will likely see some playing time if Kolb struggles early.
Both teams looked sharp last weekend, but trying to keep up with New Orleans’ offense without McNabb is a recipe for disaster. The Philadelphia running game (185 yards, 5.8 per carry last week) will try carrying the load, but the Saints are bound to cram the box and force Kolb to beat them—and there’s no betting software, casual fan or people in Kolb’s immediate family that believe he can keep up with Brees.
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