The Eagles and Saints are prepping for an important Week 17 matchup that has postseason and NFL draft implications for both teams.
If Philadelphia (13-2) can get the win, they’ll win the division and clinch home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Handing New Orleans another loss would drop them to 6-10 on the season, improving their draft positioning as well for a pick that belongs to Philadelphia. As it stands, the Eagles (by way of the Saints) have the 10th pick in the NFL Draft, courtesy of a blockbuster pre-draft trade in April.
Philadelphia sent the Saints two first-round picks in 2022 as well as a sixth-round selection in exchange for 2022 first- and third-round picks that became wide receiver A.J. Brown), a 2022 seventh-round pick, the 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick.
With so many looming factors in play, here are 15 key players to watch on Sunday.
QB Andy Dalton
The Saints are entering Week 17 with the 18th-ranked total offense in the league (337.1 yards per game) and the 15th-best passing offense (223.1 yards per game). Quarterback Andy Dalton — who played limited snaps against the Browns and threw only 15 passes — has won all three games he has played against the Eagles in his career, completing 65.9% of his passes (58 of 88) for 836 yards, six touchdowns, and an interception.
Dalton’s most recent start against Philadelphia came with the Cowboys in 2020, a Week 16 game in which he threw for 377 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in a 37-17 win.
QB Gardner Minshew
Minshew completed 24 of 40 passes for 355 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions while adding a quarterback sneak for a touchdown in the loss at Dallas.
RB Alvin Kamara
The top dual-threat running back in the NFL, Kamara rushed for a team-high 76 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in the Saints’ victory over the Brown. It was just his second rushing touchdown this season.
RB Miles Sanders
Sanders had not fumbled through the Eagles’ first 13 games but now has two in the past two weeks.
He’ll need to respond against a Saints defense that he’s had success against.
WR Chris Olave
According to Pro Football Focus, Olave is the best Saints receiver in zone coverage, catching 38 passes for 590 yards and a touchdown, and Saints quarterbacks have a passer rating of 84.7, with three interceptions, when throwing to him.
WR DeVonta Smith
Smith topped 1,000 yards for the season with eight catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to Dallas.
.@GardnerMinshew5 ➡️ @DeVontaSmith_6 again!#PHIvsDAL | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/gPnjfmgeR0
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 24, 2022
TE Taysom Hill
Gannon will have to make defending the versatile Taysom Hill a priority on Sunday.
Hill has lined up at several offensive positions this season, throwing for 216 yards and two touchdowns, catching seven passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing for 505 yards and six touchdowns.
TE Dallas Goedert
The biggest surprise in Philadelphia’s loss to Dallas may have been the lack of targets for Goedert, who had three catches for 67 yards on only three targets in his return from injury.
LT James Hurst
The Saints have given up 30 sacks, the ninth-lowest total in the league, with James Hurst and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk allowing only seven combined sacks all season.
RT Jack Driscoll
All eyes will be on Driscoll at right tackle with Lane Johnson rehabbing a torn abdominal muscle.
DE Josh Sweat
Sweat has 11 sacks on the season and will have an intriguing matchup against Saints left tackle James Hurts.
DE Cameron Jordan
Jordan has had 112.5 sacks since 2011 and he’ll be a player to watch against Jack Driscoll on the Eagles’ right side.
LB Demario Davis
Davis is the first Saints linebacker to be voted to the Pro Bowl since Jonathan Vilma in 2010.
One of the top middle linebackers in the NFL, Davis is a three-time All-Pro, and this season, he has started all 14 games, one of only three Saints defenders to start every contest and leads the team in both tackles and sacks with 81 stops and a career-high 6.5 quarterback takedowns, to go with one interception, five passes defended and one fumble recovery.
CB Josiah Scott
With Avonte Maddox out and C.J. Gardner-Johnson on injured reserve, Scott becomes the Eagles’ most critical player in the secondary.
Prescott's final numbers vs #Eagles:
vs zone: 24/24, 300 yards, 12.5 ypa, 3 TD
vs man: 3/11, 47 yards, 4.3 ypa, 1 INT
Unbelievable. https://t.co/znc9hoWXiI— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) December 25, 2022
Dak Prescott feasted on the Philadelphia secondary because Scott makes it difficult to play man-to-man when the opposing offense’s best pass catcher moves to the slot.
S K'Von Wallace
With Avonte Maddox out again after suffering a toe injury, Expect rookie Reed Blankenship to stay at safety full-time while K’Von Wallace will be the sixth defensive back in dime packages.
A physical player who has a high motor, Wallace will play a critical role down the stretch.
