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Saints host playoff game for first time in six years

Jan 13, 2007 - 5:52 PM Philadelphia (11-6) at New Orleans (10-6) 8:00 pm EST NFC Divisional Playoff

NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- A downtrodden franchise rose from the ashes of a decimated city and won an NFL division title. Can the road eventually lead to a Super Bowl for the New Orleans Saints?

Seventeen months after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast region, the second-seeded Saints will host the third-seeded Philadelphia Eagles in a divisional playoff game matching the NFL's top-rated offenses.

The winner of the game will face the winner of the game between the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship game.

This is much more than a playoff game for New Orleans, which last hosted a postseason contest in 2000 - a 31-28 win over St. Louis. It was the Saints' lone playoff win in their 40-year history.

Last season, the Saints were displaced by the deadliest storm in American history and went 3-13 while the Superdome underwent a $185 million renovation.

But the Saints came marching back to New Orleans with a new coach, a new quarterback and a Heisman Trophy-winning running back and won the NFC South title.

Coach Sean Payton immediately overhauled the roster, shipping out more than a dozen former starters. His best move was to convince general manager Mickey Loomis to sign free agent quarterback Drew Brees, who was a question mark after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.

Brees led the NFL with 4,418 passing yards and finished second in the MVP voting to running back LaDainian Tomlinson of San Diego.

Running back Reggie Bush fell into the Saints' laps with the No. 2 pick in last April's draft after the Houston Texans unexpectedly passed on the Heisman Trophy winner and selected defensive end Mario Williams. Bush caught 88 passes for 742 yards.

But the Saints must beat the hottest team in the NFC on Saturday. The Eagles finished the season with five straight wins to clinch their fifth NFC East title in six years under coach Andy Reid and then beat the New York Giants, 23-20, in the wild card round.

All of the wins have come after Jeff Garcia replaced Donovan McNabb (torn ACL) at quarterback. Garcia was a three-time Pro Bowler with the San Francisco 49ers who lost his starting job with the Detroit Lions last season.

Brian Westbrook rushed for a playoff career-high 141 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown, in the win over the Giants.

New Orleans ranked just 23rd in the NFL against the run, yielding 128.9 yards per game.

Philadelphia is ranked 26th against the run and must contend with 1,000-yard rusher Deuce McAllister and Bush. Last week, the Eagles yielded 137 yards on 26 carries to Tiki Barber.

Brees directed a 16-play, 72-yard drive to set up a 31-yard field goal by John Carney as time expired in the Saints' 27-24 win over the Eagles here on October 15.

Brees threw for two of his three touchdowns in the first half, when the Saints built a 17-3 lead. But it was his play in the fourth quarter that was the difference.

The Eagles battled back and took a 24-17 lead on wide receiver Reggie Brown's 15-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

However, Brees found veteran Joe Horn for a 48-yard score just under over two minutes later to tie the game.

Brees did his best work on the final drive that lasted nearly 8 1/2 minutes. He completed all eight of his passes for 68 yards, setting up Carney for what amounted to a chip shot.

Two former Eagles have helped in the Saints' resurgence - defensive tackle Hollis Thomas and linebacker Mark Simoneau. The Saints acquired Thomas on draft day and obtained Simoneau from the Eagles late in the preseason for wide receiver Donte' Stallworth.

Stallworth missed the first meeting between the teams with a sore hamstring.

Rookie Marques Colston, a seventh-round pick, more than capably replaced Stallworth for New Orleans, catching 70 passes for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Eagles have also received a big boost from defensive end Darren Howard, who signed a six-year, $30.5 million deal after spending his first six years with the Saints.