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Saints and Eagles meet in battle of first-place teams

Oct 11, 2006 - 12:02 AM Philadelphia (4-1) at New Orleans (4-1) Sunday 1:00 pm EDT

NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) - The surprising New Orleans Saints host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in a battle of first-place teams.

The Saints already have surpassed their win total from last season, when they were 3-13 and played on three different home fields. The Eagles are two wins shy of matching their total from 2005, when they finished last in the NFC East.

The Eagles' turnaround is not surprising. They advanced to the NFC championship game four straight years under coach Andy Reid with a Super Bowl appearance in 2004.

Last season, Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb missed seven games after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia and wide receiver Terrell Owens was suspended and banished for conduct detrimental to the team, making it virtually impossible for the Eagles to compete.

Of course, the Saints had to deal with being displaced from the Louisiana Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. They played a total of seven home games at San Antonio and Louisiana State and one "home" game at Giants Stadium.

The enthusiasm of new coach Sean Payton, additions of quarterback Drew Brees and rookie running back-returner Reggie Bush, return to form of Deuce McAllister and an improved defense have been the primary factors in the Saints' revival.

Brees has a quarterback rating of 91.6, a major improvement over Aaron Brooks, last year's starter. He has completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,234 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions.

Bush, the second overall pick in the draft, picked the right time for his first NFL touchdown. Showing the explosiveness that made him an electrifying college player and Heisman Trophy winner, Bush scored on a 65-yard punt return with 4:17 remaining to lift the Saints to a 24-21 victory over Tampa Bay last week.

Payton has utilized Bush's versatility, lining him up in the slot as a wide receiver and in the backfield. Bush has an NFC-leading 34 catches for 250 yards and has rushed for 170 yards on 54 carries.

McAllister tore his ACL in an October game last season at Green Bay but looks to be in fine form. He has rushed for 380 yards and four touchdowns, including 123 yards on 15 carries in the win over Tampa Bay.

New Orleans has allowed 17 points per game after yielding nearly 25 a game last season. Two former Eagles have helped in that department - 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.

The Eagles have also been helped by some former Saints. Stallworth, a 2002 first-round pick, has 12 catches for 248 yards in three games with the Eagles. He missed last week's 38-24 win over Dallas due to a sore hamstring.

Stallworth's hamstring problems were one of the reasons the Saints traded him. Rookie Marques Colston, a seventh-round pick, has more than capably replaced Stallworth, catching 23 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns.

The Eagles have 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. Howard had two sacks in the win over Dallas.

Howard, 30, had 11 sacks with New Orleans in 2004 despite missing four games. Last season, he was hampered by knee problems and managed just 3 1/2 sacks.

The Eagles sacked Drew Bledsoe seven times and intercepted him three times last week. Three of the sacks were by defensive tackle Darwin Walker and two of the interceptions were by cornerback Lito Sheppard, the second of which he returned 102 yards for a touchdown.

McNabb is the NFC's top passer with a rating of 107.2. He has a league-leading 1,602 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception. In the win over Dallas, McNabb threw for a season-high 354 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score.

The Eagles have won the last six meetings with the Saints.