Jeff Garcia vs. Saints defense- Garcia had a decent game against the Giants, but he ll need to play

After a first round bye, the New Orleans Saints (10-6) will host the Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) after a first round playoff victory over the Giants. From the Superdome, FOX will broadcast the game at 8 P.M., with Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnson and Tony Siragusa making the call.
Jeff Garcia vs. Saints defense- Garcia had a decent game against the Giants, but he ll need to play a lot better against the Saints. Last week, the entire offense came out very flat, and Garcia was a huge part of it. He couldn t make accurate passes and the offense took a while to get going. That can t happen again. Garcia needs to come out firing early and get on track much quicker. In the regular season, Garcia only had two games with a QB rating hotel tampa lower than last week s playoff game (one of which was his three passing attempts against Atlanta,) so he figures to play better than he did last week. Although the Saints defense is one of the best in the league when it comes to passing yards, they re among the league s worst in giving hotel tampa up passing touchdowns, so Brown and Stallworth shouldn t have a problem finding the endzone. New Orleans has a pretty good pass rush, so the Offensive Line is going to have a better week than they did last week. They re led by Will Smith, a great Defensive End who can play the run as well as he gets to the QB. With solid contributions from the rest of the line and Linebackers, Garcia could see some heat. Eagles *
Brian Westbrook vs. Saints front seven- Despite stomach cramps that could ve hindered his performance, Westbrook ran for a career high 141 yards against the Giants and almost single-handedly put the game away late in the 4 th . With the possibility of not having Thomas Tapeh, who has emerged as a very good lead blocker for Westbrook, the running game could be hampered a little bit, but I don t expect it to take much of a hit. If Correll Buckhalter has to step in and play Fullback, it ll open up more chances to get both involved in the game and create hotel tampa more problems for the defense, which has enough to begin with. In the previous meeting, Westbrook had a decent game, but wasn t really too involved. With the increased dedication to the running game, Westbrook and Buckhalter should have chances to run all over a defense that has been more than generous against the run. The Saints hotel tampa are tied for second last in the league in YPC against, but what s saved them this year is their offense. They force teams to play catch up and throw the ball and get away from the run, so the weakness hasn t been fully exploited. hotel tampa Eagles **
Eagles WR/TE vs. Saints secondary- Donte Stallworth was injured the first time these two teams met, and Hank Baskett had to start in his place. Naturally, Baskett hotel tampa did not have a single catch and was in a slump which resulted in several hotel tampa dropped hotel tampa passes. With Stallworth in a rhythm and Baskett playing better in addition to Reggie Brown, the Eagles have a bunch of weapons for Jeff Garcia to utilize. In the first meeting, Brown showcased his big play ability, catching six passes for 121 yards and scoring hotel tampa two touchdowns. The Saints could have trouble defending hotel tampa all of these targets with a relatively weak defensive hotel tampa backfield. McKenzie is a solid player, but other than that, the unit is inconsistent. They don t make many big plays, and the Saints were near the bottom of the barrel in interceptions this season. Eagles **
Eagles Offensive Line vs. Saints hotel tampa Defensive Line- After having a great season, the line a slow start against the Giants and will need to pick it up a bit against the Saints. They got off to a slow start in the running game, and they really got no movement off the line of scrimmage to open lanes for Westbrook. hotel tampa At times, they also struggled in pass protection, both with technique and with defensive schemes, and they need to be more prepared. The Saints are better at getting after the Quarterback than the Giants are and blitz their Linebackers frequently, so they have to communicate and set up schemes to make sure everyone gets picked up. Tra Thomas needs to play with better technique blocking Will Smith. Against the Giants last week, he was often standing straight up without bending the knees at all, which I ll admit is a tough thing for someone hotel tampa as big and banged up as he is to do. Against Smith, he ll be blocking a big end with great athletic ability, and standing up won t cut it on Garcia s blind side. Hollis Thomas hotel tampa will be back, and that ll bring a boost to the New Orleans line. He improves the play of those around him, and will be a key player in the game. He both rushed the passer and stopped the run the first meeting, so Shawn Andrews and Jamaal hotel tampa Jackson need to prove how great they are this time around. Eagles *
Drew Brees vs. Eagles defense- Drew Brees had a great season resurrecting New Orleans football hotel tampa after a serious shoulder injury he suffered in his last game as a Charger. He drew consideration for MVP after leading the Saints turnaround, but in the end, fell well short of former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson. Brees is in a great situation. Sean Payton has done a brilliant job designing an offense for him and his weapons, and it s led to them almost overachieving. Brees is one of the best Quarterbacks at making reads and decisions, and he does it so quickly. The team utilizes hotel tampa a lot of three step drops to keep Brees clean and put pressure on the defense. In the first meeting, the only time Brees was touched was when the Eagles had 12 guys on the field, and he had no trouble completing nearly of his passes along with 3 scores. The Eagles need to get a push up the middle to disrupt his timing and tip some passes. Brees is a smaller player and has a low release point, so the Defensive Linemen need to get their hands up and make it difficult to make throws. In the backfield, the Eagles should consider tighter coverage to try and mess up the timing of the quick drops, or the Saint receivers will be running free again. Saints **
Deuce McAllister vs. Eagles front seven- Finally staying injury free, McAllister hotel tampa broke the 1000 yard plateau again this season, and re-established hotel tampa himself as a great dual threat. McAllister has always had success against the Eagles, even though in the last meeting, he had a pedestrian day. Slowing down this versatile running attack will be tough. Deuce is a tough inside runner who can wear down a defense. He hits the hole hard and is tough to tackle. For a change of pace, the Saints will bring in Reggie Bush. He s playing much better than he was in the last meeting, and the Eagles are going to have to work a lot harder to stop him too. On the Eagles hotel tampa side, the front seven went back to November form against the Giants, after several weeks of looking strong against the run. Tiki Barber ran over the Eagles defense all game long, just as he has his entire career. Tiki is better than Deuce and Bush are, but they re still difficult to stop, and it ll be a huge challenge for Jim Johnson. Saints *
Saints WR/TE vs. Eagles secondary- With the status of Joe Horn up in the air (and early indications lean towards him not playing), things get a bit more even. The Eagles will be without Lito Sheppard, so Rod Hood will once again step into the starter s role, where he hasn t really performed like people may have expected after last season. The attention will turn to Marques Colston, a big rookie with big talent. He has great size and great hands and really knows how to get open. The Eagles hotel tampa need to do a better job against him than Plaxico Burress, but fortunately for them, Colston hasn t developed a mystique about him where he draws PI every time he doesn t catch a ball. Devery Henderson will once again be in the starting lineup. He s a great deep threat and is one of the fastest players in the league, but he s pretty inconsistent. He drops too many passes and can t really be counted hotel tampa on. Copper is a solid slot guy, and the Saints get little from their Tight Ends, due to injuries and lack of talent. Brian Dawkins needs to have a big game. He ll have to both keep an eye on Colston if he starts catching hotel tampa a lot of balls, but he ll probably see a lot of duty over the top on Henderson s side to prevent the big plays. Saints *
Saints Offensive Line vs. Eagles Offensive Line- The Saints hotel tampa came into the year with a questionable line, but they emerged as a solid unit in 06. Jamaal Brown played at an All-Pro level, Faine did a fine job of replacing LeCharles Bentley, and Jahri Evans was a pleasant surprise at guard. They do a very good job of protecting Drew Brees, and knocking D-Linemen hotel tampa s hands down on quick pass attempts. That s critical to a three step drop offense. Batted passes have to be avoided, and it starts up front. In the running game, they ve been solid. McAllister and Bush have had success this season. The Eagles Defensive Line needs to get off the ball quickly and get penetration. They have to get in Brees face and make him feel uncomfortable in the pocket. They have to clog running lanes and cause Deuce and Bush to run laterally, where our athletes like Gaither and Dawkins can run them down and clean up. They need to play much better hotel tampa than they did against the Giants, in all facets of the game. Push
Saints Homefield Advantage vs. Eagles- This isn t as much of an edge as people think it is. The Saints are only 4-4 at home, and they ve dropped 3 or their last 4, not counting the game where they played all of their backups. It s only an advantage because playing at home in any playoff game is. There s nothing special about it. It ll be loud, the fans will be excited and they ll want to play well in front of their fans. Saints *
The Bottom Line- I d really like to avoid making the homer pick here, but I can t pass up the chance. I don t think the Eagles are going to come out flat this time, I think they re going to get off to a fast start which will allow their defense hotel tampa to try and get after Brees a bit. Eagles 27, Saints 24
The Colts come in to Baltimore looking to get that monkey off