The Eagles are a 5.5-point favorite in this week’s game, likely leading to a rushing game script.
THE BLITZ projects the Philadelphia Eagles as the 6th-most run-heavy offense on the slate this week with a 48.2% run rate, based on their underlying tendencies and matchup dynamics.
THE BLITZ projects this game to see the 4th-highest volume of plays run out of all the games this week at 131.9 plays, given the tendencies of each team and game dynamics.
Miles Sanders has run for quite a few more yards per game (78.0) this season than he did last season (57.0).
Opposing offenses have rushed for the 10th-most yards in football (134 per game) against the New Orleans Saints defense this year.
Cons
The Philadelphia Eagles will be forced to use backup quarterback Gardner Minshew in this game, which usually means fewer pass attempts and more rushing.
The New Orleans Saints defensive ends profile as the 4th-best group of DEs in the league this year when it comes to stopping the run.
The Philadelphia Eagles have faced a stacked the box on 18.9% of their plays since the start of last season, 7th-most in the NFL. Bringing an extra defender close to the line of scrimmage improves run-stopping at the cost of better passing efficiency.
The Philadelphia Eagles have used motion in their offense on 28.1% of their play-calls since the start of last season (4th-least in football), which usually makes an offense more predictable and less effective.