The Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints met in their NFL Wild Card round playoff clash at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles were flying high following their victory over the Dallas Cowboys last week, that had secured them the NFC East title and their place in the post-season, while the Saints will dealing with the disappointment of missing out on the number two seed.
However, it was Sean Payton's side who prevailed in a close-fought contest as Shayne Graham kicked a last-second field goal to hand the Saints victory to send them to face the Seattle Seahawks next Saturday in the Divisional Round.
Read how all the action happened in our commentary below.
Good morning and welcome to the live commentary of the NFL Wild Card round clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints.
What a game we have just witnessed in Indianapolis, we can only hope this game can match that for entertainment.
EAGLES INACTIVES: Vandervelde, Barkley, Johnson, Marsh, Johnson, Tucker, Kelly.
SAINTS INACTIVES: Thomas, Dawson, Griffin, Frederick, Abdul-Quddus, Walker, Toon.
The Saints are without running back Pierre Thomas with an injury. That is the only major starter out for either side.
Henery kicks off and Sproles returns the ball to the 25-yard line.
Ingram gets the handoff on first down and the back takes the ball over the right side of the line for an 18-yard gain to take his side to their 43.
Ingram gets another first down for his side as he powers through the middle of the line to take them to the Eagles' 47 after Sproles got five yards on first down on a swing pass over the left side.
The Saints' drive comes to an end as Brees throws a couple of incompletions and on third and 10 he throws over the middle of the field to leave fourth and two, they opt to try and go for it but Brees is called for a false start and is put back five yards. Morstead then punts and Jackson collects the ball at the 17-yard line.
The Eagles get moving on a first down as Foles hits his tight end Ertz over the middle of the field for a 14-yard reception to move the chains to take his side to their 36-yard line, after McCoy got two yards on second down.
The Eagles can't move any further downfield as Foles and Cooper aren't on the same page on third down and six, so the ball falls incomplete at his feet forcing Jones to punt and his kick rolls to the 14-yard line of the Saints, where Brees will start again.
The Saints go three and out as Robinson can get nothing on the ground on first and Brees throws an incompletion on second. On third and 10 he throws short to Sproles who can only get three yards on the play, forcing the punt from Morstead and his kick goes out of bounds at the Eagles' 47.
Philadelphia go three and out as well as Foles decides to run on first but he can get nothing on the ground and on second McCoy is stacked up for a one-yard loss through the middle of the line. On third, Foles throws to McCoy on a swing pass but he can only get five yards when he needed 11 for the first, Jones punt is nearly downed at the one but Carmichael kicks the ball into the endzone inadvertently and Brees will start at the 20 as a result.
Ingram runs through the middle of the line and manages to churn out seven yards through the middle of the line and comes back on second with another four to move the chains to get to the 30-yard line.
Brees finally gets a good pass away as he drops in the pocket and hits his tight end Graham for a 21-yard reception at the Philadelphia 49. That could be an ominous sign for the Eagles, they have to stop those passes to Graham to win this game.
INTERCEPTION EAGLES!
Brees looks deep for his receiver Stills on a go route but he overthrows him and Fletcher makes the pick at his own three-yard line and he manages to return it to the 27-yard line with a 24-yard run before he got brought down by Watson. Bad throw by Brees.
The Eagles get the chains moving as Foles drills a short pass to Cooper over the middle of the field for five yards on first and comes back with another to Avant for six yards to get the first down at their 40.
Foles throws deep over the middle of the field where he hits his tight end Celek in stride for a 24-yard reception that takes his side to the Saints' 32 after McCoy had ran for five yards on first down. The Eagles are starting to find some rhythm.
The Saints take a timeout as the Eagles have a third and one situation on their 23-yard line. A big moment for the Eagles here if they can convert, after McCoy got six yards on a second down run over the right side of the line.
The Saints make the stop as Bunkley comes through the middle of the line to bring down McCoy for no gain. Decision time for Kelly, whether to kick the field goal or go for it on fourth down.
The Eagles move the chains as McCoy powers through the line behind Herremans and Kelce and he gets to the 15-yard line for an eight-yard gain before he's brought down by White.
Terrible end to the quarter for the Eagles as Celek gets dropped for an eight-yard loss on a screen pass by Lofton and then Foles gets sacked for a 10-yard loss by Jordan, moving his side out of field-goal range, a couple of really bad plays by the quarterback there.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: New Orleans Saints 0-0 Philadelphia Eagles
McCoy gets five yards of the loss yardage back on a draw play through the middle of the line and that will leave Henery with a 48-yard field goal attempt.
FIELD GOAL NO GOOD!
Henery hooks his kick to the left and it goes wide of the posts from 48 yards, allowing the Saints to take over their 38.
Robinson gets moving over the left side of the line and gets seven yards on first and comes back with a couple on second, Brees takes the ball himself on third as he gets behind blocks to get the first down for his side with a four-yard carry.
Brees drops the ball off to Ingram over the middle of the field and he takes the ball into Philadelphia territory before he is brought down for an 11-yard gain at the Eagles' 38.
A short pass from Brees to Sproles sets up third and four as he collects a hitch pass on the right sideline, on third down Brees tosses the ball to the back and he finds a hole in the defensive line to get the first down with an eight-yard run to the Eagles' 23.
FUMBLE!
Brees fires over the middle of the field on third and seven and finds Graham, he tries to get the first down but is hit by Allen and the ball falls loose and is gathered by the Eagles and the officials signal, it's their ball. The play is under review and it looks as though Graham's knee may have been down before the ball came free. This could be overturned.
FUMBLE OVERTURNED!
The play is overturned as Graham had his knee down and it will be fourth and inches for the Saints at the Eagles' 18.
Brees gets the first down but it's brought back for a false start penalty on Watson and the Saints now line up for a 36-yard field goal attempt from the boot of Graham.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Saints 3-0 Eagles
Graham fires the ball through the posts and the Saints take the lead at Lincoln Financial Field.
Smith returns the ball to the 22-yard line where Foles will begin.
The Eagles go three and out as McCoy can only find three yards on first down, and a short pass tom Avant leaves third and three, on third down Foles's pass looking for Ertz falls incomplete over the middle of the field as Harper breaks up the past. Sproles returns the punt from Jones to the Saints' 32.
Brees fires over the middle of the field to Colston for the first time in the game and the receiver makes the grab for the 10-yard reception on a hitch route to take his side to their 42-yard line.
Brees runs through the middle of the line for a seven-yard gain on second down, leaving a third and one situation. On third down Robinson gets the handoff and he moves the chains with a five-yard carry, taking his side to the Eagles' 44.
INTERCEPTION EAGLES!
Brees is having a poor game by his standards as he throws the ball right down the throat of DeMeco Ryans as he tried to find Graham down the seam and the linebacker makes the grab and returns the ball to the Saints' 44.
Foles gets the first down immediately as he fires over the middle of the field to Cooper who makes the catch on a post route to get his side to the Saints' 22 with a 22-yard reception beating a couple of tackles before going down.
McCoy finds space over the left side of the line and gets the first down at the Saints' 11 for a seven-yard run after Ertz made a good grab on first down for a four-yard gain on a hitch route. A score is a must for the Eagles here.
TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!
Huge play by Foles on third down and nine as he hangs in the pocket and then drills the ball to Cooper at the back of the endzone on a crossing route for a 10-yard score, as the receiver goes up to get the ball and gets both feet down quickly. The Eagles have a four-point lead.
Sproles returns the kickoff to the 25-yard line where Brees will begin.
Brees loops a lovely pass over the top of the coverage linebacker Barwin and finds Graham on the out route for a 17-yard gain at Saints' 42.
Sproles finds all sorts of space through the middle of the line and he runs over midfield to get to the Eagles' 45 with a 13-yard run.
The Saints get a break as Cox is penalised for a holding penalty on Sproles and that erases a sack from Graham for a one-yard loss. Brees comes back on the fresh set of downs and fires to Stills on the outside on a curl rute for a 14-yard gain at the Eagles' 28.
The Saints can't get the ball in the endzone as Brees looks deep for Graham but Allen knocks the ball away as he tried to make the catch, on second Barwin did well to tip the ball and it was fortunate for the Saints that it fell incomplete. On third, Brees couldn't find an open man and was forced to run but he was brought down for a gain of only one by Cole. That leaves Graham with a kick of 46 yards.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Saints 6-7 Eagles
Graham makes an excellent kick to fire the Saints within a point, as his effort has just enough to get over the bar and inside the right post.
HALF TIME: New Orleans Saints 6-7 Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles hold a narrow lead going into the break in this Wild Card clash. If the first game was a points fest, this game has been the complete opposite as both offenses, that are usually impossible to stop, are not firing this morning.
Drew Brees has struggled in this game and is yet to guide his side into the endzone. His two interceptions were incredibly poor by his standards, he will need to improve if the Saints are going to get a result in this game.
Smith returns the ball to the Philadelphia 25 where Foles will begin.
SACK! Foles is decked on third and 17 after being penalised for intentional grounding as Jordan gets to him to drop him for a nine-yard loss at the Eagles' 10. Jones punts to Sproles who takes the ball back to the Saints' 47.
The Saints get moving in their first drive of the half as Ingram gets six yards in first and second, and on third and four, Brees drills the ball to Moore who makes the grab for the seven-yard reception at the Eagles' 40.
Ingram gets the handoff over the right side of the line and he powers through a couple of tackles to get the first down and he gets to the Eagles' 22 with a run worth 18 yards.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
The Saints take the lead as Brees responds after his side take a holding penalty in the redzone and he rolls out to the right before firing the ball to Moore on a crossing route and he makes the grab and turns and sprints into the endzone powering past Allen for the 24-yard touchdown.
Smith takes the kickoff from Morstead and returns the ball to the 24-yard line.
Cooper made an excellent play in the first half but he drops a pass right on the numbers on third and four as Foles hit him in stride over the middle of the field and he had enough blockers to the left of him to turn it into a massive play. Those sort of moments can come back to haunt sides especially in low-scoring games. Sproles is decked on the punt return at the Saints' 34.
Brees responds from his side taking a holding penalty as he fires the ball to Stills for a 14-yard gain on an out route down the left sideline taking advantage of Williams leaving the game as his backup Carmichael wasn't able to cover the receiver.
Brees escapes the rush in the pocket and throws on the run and manages to find Watson down the left sideline and the tight end races down the pitch before he gets tackled at the Eagles' 27 with a 27-yard reception.
Ingram gets the carry over the left side of the line and he takes a couple of tacklers with him to get the Eagles' 17 with a 10-yard run.
Ingram moves the chains again with a power run through the middle of the line to move his side to the four-yard line of the Eagles after Sproles got nine yards on first down on a swing pass over the left side of the field.
TOUCHDOWN SAINTS!
Ingram gets the handoff and he powers through the middle of the line and the guard Grubbs gives his teammate a shove to ensure he gets over the goalline after it looked as though he was going to stopped short of the line.
Smith returns the kickoff to the 35-yard line where Foles will begin. The Eagles need a score here.
McCoy finally gets some space to rush and he gets room over the left side of the line behind good blocks from the offensive line for an 11-yard gain to move his side to their 46-yard line.
Foles throws on the run over the right side of the line after the Saint were penalised for a neutral zone infraction and he put the ball up for the receiver to go up and get the ball above White for a 40-yard reception, taking his side to the Saints nine-yard line.
The Saints manage to keep the Eagles put on the endzone on the three downs from the nine-yard as McCoy can only get to the two-yard line as Hicks repels him as he bursts through the line to bring him down. The Eagles are going to go for it on fourth down.
TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!
McCoy gets the handoff on fourth down and this time he plows into the endzone into a huge gap over the right side of the line for the two-yard score to bring his side within six points.
Henery's kick goes out of the endzone and Brees will start at the 20.
The Saints are penalised for a holding penalty erasing a seven-yard gain by Ingram and putting them back to second and 20 but Brees gets 10 yards of it back with a 10-yard strike to Hill over the middle of the field, to leave third and 10 when the fourth quarter gets underway.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: New Orleans Saints 20-14 Philadelphia Eagles
The Saints can't convert as Sproles gets the handoff on third and 11 on a draw play and he can only muster three yards before he gets hauled down forcing Morstead to punt. Jackson collects the punt and takes it all the way to the Saints' 40 with a return of 29 yards.
The Eagles move the chains as Foles fires a back shoulder fade route to Cooper who makes the catch just beyond the marker at the Saints' 30 for an eight-yard reception.
Foles goes back to Cooper again on the same play and he makes the grab for a 14-yard reception to take his side down to the Saints' 16-yard line. The Saints lost Keenan Lewis on the last drive with an apparent concussion and that has forced Rod Sweeting into the game and he and Corey White are struggling against the Eagles receivers at the moment.
The Eagles can't go any further as Foles is forced to checkdown on third down and four and McCoy can only get three yards and rather than go for it again, Chip Kelly opts to kick a field goal, which after a false start penalty on the home side, is a 31-yard kick for Henery.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Saints 20-17 Eagles
Henery makes no mistake as he fires his kick through the posts to pull his side within three points.
Sproles returns the ball to the Saints' 25 where Brees will begin.
The Saints get a first down as Ingram gets four yards on first down and that allows Brees to come back with an easy throw to Sproles on second down and he gets seven yards on a swing pass to move the chains at the Saints' 37.
Brees goes deep downfield off a dropback and lofts the ball to Meachem who makes the grab over Chung for the 40-yard reception taking his side down the Eagles' 23.
The Saints can't get the touchdown they craved to put the game out of sight as Brees's pass on third down falls incomplete looking for Moore down the right sideline. The Eagles made the stand they wanted and force a 35-yard field goal attempt from Graham.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Saints 23-17 Eagles
Graham fires his kick between the posts from 35 yards and hands his side a six-point lead with eight minutes to play.
Smith returns the ball to the Eagles' 23 where Foles will begin.
McCoy finds space over the right side of the line as he gets five yards on first and then cuts back over the right side of the line to get eight yards on second to move the chains at the Eagles' 36.
Jackson gets the first down as he gets the crossing route over the middle of the field and sprints past two men to get move the chains with a 10-yard reception at the Eagles' 46.
Cooper comes up big with a catch on first down as he gets eight yards on a curl route but he gets hammered for his troubles and McCoy comes back on second down with a tough three-yard carry to get the first down, moving his side into Saints' territory.
The Eagles get a huge break as White is penalised for pass interference on a deep throw from Foles looking for Jackson in the endzone and that move the Eagles to the one-yard line of the Saints.
TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!
The Eagles take the lead as Foles fakes the handoff to McCoy and then he drills the ball to Ertz in the endzone for the three-yard touchdown, a huge moment in the game.
Sproles takes the ball to the 35-yard line from the kickoff but he is brought down by his collar by Williams and a personal foul penalty is awarded moving the Saints to midfield.
The Saints get a huge first down to move themselves to the 37 of the Eagles as Ingram takes the ball 13 yards through the middle of the line before he gets brought down by Allen.
The Saints get a huge first down pickup on third and one as Brees gets behind his line and gets the one yard he needs for the conversion after he hit Colston for a seven-yard gain on second. The Saints have the ball at the 25-yard line of the Eagles.
The Saints get right into field goal range as Brees gets behind blockers to convert on third and inches again, after Robinson got nine yards on first and second down over the right side of the line. The Saints will run the clock down as much as possible.
Brees gets the ball into the centre of the field and that will leave Graham with a 32-yard field goal to win the game.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! SAINTS WIN!!
Graham sends his kick through the middle of the posts to fire his side into the Divisional Round of the playoffs where they will face the Seattle Seahawks as he nails his 32-yarder.
FULL TIME: New Orleans Saints 26-24 Philadelphia Eagles
The Saints showed character in the second half of this clash to come out with the victory that sends them to face the Seattle Seahawks next Saturday at CenturyLink Field. Drew Brees clicked with his receivers in the third quarter but it was their running game that proved to be the deciding factor as the Eagles couldn't get the stops when they needed them most, which allowed Graham to kick the game-winning field goal from a comfortable distance.
The Eagles just didn't have enough in this game, but they will hold their heads up high after rebounding from a 4-12 season in 2012 to reaching the Wild Card round this year under first-year head coach Chip Kelly. They will have learned lessons from this defeat but the Saints experience told in the end.
Thanks for joining our commentaries this today. Be sure to check back tomorrow with the rest of our coverage of Wild Card weekend. Until then, goodbye.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
