By Matthew Ryan, Sports Talk Philly Contributor
The 5-4 Saints visit the 4-6 Eagles in week eleven of the regular season. This contest has major playoff implications for both teams who are fighting for a Wild Card spot. The Eagles dominated the first two quarters and lead 27-7. Here’s what we saw in the first 30 minutes of action:
QB Jalen Hurts
Following one of the best games of his young career, Hurts has backed up that performance with another stellar outing. Hurts has done most of his damage on the ground, running 10 times for 49 yards and two touchdowns. He completed nine of his 16 pass attempts for 97 yards. The second-year quarterback continues to make a case that he should be the Eagles starter going forward.
CB Darius Slay Jr.
As the first half was winding down, Slay jumped in front of Saints quarterback Trevor Siemian’s throw and took it 51-yards for a touchdown. The score put the Eagles up 27-7 and was Slay’s third touchdown in four games.
RB Miles Sanders
In his first game off Injured Reserve, Sanders had some ups and downs. He had a big 25-yard run but later had a costly fumble on the Eagles’ six-yard line that set up a Saints touchdown. Sanders only had one more carry following the fumble, and on it, the ball was poked free, but his forward momentum was stopped, so the play was dead.
TE Adam Trautman
For a Saints offense that struggled in the first half, Trautman was a bright spot. On a 3rd-and-goal from the Eagles’ 19-yard line, Siemian found Trautman in the end zone for a touchdown. Later in the half, Trautman picked another 19-yards for a first down.