Eagles 15, Saints 12: Eagles overcome turnovers, injuries to DeVonta Smith, Lane Johnson (2024)

NEW ORLEANS − It seemed bleak for the Eagles in the first half.

Jalen Hurts keeps turning the ball over, and then injuries ravaged the right side of the offensive line as both Lane Johnson (concussion) and Mekhi Becton (finger) left in the second quarter.

It seemed like a recipe for disaster against a Saints team that had scored 91 points in two games. Yet somehow the Eagles came away with a hard-fought 15-12 win on the second of Saquon Barkley's two touchdowns, a 4-yard run with 1:01 left.

The Eagles had a tough enough task trying to slow the New Orleans Saints, who have found their stride with Derek Carr at quarterback.

TURNOVERS CONTINUE: Jalen Hurts' turnover struggles continue, hinder Philadelphia Eagles' offense

And the Saints showed that marching down the field on the opening drive. But Jalen Carter batted down Carr's third-down pass and New Orleans kicked a field goal. That was all the points in the first half.

But the Eagles blew many chances. Hurts threw an interception in the end zone to end one drive, fumbled on the next. Then facing a 4th-and-1 from the Saints' 15 with 14 seconds left, Barkley was stopped on a fake tush push.

Hurts was 18-for-22 for 161 in the first half with an interception.

Saquon Barkley gets Eagles on board, finally

One play after the Eagles suffered a key injury to star wide receiver DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley took matters into his own hands, scoring on a 65-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a 7-3 lead with 13:17 left in the fourth quarter.

The TD gave Barkley 15 carries for 143 yards.

Saints block punt, but Eagles hold

The Eagles faced yet another test when J.T. Gray blocked Braden Mann's punt, and Jordan Howden recovered at the Eagles' 27. Nolan Smith made a potential touchdown-saving tackle on the play.

This time, the Eagles defense made a stop on fourth down as Alvin Kamara was stopped on 4th-and-1 from the Eagles' 18

STEPPING UP: Philadelphia Eagles' defense struggles on opening drive, but steps up in Red Zone.

Eagles keep coming up short on 4th down

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni twice passed up a field to go for it on fourth down, and twice came up empty.

The first time, with 14 seconds left in the first half, Saquon Barkley was stopped on 4th-and-1. The second time came on 4th-and-3 from the Saints' 36. It would have been a 54-yard try for Jake Elliott, in a dome with no wind, so well within his range.

But Sirianni decided to go for it, and Hurts was sacked at the 40.

Jalen Hurts intercepted in end zone, then fumbles

The Eagles were cruising down the field late in the first quarter, with Jalen Hurts hitting DeVonta Smith for 21 yards, then Dallas Goedert for 43 on back-to-back plays down to the Saints' 13 as the quarter ended.

Facing a 3rd-and-8 Hurts threw a pass into the end zone for DeVonta Smith that Tyrann Mathieu intercepted as the Eagles came away empty. They trail 3-0.

It's Hurts' fourth interception in 2-plus games. On the next drive, Hurts fumbled the ball away as he tried to escape pressure.

Eagles finally make a stop on 3rd down

It took the Eagles three tries before they stopped the Saints on 3rd-and-long on their opening drive. After the Saints converted 3rd-and-8 and 3rd-and-9 on Derek Carr passes to Chris Olave, they faced a 3rd-and-12 from the Eagles' 16. This time, Jalen Carter got pressure up the middle and deflected Carr's pass.

The Saints held the ball for 8 minutes, 9 seconds, but settled for a field goal and a 3-0 lead. The Eagles went 3-and-out on their first drive, giving the ball right back to New Orleans.

Jordan Davis then got his first sack of the season.

Eagles inactives: CJ Gardner-Johnson in, AJ Brown out

Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson, who was listed as questionable with a foot injury, is playing against the Saints. Gardner-Johnson didn't practice Thursday or Friday, but tested the foot during pregame warmups and it apparently felt well enough to play.

The Eagles had already ruled out wide receiver A.J. Brown, who's missing his second straight game with a hamstring injury. The Eagles' other inactives were QB Tanner McKee, CB Eli Ricks, LB Devin White, OL Darian Kinnard, G Trevor Keegan and DT Byron Young.

For the Saints, tight end Taysom Hill is out with a chest injury.

Jalen Carter explains benching, calls his play 'trash'

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter admitted that he didn't start or play the first series against the Falcons last Monday because he was disciplined for what he said was being late for a meeting.

As for his play through two games, Carter said, "Myself? Trash. I feel like I should be way better." Carter doesn't have any sacks, and only three pressures. He had six sacks as a rookie in 2023.

Eagles vs Saints time today

• Date:Sunday, Sept. 22

• Time:1 p.m.

• Location: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans

What channel is Eagles vs Saints game on today?

• TV channel:FOX

• Streaming:NFL+

• Radio:94 WIP, Merrill Reese (play-by-play), Mike Quick (analysis) and Howard Eskin (sideline)

• Streaming options for the game includeFUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Eagles vs Saints history

• Series record: Eagles lead, 19-16

• Eagles' last win: Nov. 21, 2021 (40-29)

• Saints' last win: Jan. 1, 2023 (20-10)

Eagles vs Saints prediction

No pass rush, no rush defense, and no A.J. Brown is a bad trifecta against a prolific offensive team playing in its deafeningly loud stadium. The Eagles' only chance is to ride Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts to keep the Saints' offense off the field, like in their 9½-minute drive against Atlanta. They'll need four of those.

The pick:Saints 27, Eagles 21

STAFF PICKS: Eagles vs. Saints: Our picks on if Birds defense can avoid Superdome horror show

Eagles vs Saints betting odds

Game lines and odds fromBetMGM:

• Spread:Saints by 3

• Over/under: 49.5

• Moneyline:Eagles plus-125 (bet $100 to win $125) and Saints minus-150 (bet $150 to win $100).

Eagles vs Saints weather update

The temperature inside the Superdome will be in the low 70s. Outside, the high temperature will be mostly sunny with a high of 92 degrees.

Buy Eagles tickets this season with Stub Hub

Eagles 2024 schedule

• Sept. 6 vs. Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil (W, 34-29)

• Sept. 16, vs. Falcons, (L, 22-21)

• Sept. 22, at Saints, 1 p.m., FOX

• Sept. 29, at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. FOX

• Oct. 6, BYE

• Oct. 13, vs Browns, 1 p.m., FOX

• Oct. 20, at NY Giants, 1 p.m., FOX

• Oct. 27, at Bengals, 4:25 p.m., CBS

• Nov. 3, vs. Jaguars, 8:20 p.m., NBC

• Nov. 10, at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., CBS

• Nov. 14, vs. Commanders, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

• Nov. 24, at Rams, 8:20 p.m.,

• Dec. 1, at Ravens, 4:25 p.m., CBS

• Dec. 8, vs. Panthers, 1 p.m., FOX

• Dec. 15, vs. Steelers, 4:25 p.m., FOX

• Dec. 22, at Commanders, 1 p.m., FOX

• Dec. 29, vs. Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., FOX

• Jan 5 or 6, vs. NY Giants, TBD, TBD

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Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl, on Threads and Instagram @martinfrank1.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Eagles vs Saints live updates: Score, TV channel, injury report