Eagles open as big UNDERDOGS to the Saints in New Orleans

They STILL haven’t learned their lesson.

The Philadelphia Eagles have now won four straight playoff games as underdogs. And yet SB Nation’s NFL odds page shows the reigning Super Bowl champions have opened as nine-point underdogs to the Saints for their divisional round matchup in New Orleans.

When will people learn to stop doubting the Eagles?

The Saints are a tough opponent, make no mistake. New Orleans ranks first in point differential and fourth in DVOA. They obviously kicked the crap out of the Eagles in Week 11 when they beat Philly by a final score of 48 to 7.

But just because they won that game doesn’t guarantee they’ll win the rematch.

The Saints didn’t play awesome in December. They only averaged 20.25 points per game in the final four games they actually tried to win (Week 13 through Week 16). Drew Brees, who turns 40 years old next week, had a mere 88.2 passer rating in the final month of the regular season. The signs of mortality are there.

The Eagles, meanwhile, finished the regular season strong and entered the playoffs hot. Philadelphia has won six of their last seven and the sole loss came in overtime.

There’s every reason to believe the Eagles can march into New Orleans and win. Doug Pederson is a great head coach. Nick Foles is magic. The offensive and defensive lines are capable of controlling the game up front. The secondary has stabilized.

I’m sure this Eagles team hasn’t forgotten about the Saints running up the score in Week 11 and later referring to Philly as “fraudulents.” The underdog Eagles are going to be licking their chops at the opportunity to make the Saints eat those words.

The reality is the Eagles are a great team playing with nothing to lose. They’re dangerous as hell.

And even some Saints fans know it.