National Football League
New Orleans 26, Philadelphia 24
When: 8:10 PM ET, Saturday, January 4, 2014
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Temperature: 25°
Head Official: Bill Vinovich
Attendance: 69144

Saints 26, Eagles 24: Shayne Graham kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired as New Orleans overcame a sub-par performance from Drew Brees, the absence of their starting running back and below-freezing temperatures to win a road playoff game for the first time in franchise history.

Brees was 20-of-30 for 250 yards with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions for sixth-seeded New Orleans (12-5), which advanced to face top-seeded Seattle, the same team that pounded the Saints 34-7 just over a month ago. With Pierre Thomas (chest) unavailable, Mark Ingram rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown and the Saints ran for 185 yards as a team, with veteran Darren Sproles, rookie Khiry Robinson and even Brees contributing valuable yards on the ground.

Philadelphia (10-7), which ended the regular season by winning seven of its final eight games - including last week's do-or-die showdown in Dallas - took the lead in this one with less than five minutes left but could not stop New Orleans on the pivotal final drive. Nick Foles was 23-of-33 for 195 yards and two touchdowns while LeSean McCoy, the NFL's leading rusher, ran for only 77 yards on 21 attempts for the third-seeded Eagles.

The Saints scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns - Brees' 24-yard strike to Lance Moore and Ingram's 4-yard plunge - to take a 20-7 lead, but the Eagles answered right back with a seven-play drive capped by McCoy's TD run on fourth-and-1. The teams traded field goals early in the fourth quarter, leaving Philadelphia still down six points, before a 40-yard pass interference penalty on New Orleans cornerback Corey White set up Foles' 3-yard TD to Zach Ertz with 4:54 remaining.

Sproles returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards and was horse-collar tackled by Cary Williams, adding another 15 yards onto the end of the run. The Saints faced a pair of third-and-1 situations on the final drive, but Brees got the first down easily both times via quarterback sneaks, and Graham's kick split the uprights.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Eagles led 7-6 after a surprisingly low-scoring first half in which Brees threw two interceptions, including a pick by DeMeco Ryans that set up Foles' 10-yard TD strike to Riley Cooper on third-and-9. ... Saints CB Keenan Lewis left with a head injury late in the third quarter. To that point, Lewis had blanketed DeSean Jackson, who promptly caught a 40-yard pass against White to set up the Eagles' second touchdown. ... All-Pro TE Jimmy Graham was limited to three catches for 44 yards for New Orleans.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
New Orleans   Philadelphia
Mark Ingram Player LeSean McCoy
18 Attempts 21
97 Yards 77
5.4 Avg Yards 3.7
1 Touchdowns 1
18 Long 11
Receiving
New Orleans   Philadelphia
Jimmy Graham Player Riley Cooper
3 Receptions 6
44 Yards 68
14.7 Avg Yards 11.3
0 Touchdowns 1
21 Long 22
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
New Orleans 434 185 249 2 4 0 2.0 0
Philadelphia 256 80 176 3 1 2 2.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Seattle. The Saints have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .833 after a loss.