Saints X-Factors vs Eagles | Week 17

Predicting the X-Factors for the New Orleans Saints in their Week 17 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Author:
Brendan Boylan
Publish date:
Dec 31, 2022 9:00 AM EST

In this story:

The New Orleans Saints (6-9) travel to Philadelphia, PA to battle the NFC best Philadelphia Eagles (13-2) in Week 17. In a true to or die game to keep their playoff hopes alive, New Orleans will be without key pieces to their success yet again. So who should the Saints rely on as X-factors against the Eagles?

Below, we predict the New Orleans Saints X-Factors for their Week 17 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Offensive X-Factor:

Running Back - Alvin Kamara

USATSI_19426775_168388561_lowres — Nov 13, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The past two weeks, Alvin Kamara has totaled 20+ carries in each contest. A result of Kamara's seeing higher usage is New Orleans offense finding a groove and fueling the Saints to a two-game winning streak.

In a must-win ball game against the Eagles, Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael should continue to rely on the team's best offensive weapon. Over the past two weeks, Kamara has collected over 200 scrimmage yards and found the end zone for the first time since Week 8.

The Eagles run defense is among the best in the league. Kamara may not post tremendous numbers against the Philadelphia defense. However, New Orleans needs to ride the hot hand and get the ball to their best playmaker in space if they want to pull off the upset.

Defensive X-Factor:

Safety - Tyrann Mathieu

USATSI_19677158_168388561_lowres — November 27, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The "Honey Badger" played one of his best games as a member of the New Orleans Saints last Sunday. In the victory over the Cleveland Browns, Mathieu led the Saints in tackles with 11 and was a vital part of stopping the Browns rushing attack.

In Week 17, the Saints will battle a strong Eagles rushing attack led by running back Miles Sanders. Philadelphia ranks top-5 in the league in rushing yards in 2022. Despite likely being without Jalen Hurts, who is listed as doubtful, the Eagles still pose a massive threat on the ground against a weak Saints rushing defense.

New Orleans will have to stop the run early and often against Philadelphia to win the game. Look for Mathieu to play in the box and come up with big stops of Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott. However, Mathieu will be equally important against Philadelphia's running backs and tight ends in the passing game. It is time for Mathieu to earn his contract and come up huge for his hometown team.