Saints vs. Eagles, 2014 NFL Playoffs: Late New Orleans field goal undoes Philadelphia comeback

Eagles fans hold hope for the future, while the Saints’ faithful has praise for their quarterback.

Jan 5, 2014, 2:01 PM UTC

Al Bello

The first day of NFL playoff action saw two exciting games, with the latter providing a dramatic Saints victory in the final seconds.

The Eagles took an early lead, as Nick Foles found Riley Cooper for a ten-yard touchdown to provide a 7-6 Philadelphia lead at the end of the first quarter. The Saints scored two touchdowns early in the third quarter -- one a 24-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Lance Moore, and another Mark Ingram's four-yard touchdown run -- to make it 20-7, but LeSean McCoy's one-yard touchdown run cut the score to 20-14.

The two teams traded field goals at the start of the fourth quarter, and Foles's three-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz gave Philadelphia the lead at 24-23. Brees drove the Saints down the field in the final minutes, setting up Shayne Graham's game-winning field goal as time expired.

Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation says there is hope for the Eagles' future, and that they have the talent and the coaching staff to build on this season for next year:

For now, I’m maintaining the viewpoint that the future is bright until proven otherwise. It feels good to have experienced a winning season, a division crown, and a playoff berth again. This year was so unlike the expiring years of the Reid era, which felt like a giant waste of time at the end. This new Kelly era feels worthwhile and something worth being optimistic about.

J.R. Ella of Canal Street Chronicles noted star quarterback Drew Brees's performance, which had an impressive finish after a shaky start:

Drew Brees showed why he is a 100 million dollar man. He shook off a bad first half to play near flawlessly in the second half. His field goal winning drive was a thing of beauty.