Surging Saints aim to rediscover their 'dome' advantage against the frustrated Eagles

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints quarterback Derek Carr hopes to experience the Superdome in a new way on Sunday.

The 50-year-old venue, which will host its eighth Super Bowl this February, has in recent years lacked the mix of anticipatory buzz and deafening crescendos that defined big games during the glory days of former coach Sean Payton and record-setting quarterback Drew Brees.

Carr even got booed at times last season, his first with New Orleans, as the Saints labored through a third straight non-playoff campaign.

But Carr and Co. sense a different energy as New Orleans (2-0) prepares to host the Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) on Sunday.

“We had to prove it to our fans. We didn’t give them good enough football last year,” Carr said. “We knew if we want to do what we want to do, we were going to need that stadium rocking. And we have to play good football for that to happen. I’m excited for this Sunday and to feel that atmosphere, for sure.”

The Saints' unexpected blazing start to 2024, credited in no small part to new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, has grabbed the attention of the NFL. First came their 47-10 rout of the Carolina Panthers, followed by an arguably more impressive 44-19 victory at Dallas in Week 2.

“They have an explosive running back with (Alvin) Kamara. They’ve got speed at wide receiver. Derek Carr has seen and played a lot of football, and when he’s on, he’s on,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “They run the ball well, they’re explosive with the pass game, and they’re going to be a big-time challenge in a hostile environment.”

Fan enthusiasm around the Big Easy, noticeably tepid during the offseason, has spiked dramatically since Sept. 8.

Tickets that could be had for as low as $11 near the top of the upper deck in Week 1 are now going for around $200.

“It’s going to be fun," said Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu, a New Orleans native who was in high school during New Orleans' 2009 championship season. "Obviously, we got off to a good start and you can feel it. You can feel it in the locker room. You can feel it in the city among the fans. And we’ve just got to keep that going.”

Still, the Saints expect the Eagles to arrive salty and motivated after losing 22-21 to visiting Atlanta on Monday night.

“They’re coming off a tough loss. You don’t think they’re going to come out and fight?” Carr said, noting the Eagles reached the Super Bowl two seasons ago. “This is a championship football team that we’re about to play and we better bring it.”

Kubiak's honeymoon

The Saints' first two opponents apparently were caught off guard by their new offense, which features a lot of outside zone runs and play-action passing.

Not only are the Saints' 91 points an NFL high through two weeks, but all of their scoring has come on 11 offensive TDs and five field goals.

Kubiak is “creative, he trusts us, and we trust him," guard Lucas Patrick said. “When there’s the marriage of the play-caller and the players, that’s when special things can happen.”

Kubiak, who was an offensive assistant with San Francisco's 2023 Super Bowl team, was hired by third-year Saints coach Dennis Allen in a break from a system installed by Payton in 2006 and retained, to a large extent, for two seasons after he left.

Allen, a defensive coach, said Kubiak's system, which allows for multiple plays to be run out of similar pre-snap looks, is “all about making the defense have to defend the whole gamut of plays, defend the whole field.”

Hurt by Hurts

While Allen's defense has started strongly this season, it has struggled against Hurts in years past.

Hurts had 175 yards and three TDs rushing combined in two triumphant starts against New Orleans in 2020 and 2021. He has 118 yards and a TD rushing this season.

“It's going to be tough for us,” Mathieu said. “Everybody has to do their job. ... If you're responsible to play pass, play pass. If you're responsible to play run, play run.”

Wasted picks

General manger Howie Roseman once joked that had the Eagles kept drafting Georgia players, his team might be relegated to the Southeastern Conference.

The way they're playing, some of those former Bulldogs could be relegated to the bench.

Philly selected defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the No. 9 overall pick and edge rusher Nolan Smith with the 30th pick in the 2023 draft, a year after they picked linebacker Nakobe Dean and defensive tackle Jordan Davis in the 2022 draft.

Carter had just one assisted tackle against the Falcons, and has no sacks and one quarterback hit through two games. Davis, Carter and Smith combined for four tackles and no sacks against Atlanta.

“I think all three guys have shown moments of having a lot of good plays, and all of them have had bumps, too,” Sirianni said. “But that’s every player. I have a lot of confidence in those guys and their abilities ... but we’ve got to be better as a whole."

Former Eagles greats Fletcher Cox, who retired at the end of last season, and Seth Joyner have been critical of Davis, who has 2 1/2 sacks in 32 games with the Eagles.

Defensive disaster

The woes of the so-called “Philly Bulldogs” have been a subplot in a subpar overall defensive performance — particularly against the run — under new coordinator Vic Fangio. The Eagles have allowed 157.5 yards rushing per game and have only three sacks. Defensive end Bryce Huff, a free agent signing, has no quarterback hits or sacks.

The Eagles have allowed 11 rushing plays of 10-plus yards and now face Kamara and his NFL-best 5.7 yards per carry.

“Do we have to put them in different positions and try different things? Yeah, and the defense was trying to do that,” Sirianni said.

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AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

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Brett Martel, The Associated Press