New Orleans Saints: Which NFC Wild Card winner should they hope for?

As the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the New Orleans Saints have a first-round bye, but there’s no doubt they’ll watching and see who will pose the easiest victory.

Last year, the New Orleans Saints were in a very different position. They were on the outside, hoping for a spot. This time, they’re the No. 1 seed in the NFC and there’s no doubt how deserving they are. Despite their struggles, the team handled adversity and honestly, most of the teams they were matched up with.

In having the No. 1 seed, the Saints get certain privileges. They get an extra week of rest while the wild card games are played. They also get to play the lowest ranking seed left. Thankfully for the Saints, they’ve played two of the teams so there’s a chance they’re already at an advantage.

Before getting into that, let’s talk about the Wild Card matchup. For the first game, the Chicago Bears are taking on the Philadelphia Eagles. In the second NFC game, the Dallas Cowboys are taking on the Seattle Seahawks. Both games are sure to be close and played down to the last second.

For the Saints, there’s a clear team they should be hoping for and that’s the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s not to say the team couldn’t beat the Cowboys or Seahawks — their other two possible matchups as they can’t face the third-seeded Bears — but the Eagles are the best-case scenario for an easy win. Of all the teams, they’re arguably the weakest, even with the last-season Foles magic coming out.

There’s no better argument than the two teams’ last meeting. During the regular season, the Eagles traveled to New Orleans and were destroyed. The defending Super Bowl champions looked absolutely terrible against the Saints. The Saints were the clear favorite in that game, but it proved to be a bloodbath.

Looking back at that game, the Eagles were unable to generate anything on either side of the ball. Most notably, Carson Wentz had an abysmal game. He threw three interceptions and zero touchdowns. The team’s only offensive momentum came via their run game when the team scored their only points of the game, a singular touchdown.

The Saints had been in similar situations before with their defense helping out. For the Eagles, there was truly no help. The Eagles couldn’t stop the run, stop the pass or get pressure on Drew Brees. The game ended with the Saints outscoring the Eagles by 41 points, their largest margin of victory for the 2018 season.

Even with the Saints struggling as of late, the Eagles are New Orleans’ best hope at getting an easy victory. Nick Foles does give them an edge, but the Saints offense and defense is miles ahead of them. Facing off against the Eagles would be a piece of cake for the Saints.

While the Eagles are their best hope, it’s unlikely the Saints will face them. The Bears pose a bigger threat, so it’s likely the Saints will take on either the Cowboys or the Seahawks. As an NFC favorite for the Super Bowl, there’s no telling what will happen when the Saints take the field. For now, their best hope at a cruise to victory is the Philadelphia Eagles.