Saints take care of Eagles but need big help for playoffs

© Provided by The Associated Press Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew (10) is sacked by New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) in the second half of an NFL football game in Philadelphia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cameron Jordan waved his arms in ferocious pursuit and went on another QB hunt. One, two, three times New Orleans’ defensive end chased down and sacked Gardner Minshew.

The total was a big one: Jordan is now the Saints’ career sack leader with 115 1/2, a number that seemed unlikely when he had one sack as a rookie in 2011.

© Provided by The Associated Press Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew is tackled by New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) in the first half of an NFL football game in Philadelphia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

“I just needed an opportunity,” Jordan said.

Jordan got his. Now he waits to see if the Saints get one next week to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

The Saints beat the Eagles 20-10 but were eliminated from the NFC South title race when Tampa Bay rallied to beat Carolina. That puts a wild list of scenarios in play for the Saints to earn a wild-card spot — all of them moot if Minnesota were to lose to Green Bay later Sunday.

© Provided by The Associated Press New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) runs off the field after an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. The Saints won 20-10. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The Saints (7-9), though, showed plenty of moxie in coming to Philadelphia and beating the 13-win Eagles — though star QB Jalen Hurts was sidelined for the second straight game with a sprained right shoulder.

© Provided by The Associated Press New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton (14) runs off the field after an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. The Saints won 20-10. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

New Orleans has showed no quit under first-year coach Dennis Allen. The Saints beat Atlanta two weeks ago and then refused to fold after falling behind by two scores last week at Cleveland during the coldest game in franchise history (9 degrees). The Saints scored 17 straight points and made a game-saving defensive stand at the end to win consecutive games for the first time this season.

Now make it three.

“I’ve been saying that the last few weeks, we have a gritty, tough group and there’s a lot of fight in those guys in the locker room and they continue to do that,” Allen said.

Jordan led a Saints defense that sacked Minshew six times and never allowed the Eagles to make a serious rally as they played with the No. 1 seed in the NFC at stake.

Hey, at least the Eagles had a playoff spot.

The Saints tried their best to make Sunday’s finale at home against Carolina mean something.

© Provided by The Associated Press New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton (14) runs off the field after an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. The Saints won 20-10. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“We’re still playing for something,” Allen said. “I think our focus really has been to take care of our business. We set out three weeks ago that we wanted to try to go 4-0 and that’s all we could really control. We’ve been able to get three of them and we’ve got another tough opponent next week.”

© Provided by The Associated Press Saints Eagles Football

Jordan was fined earlier this season after the NFL concluded that he faked an injury in the fourth quarter of New Orleans’ 17-16 loss at Tampa Bay on Dec. 5. The Saints also were fined. Jordan and the team denied any wrongdoing.

© Provided by The Associated Press New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton (14) passes in the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

But there’s no doubt about the numbers Jordan has amassed over a career spent entirely with the Saints. He jumped from one sack as a rookie to eight and then to 12 1/2 in 2013. He had a career-best in 15 1/2 in 2019 and his three Sunday moved him past Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson, who had 115.

“Granted, it was against Gardner Minshew and not Jalen Hurts,” Jordan said.

Jordan even realized what Philly found out the hard way: Minshew is no Hurts.

“I don’t want to just be a pass rusher,” Jordan said. “They don’t run to my side for a reason.”

The Saints gave Jordan the game ball. Kaden Elliss and Carl Granderson combined for New Orleans’ other three sacks.

Andy Dalton, who threw for 204 yards, completed his first 13 passes, including a 58-yard reception by Rashid Shaheed. That play set up one of two field goals by Wil Lutz in the first half. Taysom Hill had a 1-yard TD run for New Orleans, which led 13-0 at halftime.

“I think if you just look at our season, we have had games similar to the last couple, but we haven’t been able to finish them,” Dalton said. “The last several games we had we have been able to find ways to win. I think that’s one thing when you look at our season, we are going to look back at several games and say, ‘Man if we would have done one or two more things then the record could look a lot different.’”

© Provided by The Associated Press New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton (14) drops back to pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Marshon Lattimore returned after he missed 10 straight games with a lacerated kidney and then returned an interception for a game-clinching touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

“You want to be playing your best football at the end of the year and I feel like we are doing that,” Dalton said.

But it might end up being too late.

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