NEW ORLEANS — The playoff dream is over but the finish has been fun.
The Saints have won three in a row.
Since the loss in Pittsburgh, which was the low point in the season, the Saints are 4-2.
And in a season when it was difficult to catch a break, this week, the Saints got one, when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts didn't play.
Hurts is absolutely in the MVP conversation.
He's third in the league in quarterback rating, third in rushing yards by a quarterback, and he singlehandedly killed the Saints each of the last two seasons, and he didn't play.
And the Saints took advantage of that in a big way. Especially at number four.
#4 The Lattimore Difference
As Marshon Lattimore reminded us why at the age of 26 he's already been to four pro bowls. Lattimore single-handedly ended the Eagles' comeback. He is a special player, and before this season, he was not an injury problem.
In fact, in his first five seasons, he only missed eight total games. He missed ten this year, and it hurt badly.
He's under contract for three more years. The Saints need him to be this guy more often.
#3 Saints Win Philly-Style
The Saints beat the Eagles at their own game. For the most part, they shut down Philadelphia on the ground.
The Eagles came in averaging 153 yards a game rushing.
They only got 67 against the Saints. And the primary reason the Eagles didn't run it more is that the Saints did. The Saints ran it 35 times for 130 yards.
They controlled time of possession by more than 14 minutes and they did that without either starting guard Andrus Peat or Cesar Ruiz.
And Ryan Ramczyk got hurt and played less than a quarter of the Saints' snaps. So the Saints controlled the clock with this offensive line.
Sacks were a problem, yes, but the Eagles have one of the NFL's best defensive lines. And the Saints converted on a solid 44 % of their 3rd downs.
It was a good day for the o-line.
#2 Cam and Co. Dominated
It was a better day for Cam Jordan and the d-line. The Saints hassled Gardner Minshew all game. They tied a season-high with six team sacks and in this late-season run, two guys have really emerged.
Garl Granderson and Kaden Elliss look ready for larger roles next season. And that catalyst was Cam Jordan. Three sacks Sunday got him to 8.5 this season, and check out this incredible run of consistency.
This is 11 straight years that Cam Jordan has at least 7.5 sacks, and he passed Rickey Jackson to become the Saints' all-time sacks leader.
Jordan will not go to the Pro Bowl this season for the eighth time, but he should.
He's had a terrific year and by the way, he has one year left on his current contract
#1 Holding Steady
And finally, while there were questions midway through the season, I think it's become obvious that Dennis Alle will return as the Saints coach next season.
Our Saints analyst Nick Underhill reported before the Eagles game that his sources told him it was a virtual certainty.
After that win, it seems like a lock. Fans are impatient, this organization hasn't been. This offseason, they need to start fixing their salary cap issues.
And they need to draft a potential quarterback of the future.
The jury is out on whether or not Dennis Allen is the long-term answer but the last three weeks should fuel some cautious optimism heading into the offseason.
New Year's Day was fun.
That's our four takeaways from beating the Eagles.