The Philadelphia Eagles vividly remember Nov. 18.
Doug Pederson's team got whipped by the New Orleans Saints 48-7 in Week 11. It wasn't just a loss; it was a butt-kicking of epic proportion. The Eagles got beat down in all phases.
Philly's offense was held to 196 total yards, seven points, and Carson Wentz tossed three interceptions. The defense allowed 546 total yards, four touchdown passes by Drew Brees to go with a 153.2 passer rating, and 100-plus scrimmages yards to both Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara.
After beating the Chicago Bears on the road Sunday in the wild card round, Pederson's team gets a chance to avenge that loss.
The Eagles head to New Orleans a much different team than the one that got their doors blown off in Week 11.
"Yeah, it wasn't very good the first time," Pederson said Sunday, stating the obvious. "And you know, we'll take a look at that film. We'll take a look at this one. I think we're a different football team now than we were then. And we've just got to put a good plan together in all three phases. Go back down there, we're on the road, it's going to be in a dome, it's going to be loud again, all those things, and it's going to be a great atmosphere."
The Eagles team that heads to The Big Easy is on a four-game winning streak behind the pyrotechnics of Nick Foles.
With Foles under center, the Eagles are getting the ball out quicker, which has taken pressure off the offensive line and made Philly's offense much more efficient. Like a pitcher in a groove, Foles exudes confidence with the game on the line, not fearing the big moment. The only playoff loss of the quarterback's career came against Drew Brees and the Saints back in 2013, under former Eagles coach Chip Kelly. He's 4-0 since.
The Eagles defense has gotten better down the stretch of the season as well. While the secondary still gets burned too regularly, the defensive line has begun to dominate.
"We didn't play well at all," left tackle Jason Peters said, via NOLA.com. "They ran up the score. We wanted them again, we got them again.
Peters added: "This time, hey, we coming. It's definitely not going to be the same outcome."
