For the third time this season, the Eagles needed to win to get back to a respectable .500 record. The first two times they were successful with wins over lesser opponents, the New York Giants and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But this time it was different. They were on the road against the New Orleans Saints. A team still smarting from last season’s elimination from the playoffs by Minnesota on a last-second fluke play. A fluke-play that prevented Saints from playing the Eagles for the NFC championship and possibly playing the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Their quarterback Drew Brees is a sure-fire first-ballot hall-of-famer with career records in passing yards and a willingness to throw the bomb from anywhere on the field and at any point during the game, regardless of the score. To say the least, the Eagles knew what they were up against. ,Knowing what they were up against could’ve had a negative psychological  influence on them in the 48-7 thrashing from the Saints, Sunday afternoon from the Big Easy before 73,042 fans and a national TV audience.

Through 10 games, the Saints (9-1, first-place NFC South) have the NFL’s highest-scoring offense with 378 points. The teams behind the Saints in points are the Kansas City Chiefs, with 353 and the L.A. Rams with 335. They played on Monday Night Football from Los Angeles.

The Eagles were unable to hold back the Saints high-scoring juggernaut. They scored in every quarter and held a comfortable 17-0 lead when the Eagles (4-6, third-place NFC East) scored their only touchdown. A 28-yard run by halfback Josh Adams up the gut that put a spark of life in their offense.

But that spark was doused quicker than a fat man pours gravy over his turkey and mashed potatoes. Before the half was over the Saints came roaring back when Brees connected with Tre’Quan Smith on a 15-yard touchdown pass. Once again, the Eagles couldn’t hold off a team right before halftime. Last week, it was the Cowboys who scored in the final seconds before the halftime intermission. This week, a different team but the same result. And a 24-7 lead for the hosts.

When the Saints received the second-half kickoff, they marched 70 yards on six plays and scored a TD to go up 31-7. Brees throwing his third of four touchdown passes. It was apparent the Saints were playing on a level  this Eagles team has yet to even come within a sniff of. They were beaten and bruised – both physically and emotionally – and were ready to come home when the contest was over.

The Eagles suffered injuries to players and it only adds to players who were already hurt. Center Jason Kelce hurt his elbow on the team’s first drive and didn’t return. On the defensive side, linebacker Jordan Hicks, safety Avonte Maddox, and defensive backs Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas sustained injuries. Jones suffered a pulled hamstring and Maddox a knee injury in the first half and neither returned. Hicks and Douglas suffered knee injuries in the second-half and were done for the day.

The Eagles are trying to stay upbeat. But the fact is in three of their last four games they have played less than what was expected of them when pre-season camp opened on a hot, humid Wednesday morning in July. There was optimism to be had. The team’s contingent of loyal and not-so-loyal followers were feeling mighty proud of their representative team in the NFL. But after being 3-3 after six games, they’ve dropped to 4-6 and have lost to Carolina, division rival Dallas and New Orleans. Their only win came against Jacksonville on October 28.

It is a return to the scene of the crime of sorts this Sunday when the Eagles host the New York Giants. The first time they played the Giants they won decisively and reached the .500 mark for the first time after losses to Tennessee and Minnesota. A win over the Giants this time will only keep the Giants in last-place and the Eagles from falling into it.