DIVISION ROUND RECAP: MIRACLE ON BOURBON STREET

This team was not supposed to be playing in January. They were 3-13 the previous season. They had a totally revamped roster. They had a quarterback with a shoulder problem. They had a rookie coach. What possibly looked promising about this situation? All they had to be was a distraction. Just enough to get the city of New Orleans to forget about the devastation that it suffered just a year ago. So when the Saints returned home and beat the Falcons, that was enough, right? No, instead what looked like a feel good story became a real good football team. The wins began to pile up and Saints fever began to rise. What was once a distraction became the attraction. The Saints were for real, and they represented everything good that still resided in New Orleans. So when they won their division, what more could a Saints fan ask for? The Saints were in the best situation of any team in the playoffs. With no expectations and fans who already have gotten ten times more than what they asked for, there was no pressure on the men from New Orleans. As Saturday night loomed, the city of New Orleans was about to erupt with screams for their Saints. The Philadelphia Eagles had as much playoff experience as anyone, but this was more than the playoffs. As the Saints took the lead and the minutes ticked down the noise grew louder and louder. However, the Eagles seemed to be unaffected and were up to the challenge that they were facing. But then, on a crucial 4th and 10, the noise got to Philadelphia. A false start surely caused by the craziness of the crowd took back what would have been a first down for the Eagles in Saints territory, with little time remaining, down three. Philadelphia elected to punt, and then never saw the ball again. When the clock hit zero, the noise grew louder than it had ever been before. The question is, when will the noise, that should have been silenced when the regular season ended, leave the city of New Orleans?

It's rare that a season can be disappointing while also defying expectations, but that was the type of year that the Eagles had. With so much talent on both sides of the ball, Philadelphia was an early Super Bowl contender. Then the injuries came to Donovan McNabb and Jevon Kerse that left the team in shambles. The talk in Philadelphia was no longer playoffs, but instead how high will our draft pick be? It looked like that was the path they were headed down after they got embarrassed in Indianapolis during Jeff Garcia's first start. Midway through his second start, the team began to click, and it was clear that Garcia could do everything for the Eagles that McNabb could. After rattling off five straight victories, the Eagles' season came to a bitter end on Saturday night. You can obviously question Andy Reid's decision to punt on 4th and 15 after going for it on 4th and 10, but in reality the Saints were just the better team. The bottom line is Eagles fans should be thankful for such a remarkable season. No wait, shouldn't they be upset about another season that ended without a Super Bowl? Yes, that is more like it. When was the last time an Eagles fan was happy about anything with their team?

The Saints move on to play another day, and at this point, it is just icing on the cake for Saints fans. Win or lose next week in Chicago, the season is still an overwhelming success. The Saints, though, should not think this way because they have a legitimate shot of winning this game. Much will be all week of how the Saints will have to travel to Chicago and play in the bitter coldness of Soldier Field. This may have a minor impact, but the only thing that will prevent the Saints from winning is the Bears and the Bears alone. If New Orleans runs their offense like they are capable of, they will put themselves in a terrific position to get to the Super Bowl. With a great offense matching up against one of the better defenses in the NFC, it should be another excellent game in what has been a postseason to remember.