The 7-7 Saints traveled to the City of Brotherly Love to face the 5-10 Eagles. A victory would guarantee at least a .500 final record for just the second time in the club's 17-year his­tory. Even with the home field advantage, Philadelphia was favored by a measly point.

The Saints, who gained 46% of their total yardage on the ground, looked forward to attack­ing the worst defense against the run in the NFL. Despite missing three games with a knee injury, RB George Rogers needed only 56y to reach the coveted 1,000y mark for the season.

Saints coach Bum Phillips minced no words. "We do one thing pretty good, run the foot­ball. We'll pretty much stick with that plan because that's what we do best."

Only 45,182 showed up on a chilly day at Veteran Stadium to watch their mediocre (at best) team.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Saints embarked on a 13-play, 67y touchdown march. Making good use of first-down passes, QB Ken Stabler completed five of five, capped by a 21y strike to RB Wayne Wilson for six points. Saints 7 Eagles 0.

The home team got a 23y field goal from Tony Franklin to cut the lead to 7-3 at the half.

Stabler went five for five again on the Saints' first possession of the third quarter when they drove 84y in 14 plays, ending with Rogers' 4y touchdown run. Saints 14 Eagles 3.

At one point, Stabler was 14 of 16, throwing deadly short and intermediate passes.

Morten Andersen's career-long 52y field goal early in the fourth period extended the lead to 17-3.

"I thought we had it in the bag then," said Saints TE Hoby Brenner. "Maybe that's the problem. We thought we had it in the bag."

Just when the Saints looked like they would coast to a road victory, the Spirit of Saints of Old infected them. The Eagles not only tied the game, they should have won it except their kicker missed a makeable field goal.

"We got behind two scores and had to open up," said Jaworski afterward. "We went to a pro set with three wide receivers. We tried to attack and go for the big play."

Aided by some shoddy tackling and coverage blunders by the Saints, the Eagles got several big plays to tie the score.

Throwing effectively underneath the Saints' coverage, QB Ron Jaworski fired touchdown passes of 17 and 7y to wide receivers Mike Quick and Harold Carmichael.

"I think we went into our prevent defense too early," said Saints LB Rickey Jackson. "That's been happening, and we let teams hit us for some quick ones. We don't have any 'backers coming and rush only three linemen. We should have waited."

After Carmichael's TD reception, it looked like neither team wanted to win. The final 3:46 of regulation turned into a comedy of errors.

First, Eagles RB Major Everett slapped the ball out of the hands of Kenny Duckett on the kickoff return following the Philly's tying touchdown. Bill Cowher recovered for Philadelphia on the NO 18.

Two plays later, Saints SS Russell Gary punched the ball out of the grasp of RB Michael Williams, and LB Dennis Winston recovered for the Saints at the 20.

Stabler, who was 14 of 16 for 147y at that point, threw three straight incompletions. The Eagles got great field position at the NO 47 when Russell Erxleben, having his worst day of the year, produced a wobbly 33y punt.

Jaworski found WR Tony Woodruff for 15y to the 31. After two runs netted 6y, Eagles Coach Marion Campbell sent Franklin onto the field to try a 42y field goal with 13 seconds left to win the game. Instead, his attempt sailed wide right. Overtime!

"I anticipated the wind pushing it a little to the left," Franklin explained. "I hit it a yard outside the post. It stayed straight. That's frustrating as hell."

The Eagles won the toss in overtime, but DE Jim Wilks' sack forced them to punt, giving Stabler & Company the ball on the NO 32.

Stabler went to work. First, he completed an out pattern to rookie WR Eugene Goodlow, who caught the pass 6y beyond the line of scrimmage, juked the defender, and gained nine more yards for the first down to bail the Saints out of a third-and-12 hole.

On the next play, Stabler went to him again on a corner route for 21y to the Eagles 34, within Andersen's field goal range. Sure enough, three plays later, Morten nailed a 50-yarder to win the game and keep the Saints alive and kicking for a playoff spot. FINAL SCORE: SAINTS 20 EAGLES 17

Andersen: "We both knew it when I hit it (referring to holder Guido Merkens). He asked me, 'What are you looking at it for?' I said I wanted to watch it go through. I like what I saw. The next thing I saw was the bench clear."

Goodlow ended the day with seven catches for 92y, by far his best day as a Saint.

"I think Gene's the kind of player that the more balls he catches, the more he's in the game," said Stabler of the rookie hero. "If he goes a long time without catching anything, he doesn't get in the rhythm of the game, and he gets a little down on himself. The more he catches, the more he gets into it. The more I throw to him, the more we know each other."

Eagles LB Reggie Wilkes praised the Saints' quarterback. "Those short passes just pick a defense apart. One thing about Stabler, he will not sit on that ball. If he's going to throw it, he's going to throw it quick. They gear most of their patterns to quick, short routes. He did a good job today picking his receivers out underneath coverages, between linebacker and outside of our zone coverages. He's been doing it for so many year."

"I think we should've won the game," said Jaworski. "We worked the clock and got the ball down there. A 40-yard field goal is no gimme, but the percentage of making it should be pretty high. But it's been that kind of year. You can look at one play each week. We haven't made them, and the other teams have."