Zach Ertz had a step, or two, on Marshon Lattimore.
That's the first thing that has to be known, is that the Eagles' tight end was behind the New Orleans Saints' cornerback, whether by execution (from Philadelphia's standpoint) or design (from Lattimore's baiting).
So when Eagles quarterback Nick Foles unleashed his pass – with his team holding a 14-0 lead in their NFC divisional playoff game against New Orleans on Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome – deep down the left sideline early in the second quarter, it initially appeared that the hole the Saints were in was about to deepen.
It didn't.
The Saints' second-year cornerback had the Eagles right where he wanted them – testing him – and Lattimore didn't fail. His acrobatic, leaping effort resulted in the interception of a pass that even appeared to brush Ertz's hands, thwarting an Eagles scoring opportunity at the Saints' 21-yard line with 13:35 left in the first half.
New Orleans used that turnover as the springboard to its turnaround in a 20-14 victory that lifted the Saints (14-3) into the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, against the Rams in the Superdome.
The Saints took over possession and scored their first touchdown, a 12-play, 79-yard drive that pulled them to within 14-7. The Eagles never scored again – they totaled 97 yards the rest of the game – and the Saints were on their way to the conference title game.
Check out the divisional round game action between the Saints and Eagles at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019.