When it comes to evaluating the Philadelphia Eagles' efforts in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, it's hard to run out of descriptors for the loss.

Ugly? Check. Brutal? Yup. A disgrace? You said it, not me... even if I agree. Really, there are as many ways to describe the Eagels' errors as there were errors on the field, which considering how quickly and definitively things broke down, is freakin' saying something.

Fortunately, it is no longer Week 2, and the Eagles have a clean slate to get back on track over the next four months before the playoff picture comes into focus.

The only problem? Philly has drawn one of the hottest teams in the NFL in Week 3, with this year's New Orleans Saints team leading the NFL in points and looking like legitimate contenders in a deceptively interesting NFC South. Can Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and company put it all together, smooth over the edges, and return to their winning ways? Or will their massive slide from 2023 come early this year, with Howie Roseman selling off veterans at the trade deadline? Needless to say, Week 3 will play a pretty big role in that talent evaluation process.

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In Week 2 and even in Week 1, the Eagles defense was downright bad pretty much across the board.

They ranked 28th against the pass, giving up more yards through the air than Hurts threw for, and following that up with a rushing defense that didn't fare much better, ranking 25th in yards allowed despite ranking 13th in attempts while allowing opposing teams to dictate the gameplan, not the other way around.

And the worst part? They haven't played a team like the Saints yet, as through the first two games of the season, the team is on an absolute roll, ranking first overall in points scored, third overall in yards gained, and third overall in rushing yards at 370, which is 35 more yards than the Eagles have allowed through Week 2.

Needless to say, Dennis Allen will have Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and company ready to go in Week 3, as the Saints should make a concerted effort to attack the Eagles on the ground as much as possible, but after averaging just 1.5 sacks per game as seemingly every front seven player on the roaster is being heavily scrutinized doesn't mean it's safe to assume Fangio will be dialing in some extra pressures for Week 3, as he wants nothing more than to put some pressure on Carr moving forward.

So, bold prediction number one? The Eagles double their sack total against the Saints and finally look like a competent defense once more.

But how will they do it? Will Fangio get more creative with which four, five, or even six rushers he sends at Carr, blitzing Zach Baun and Nakobe Dean while dropping OLBs like Josh Sweat or Nolan Smith back into coverage? Or maybe bring more support from the secondary, with a player like Cooper DeJean or CJ Gardner-Johnson ideally suited to a blitz from the secondary?

While only time will tell the exact strategy Fangio will deploy, it's safe to say the defense will look more like Week 1 than Week 2, as the Eagles can't afford to play a conservative, vanilla defense that allowed a proven veteran player like Carr to pick them apart when they may ultimately have more talent in a head-to-head scenario.

Going from one team that isn't very good against the run to another, after effectively costing Philadelphia the game in Week 2 with an unconscionable drop on a routine pass, Barkley gets his revenge in Week 2 by absolutely pummeling the Saints both on the ground and through the air.

Now sure, the Saints have actually allowed the third-fewest rushing yards of any team in the NFL so far this season, with teams having more success through the air against their 20th-ranked passing defense, but after taking responsibility for the loss in Week 2, it's hard to imagine a world where Barkley doesn't fire back in a major way and prove to fans around the world that he is widely considered one of the best running back around for a reason.

With AJ Brown more likely than not expected to spend his trip to New Orleans in street clothes, as his hamstring injury was given the projected duration of "a few weeks" by Lisa Saulters on Monday Night Football, and Jahan Dotson having amassed just six yards through his first two weeks on the team, it's clear the Eagles will have to establish the run early on and stick to it in Week 3, sprinkling in passes to keep the Saints' D honest, as opposed to the other way around.

For the Eagles to pull out the win, they will need to command the time of possession, dominate up front, and play for points instead of getting risky against a team they deem inferior. Why? Because the Saints are on the Eagles' level, if not a little bit better, and they will need an A+ game from Barkley to help secure the win, much like in Week 1.

After having a 99.3 percent chance of winning the game in Week 2 with a little under two minutes left to play, the Eagles did the unthinkable and snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory. If they played for the clock instead of the endzone and made crucial unforced errors that left them unable to compete against a team they clearly overlooked after a feel-good win in Brazil, they would most likely still be undefeated.

In Week 3, the Eagles know they are facing off against the hottest team in the NFL, and as a result, they will likely bring their A game too, from creative calls to exotic blitzing packages and maybe even a trick play or two for the sake of the game. If that happens, the game looks electric, and it's the Saints who are too high on their own supply, then the Eagles should be able to rebound, recapture their winning ways, and ultimately go up 2-1 on the season.