Saturday night's battle features two former high school stars who were quarterbacks at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. Nick Foles!and Drew Brees have been two of the most prolific quarterbacks in the NFL this season. They are also the two best quarterbacks against the blitz.
Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur knows that Foles will need to be ready for Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's pressure-based attack.
"I don't think he's going to change what he does," Shurmur said. "We anticipate he'll come after us."
Defensive coordinator Bill Davis explains the challenge of coming after Brees is his quick release.
"This offense is so efficient, and it is run on Drew Brees and his decision making and quick release, and he really makes you defend the field both horizontally and vertically because all five of his eligible receivers are up and active like a lot of the younger quarterbacks cannot pull that off and a lot of the older quarterbacks can't but he's been in the system and been with Sean (Payton) for a while and they just really stretch you, again, both vertically and horizontally."
| The Best Against The Blitz | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Comp./Att. | Yards | TD/INT | Rating |
| Nick Foles | 53/82 (64.6%) | 880 | 6/0 | 125.1 |
| Drew Brees | 109/159 (68.6%) | 1,422 | 11/2 | 114.3 |
