The Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champions, but they're limping into New Orleans with a 4-5 record to play the best and hottest team in the NFL.
The Saints (8-1) opened as nine-point favorites.
That's significant because the Eagles are the biggest defending Super Bowl underdogs in nearly a decade.
According to Bovada, the last time a defending Super Bowl champion opened as nine-point 'dogs was back in November 2009, when the Steelers went on the road to face the Ravens. Coming off a win in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers were 6-4 when they traveled to Baltimore to face the Ravens, who were 5-5.
The only reason the Steelers were such big underdogs in this game was that Ben Roethlisberger suffered a concussion the previous week and the Steelers started backup QB Dennis Dixon. This was one of three career starts for Dixon.
Still, the Steelers covered, losing 20-17 in overtime.
While the Eagles reveled in their status as underdogs last year on their way to winning Super Bowl LII, this is the first time they've opened as underdogs this season. So it's pretty amazing that their first time as an underdog is by nine points.
NFL
So far, 74 percent of bets are for the Saints to cover the large spread. It seems many people are counting the Eagles out.
"It's a natural position for us," Malcolm Jenkins said. " We're used to that. It's probably more comfortable."
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.