Playoff football is here in the Gulf South. You can feel it in the air; see it on the faces of Who Dats everywhere; there’s a Black & Gold buzz around the region ahead of tomorrow’s NFC divisional round matchup between the home standing Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles. New Orleans opened as a 9.5 point favorite in this game, and the line has moved down by a point with a lot of action on the Eagles. In the beginning of the week I was really convinced that 8.5 points were an extraordinary amount of points to give. Then I started diving into the matchup, and here’s where I stand 24 hours before the win or go home game begins.The Eagles are playing their fifth road game in the last six weeks. Philly is the defending Super Bowl champs and have won four straight games. However, the Eagles have been in “playoff mode” for the last five weeks. No big deal? Hardly. The pressure, the intensity will eventually take its toll on the Eagles. I’ve talked to several former pros, who all point out the impact of traveling late in the season and preach about the stress and intensity of being in the “playoff mode.” They all stress that it becomes a mental straight and starts to drain your energy really quickly...a much needed super energy that’s hard to sustain.The Saints will win this game, and no it won’t be by 41 points like the last meeting. Unlike earlier in the week, I think the Saints will certainly cover the 8.5 points in this game. New Orleans is the fresher team and the better team. Saints 31 Eagles 17. Another NFC championship game awaits in the Superdome. WHO DAT!