Eagles-Saints: Start time, channel, how to watch and stream

Eagles fans will likely see a lot of yellow during Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

Officiating is Scott Novak, whose crew has thrown more penalty flags than any group through the first 10 games of the season.

Novak, one of the replacements promoted in 2019 to fill vacancies created by retiring NFL referees Walt Anderson and Pete Morelli, has averaged 15.2 penalties called and 118.8 penalty yards per game this season. The league average is 12.7 penalties per game.

» READ MORE: Eagles beat writers make their predictions for the Saints game in Week 11

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to Eagles fans, considering Novak and his crew threw 27 flags during the Birds’ season-opening win over the Atlanta Falcons (the Eagles were called for 10 penalties in the first half alone). Though to Novak’s credit, his crew hasn’t been responsible for any egregious calls and have yet to throw a flag for taunting, a point of emphasis for the league this season.

Last week, Buffalo Bills head coach and former Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said during a radio interview he was “well aware” of Novak’s flag-happy reputation, and the third-year referee didn’t disappoint — his crew called 16 penalties during the Bills’ lopsided win over the New York Jets.

The Eagles, who enter the game as the league’s third-most-penalized team, were the victim of a no-call on a helmet-to-helmet hit that landed tight end Dallas Goedert in the concussion protocol. In his weekly recap of controversial plays, the NFL senior vice president of officiating, Perry Fewell, said the referees on the field were correct not to throw a flag.

“When a receiver clearly is a runner and moving with the football, it is only a foul if the defender lowers his head and initiates contact with his helmet,” Fewell said. “It is not a foul for a shoulder-to-helmet hit of the runner unless he is down or out of bounds.”

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the Eagles-Saints game:

Despite being winless at home and starting the season 1-3, the Eagles actually enter Sunday’s game solidly in the hunt for a playoff spot. Beating the Saints could go a long way, considering New Orleans would hold the second wildcard spot in the NFC if the playoffs started today.

Here’s what the NFC playoff picture looks like heading into Week 11:

As with every Eagles game, staff writers Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, and Josh Tolentino will be covering the action live on Twitter, which you can follow live on GameDay Central. Notes and observations about the game will be at Inquirer.com/Eagles. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Inquirer Sports Daily Newsletter.

Smith and Tolentino will host GameDay Central live prior to kickoff.

Pregame coverage begins on Fox29 at 10 a.m. with Fox29 Gameday, featuring Breland Moore, former Eagles linebacker Garry Cobb, Dave Spadaro, and Bill Anderson.

Fox NFL Kickoff, the network’s early pregame show, airs at 11 a.m., hosted by Charissa Thompson with analysts Tony Gonzalez, Dave Wannstedt, Colin Cowherd, Charles Woodson, and former Eagles quarterback Michael Vick.

Fox NFL Sunday airs at noon, hosted by Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee alongside analysts Howie Long, Michael Strahan, and Jimmy Johnson

Coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with Birds Huddle, a new pregame show focused on sports betting and fantasy football. Taryn Hatcher will host the show alongside Brad Feinberg, Barrett Brooks, and John Clark.

Eagles Pregame Live, hosted by Michael Barkann and featuring Seth Joyner, Ray Didinger and Barrett Brooks, will air live at noon on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Eagles Postgame Live will air immediately following the game.

In Week 15, two out of five games chosen by the NFL will be played on Saturday, with the rest played Sunday. Eagles-Washington is one of those games, and the specific dates and times will be announced by Week 11.