This is a tester, for sure. The Eagles take to the road for their first "away" game this season, visiting the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, a venue where they haven't won since the 2007 campaign. That's 17 seasons ago (0-3 since, including playoffs) and all of that matters not at all.

This is a new season.

This is a new team coming off a tough loss Monday night to the Atlanta Falcons, so the combination of a short week, a heartbreaking loss, and the fact that the opponent is the red-hot New Orleans Saints (2-0) puts a stamp of urgency on this game.

It is only Week 3, of course, and one win changes everything as teams across the NFL continue to define who they are and what works for them. With that in mind, here are some storylines for this one: Eagles at Saints, Sunday at 1 PM.

1. What can the offense to do take the next step?

Against a good New Orleans defense that has been overshadowed by its prolific offense through two weeks, the Eagles have some work to do. They've practiced all week with noise to prepare for the hostile environment and they have worked without wide receiver A.J. Brown as well. The Eagles are looking to be more explosive and Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore believes he has the right personnel to do that.

"I think we still have guys who can separate and give us some vertical components to our offense, obviously something that we've just got to keep aware of, how can we continue to find those opportunities," he said. "I think a big thing around the NFL right now is trying to find explosive plays. I think obviously the numbers are all down. We're trying to find it. Defenses are doing an excellent job, and we've just got to keep finding them, not necessarily just on third down but first and second down, as well."

The Saints are aggressive and they have a strong front seven led by end Cameron Jordan. This is not going to be a walk in the park.

2. Keep an eye on the turnover ratio

It's always a key statistic and it will be on Sunday. New Orleans is at a +3 in turnover ratio and the Eagles are at a -3 so, clearly, this is important. The Eagles need to take the football away from a standout offense, which brings us to Vic Fangio's defense …

3. Is New Orleans really this good on offense?

Apparently, yes. They scored on their first 15 offensive possessions of the season. They have a game-breaking wide receiver in Rashid Shaheed and one of the game's most versatile backs in Alvin Kamara. Quarterback Derek Carr is off to a strong start. The offensive line is big, strong, athletic, and has been throwing defensive players around the field.

This defense is still finding itself and faces its toughest task of the season to date and the scheme New Orleans is running for Carr seems to fit his skill set very well.

"I think this offense really suits him," Fangio said. "He's always been one of the most talented passers in the league. He throws it short, intermediate, and deep very, very well. Throws a great deep ball. They're max protecting a lot, giving him time. They're running boots. They've got the running game going.

"I think this offense and him is a really good marriage."

Complicating the picture for the Eagles is the uncertain health status of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who suffered a foot injury late in the week and is questionable for this game.

4. The Alvin Kamara Factor

This deserves a special section because that's the kind of player he is. Kamara leads the league in offense, he has a league-best five TDs and he is a threat as a runner and a pass catcher. The Saints like to run the stretch play and that's going to challenge the Eagles' edges, and Kamara has one-cut ability to take it to the house. As a pass catcher, he is as good as anyone in the league. The Eagles will need to tackle exceptionally well and have a great plan to contain Kamara.

5. Find some Saints weaknesses

It is still very early in the season and the Saints are, arguably, playing the best football of any team. But they have weaknesses, as do all teams. How much can the Eagles exploit? Where can the Eagles attack? How does quarterback Jalen Hurts, working with Moore, chip away at the New Orleans defense and use the clock and score touchdowns in the red zone? The game of football is so much about creating favorable matchups. How do the Eagles do that here?

6. Keeping an eye on the trenches, as usual

Philadelphia is looking for more production from its defensive line, so that is going to be an area of focus against a dominating New Orleans offensive group. The Eagles need to slow the run and then get after Carr and that's really what this game comes down to. Fangio has to find a way to dictate to the Saints, something neither Carolina nor Dallas was able to do.

On the other side of the ball, there are great matchups headlined by right tackle Lane Johnson against Jordan. New Orleans has had trouble against Hurts and the running game in the past, so we will see how that adjustment goes. The Eagles want to keep the RPO part of their attack, minus the ineligible man downfield penalties that have plagued them. The games are won and lost in the trenches, as we see every week.

7. The intangibles are always important

Things like … penalties, mental mistakes, missed tackles, dropped passes, and time-management usage are always vital. How will the Eagles handle the speed of Shaheed both in the passing game and in the return game – he returns both kickoffs and punts? Can the Eagles bust one in the return game and change the dynamic of the game? Kickoff nears …