For the first time officially this season, the Eagles are on the road, heading to New Orleans to play the red-hot Saints on Sunday, on a short week after suffering a very tough loss on Monday night. And we've been down this road before.

The concentration is high, the energy is positive and the Eagles have every intention of playing a great football game against the Saints. And with that, a weekly trip to the locker room…

Jahan Dotson: “I know I’m a very good wide receiver”

Wide receiver AJ Brown has not practiced this week, raising doubts about whether he will play Sunday after suffering a hamstring injury in practice a week ago. Jahan Dotson, acquired in a trade with Washington late in the preseason, is ready if the opportunity presents itself in New Orleans.

“I feel like it's time to prove to everybody else who I am,” Dotson said. “I know I'm a very good wide receiver. I know I can play at this level like I've done before. This is a league that's about what you've done for me recently, and I haven't performed to the level that I did my freshman year. I want to prove to everybody that I know who I am, so that's my mindset every chance I get: Make plays. Help this team win.

“You can look at it two ways. You can complain about it – you don't get the ball, things don't go the way you want them to – or you can be grateful. I talked to my agent about that recently, about having a different mindset and getting different results in life and being grateful for that. I love this game and I'm grateful to be out there every day. Of course I want to play. I'm very ambitious and that's where I am.”

Dotson believes he is at his best on offense, but admits he is working on it every day and his time will come.

“I feel like this offense is very geared toward my skillset and that's why they brought me here. They know that and Kellen (Moore, offensive coordinator) has put me in advantageous situations to win one-on-one matchups. It's just about getting the opportunities and when they come, I'm going to take full advantage of them.”

Zack Baun: A return to New Orleans is a moment

That means something. Zack Baun played four seasons in New Orleans and, he says, is grateful for the opportunity to make it to the NFL. But then free agency came and Baun signed with the Eagles and, well, now it's time to show the Saints something.

“I'm excited, of course,” he said. “It means something to me to go back there and play a major role on that defense. But it's not like I'm taking a different approach here. I want to play great football every time I step on the field. It's no different here.”

Accompanied by his wife Ali and son Elian, Baun knows what to expect from New Orleans' powerful offense, which scored 15 consecutive points to start the season.

“They have a lot of talent and their coordinator, Klint Kubiak, puts them in a great position to be successful,” Baun said. “They're explosive. Alvin Kamara is one of the best running backs in the game. He can do it all. It doesn't surprise me the way they play. They're an offense that's capable of beating you in a lot of ways.”

Still, Baun is ready. He had two productive games for the Eagles at linebacker, and now he'll have to handle a lot of duties in a lot of spots on the field, because that's what the Saints want their defenses to do: cover every spot on the field.

“It's a challenge and we're looking forward to it,” he said. “We still have a few things to put right. We can't afford to make any mistakes against this team. They'll pay for it.”