David Hawthorne: 'New Orleans Saints must slow Philadelphia Eagles down'

Linebacker David Hawthorne has said that the New Orleans Saints defense must slow the Philadelphia Eagles down when the teams meet on Sunday.

Saints have struggled so far this season and hold a 1-3 record, while the Vikings have won both of their home games so far.

"You just have to slow it down in your mind. They've got their go to players and once you just process that and slow it all down the game slows down a lot," Hawthorne told the Saints' official website.

"I think we've got a good plan for them. We played them a few years ago and they were operating just as fast. We've just got to stay poised and do what we do."

The 30-year-old joined Saints from the Seattle Seahawks in 2012.