The New Orleans Saints head to New York/New Jersey facing a Giants defense that has plenty going for it, even with the offense around them dealing with a major setback. New York is 3-1-1 under first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh and has stayed confident despite losing starting quarterback Jaxson Dart for the season.
On the other side of the ball, the Giants’ defense has been a problem for opponents, and it starts with Dennard Wilson, who was with the Titans last season. The Saints had trouble last week against the Vikings’ heavy-pressure look, and New York figures to bring plenty of that same heat. The Vikings and Giants were the two most blitz-heavy defenses last week, and while the Giants are not on Minnesota’s level, they are still operating as a strong unit.
That strength shows up across the board. New York ranks 15th in total defense and seventh against the pass, and it has also been tough to finish against. The Giants are a top-10 scoring defense, giving up just 21.2 points per game, and they’ve already piled up six interceptions, which ranks third in the league, along with eight total takeaways.
The area New Orleans will want to target is the run defense. The Giants sit 25th in that category, and that gives the Saints at least one path to try to work through. But that’s also been a lingering issue for New Orleans, which has not consistently found a way to run the ball.
For the Saints, staying on schedule is the key. They’ll need to avoid long-yardage situations and get into third-and-manageable downs, because that’s where New York is vulnerable. The Giants rank 27th in third-down defense, and if New Orleans can keep the chains moving, the red zone is there to be reached.
That matters, because the Giants have also struggled once opponents get inside the 20. They are allowing touchdowns on 69.2% of red-zone possessions. That part of the matchup actually plays into one of New Orleans’ strengths, since the Saints rank sixth in third-down conversion rate and third in red-zone touchdown conversion rate.
The issue is getting there cleanly. The Saints have too often hurt themselves with turnovers, pre-snap penalties, and sloppy work in the run game, which has left them behind the sticks.
So the opportunity is there, but the real question is which Saints offense shows up in New York. Is it the group that went to Baltimore and pulled off the upset for its only win of the season, or the one that embarrassed itself against the Falcons?
In Other News...
Saints Offense Has A WR3 Problem They Can't Ignore
New Orleans has spent much of this season trying to piece together an offense that keeps getting tripped up by the same problems: the run game never quite getting going, the offensive line searching for steadiness and the playcalling trying to work around both. In that larger mess, the wide receiver room has become another spot where the Saints cannot afford guesswork, because the third receiver role has started to matter more than it should in an attack already short on easy answers.
Bryce Lance has been the name filling that WR3 spot, but the position still feels unsettled enough that the Saints are waiting on a cleaner solution. Jordyn Tysons return is the obvious place to look for help, yet his health remains part of the conversation, and the recent roster churn around Kevin Austin Jr. only adds to the sense that this is a spot the team is still trying to solve rather than trust. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Shough Faces A Huge Saints Test With Season Pressure Rising
Tyler Shoughs first rough outing as the Saints quarterback room centerpiece came at an awkward time, with the offense sputtering through Minnesota and little margin left for error. He finished 16 of 25 for 96 yards and two interceptions in a game where New Orleans never found much rhythm, and the coaching staff has spent the days since looking for ways to make life easier on the rookie as the pressure around the season keeps climbing.
Week 6 now brings a different kind of test against the Giants, who are also adjusting at quarterback after Jaxson Dart was lost for the season. Kellen Moores staff is expected to lean into more balance on offense, a shift that could help Shough settle in and give the Saints a better chance to protect themselves from another long afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Saints May Need A Rookie To Rescue Their Run Game
The Saints have spent much of this season trying to find some traction on the ground, and the numbers have made the problem hard to ignore. The run game has been stuck at 3.5 yards per carry, even though defenses have often played lighter boxes, and injuries to Travis Etienne Jr. along with inconsistency from the rest of the backfield have only added to the strain.
CJ Donaldson has started to look like the kind of rookie who can at least steady things in spots. His work in short-yardage situations and in pass protection has given the staff a reason to trust him more, and with the offensive line still searching for answers, he figures to get a longer look as New Orleans tries to keep the ground game from stalling out again. [Read more 🡒]