Giants @ Saints
Final Score: New Orleans 24, New York 6
Writer: Michael James (@MikeoftheFF on Twitter)
New York traveled to New Orleans riding the high of NFC Player of the Week– Tommy DeVito, aka; “Tommy Cutlets” and his three straight wins. If you had not heard by now of his story and nickname, the broadcast would remind you every 3.5 minutes. Before the game, we got an ominous quote from Coach Daboll, “We like what he’s doing but we still don’t know how he would handle adversity and will find out how he responds when that day comes.” Almost as if he knew what was to come today. Also, I don’t know if the coach forgot that he started on the road against Dallas earlier this season, and if that doesn’t count, I fear to think what would.
The Saints would be without Chris Olave today. Derek Carr would respond by spreading the ball around to the entire depth chart with the only player to have more than three receptions ended up being Alvin Kamara. The game would be a close one with the score going into the half 7-6 but in the second half Carr would come alive and the Giants would continue their offensive struggles from the first half as the Saints would go on to win the game and set themselves up to compete for first place in the NFC South.
Three Up
- Derek Carr – 3 touchdowns on a 134.8 passer rating is the highest he’s had all season long
- Alvin Kamara – Over 100 total yards of offense including 5 receptions
- Saints D/ST – 23 drives straight without allowing a touchdown spanning two games now. Seven sacks and only six points allowed on the day.
Three Down
- Saquon Barkley – Up again, down again trend continues with season lows in carries and rushing yards today. Season low in targets in the passing game
- Lawrence Cager – Lost the emergency kicking competition at halftime to the team’s punter after the starting placekicker left due to injury
- Giants QBs facing the pass rush – Giants QBs have now been sacked a combined 76 times this season, most in the NFL
New York Giants
Quarterback
Tommy DeVito: 20/34, 177 yards | 4 carries, 36 yards
The Giants came out going deep trying to hit a receiver 30 yards downfield on the first play of the game, but the struggles would start after that first incompletion and continue all day. Even when a penalty bought them a new set of downs, four of their next five plays would only go for 2 yards each at most. This would be the tone for the rest of the game, with the Giants fighting for every yard and struggling to get any rhythm going offensively. On the first play of their second drive, DeVito ate a sack which would be the ongoing story on three of their next four drives ending with debilitating sacks, causing another pair of three-and-outs. They would accumulate a total of 24 yards on 15 plays over their first three possessions before finally putting together a nine-play drive to go 45 yards only to punt it again.
The giant problem for the Giants (you’re welcome) continues to be pass protection. Four of DeVito’s seven sacks killed drives for New York today, resulting in punts. Drives that aren’t ending in sacks are getting derailed from the start with penalties setting them up in first and twenty situations. Late in the game when punting was no longer an option, it resulted in long down-and-distance plays resulting in turnovers on downs. That said, the receivers are not doing him any favors either, with multiple drops on the day. Some flashes show he could develop into something one day, if only he wasn’t getting killed on every drive.
Notes
- Had a really well-disguised keeper that fooled even the cameraman
- With a minute left in the second quarter, DeVito takes a hit while sliding which results in his head colliding with the turf requiring him to come out for a concussion evaluation (cleared, re-entered the game second half)
- Offense was 2 for 16 on third down conversion but did complete 3 of 5 fourth downs
- Offense had whole 2 total yards of offense on 6 plays for the entire third quarter
- Not a single attempt over the middle of the field greater than 5 yards
Tyrod Taylor: 2/4, 13 yards
Entered the game to replace DeVito who had to come out for a concussion evaluation at the end of the 2nd quarter.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley: 9 carries, 14 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 23 yards
It wasn’t until Barkley’s fourth carry that he went more than 1 yard. After his fourth carry of the game went for three yards, which brought his average up to .5 YPC at that point, this trend would last for the rest of the game. There was still hope as he took his first reception down field for a 17-yard gain. His second reception came in the second quarter for another six on top of that. However, that would be the only two targets he would get on the day. The Giants went into the half only down one, so I am at a loss as to why they didn’t try to get him out in space more in the second half. I am having trouble wrapping my head around not having your best player out there despite what he showed you in last week’s game. His longest run of the day came on a carry to the outside right which was also the only time he ran outside the line today. Five of his nine carries saw him met by the defender at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Notes
- Nine rushing attempts were the second-fewest in his career of which he was on the field for at least 50% of the snaps in the game.
- His fifth-worst YPC for a game in his career
- His first reception was a highlight 1-armed “bicep curl” catch
Missed Opportunities
- Only had three touches in the second half including not being in the game on the final drive.
Matt Breida: 3 carries, 10 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Darius Slayton: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 63 yards
While New York overall had a slow start to the game, Slayton’s was particularly rough with a drop and only catching one of his five targets before the final drive of the game. With only one target in the second half, he would go without a single target in their two longest drives up to this point in the game. He came alive in the final drive, however, catching all three of his targets, including his last one where he broke wide open in zone coverage for a deep catch and run for a 33-yard gain to get them across midfield and into New Orleans territory. Spent the rest of the game battling for separation with a quarterback that did not have any time to let plays develop.
Notes
- 31 of his 63 yards came after the catch
Missed Opportunities
- First play of the game deep ball down the sideline after getting a step on his man but was underthrown, hitting the cornerback in the helmet
- 20-yard deep ball but was well defended
Darren Waller: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 40 yards
The Giants got their big TE weapon back this week after being missing in action since Week 9 and showed what he is capable of on his second reception of the day in the second quarter. The big man caught the ball over a cornerback about 13 yards down the middle of the field and ran another 16 after that, converting a third and long for the Giants to get them across midfield. Half of his targets came in the fourth quarter, including two throws to try to get the Giants out of long-distance downs after taking a big sack to put them behind for second and long.
Wan’Dale Robinson: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 25 yards
The second-year receiver was held to under 30 yards, catching all four of his targets and keeping pace with his average output over the last four games for the Giants.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Derek Carr: 23/28, 218 yards, 3 TD | 3 carries, -4 yards
The Saints got off to a rough start offensively, going three-and-out with a punt on their opening drive. They would put together a long drive on their next possession but would punt two more times after that before the half. In that lone touchdown drive, Carr was 5 for 5 and was praised by the broadcast for shaking off the safeties with his eyes and shifting his receivers open. He would enter halftime 11 for 13 passing and keep that efficiency going for the remainder of the game against the poor Giants’ secondary. Seven different receivers had multiple receptions, and Carr spread the ball to three different pass catchers for touchdowns on the day. The Saints’ offensive line made sure Carr felt almost no pressure outside of his one sack all game long.
Notes
- 82% completion rate
- 1 for 2 on the deep ball including the touchdown to Johnson
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 16 carries, 66 yards | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 44 yards
It didn’t amount to much in-the-box score, but for whatever reason Kamara did not get the start today. He would not enter the game until the second drive. In that drive he would take his second carry through the line on a shift to the right for 11 yards but had three other carries for 3 or fewer yards. It was still enough to force the defense to respect the run setting up Carr to punish them with the play-action. While he wasn’t able to maintain a three-game touchdown streak, his continued work in the passing game helped out his managers as he continues to at least five targets in all but two of his games since returning from suspension this year. He put in the bulk of his workload on the final scoring drive for the Saints accounting for 52 yards on seven of the first nine plays on that possession getting them inside the 10-yard line.
Notes
- 16 carries is his highest since week 8
- Double-digit fantasy points in PPR in every game this season
Jamaal Williams: 8 carries, 24 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Juwan Johnson: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 38 yards, TD
He was only called on twice this game but he came through both times. The first time was on a deep crossing route for a 15-yard first-down reception. The second was a 23-yard reception in the third quarter for a touchdown where he was able to sneak through zone coverage to get wide open in the end zone.
Notes
- Only has more than three targets in two of his last seven games
Missed Opportunities
- Drew a penalty to convert a third down getting them across midfield
Rashid Shaheed: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 36 yards
Coming back after missing multiple games, Shaheed found himself at the top of the remaining available depth chart but didn’t get too much work as Carr looked to spread it around. Shaheed caught two of his three receptions for 30 yards on the first drive after halftime, taking them down the field on two crucial long downs.
Missed Opportunities
- Deep ball to the end zone but he pulled up early in his route and the ball sailed over his head
Lynn Bowden Jr: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 31 yards
His first catch of the day came on a 17-yard dig route where he made a diving reception to get the Saints into the red zone. Likely the biggest beneficiary to Olave missing this game and could see a corresponding diminish in value once he returns from injury.
Foster Moreau: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 13 yards
Jimmy Graham: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards, TD
The old veteran still has some left in the tank and now has three games in a row with a touchdown. His first reception got the team going with an energetic hit after the catch and his second one was a play-action fake off the 1-yard line end zone fade route for the touchdown.
Keith Kirkwood: 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards, TD
Kirkwood was the next man up for this banged-up WR unit of the Saints. He was able to benefit from the Giants swarming Graham in the end zone to come open to get hit by Carr for the easy seven-yard touchdown reception.
Quarterback/Running Back/Wide Receiver/Tight End/Firefighter/Astronaut/Doctor/Lawyer/Assistant Manager
Taysom Hill: 0/1 passing | 1 carry, 1 yard | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards
The Swiss Army Knife came in after missing last week’s game resuming his usual duties at every position for the Saints. Sometimes the Taysom Hill lottery hits, and sometimes it comes up empty. It was the 33-year-old’s return to football after missing last week’s game and is possible the Saints did not ask too much with also having Graham and Johnson to fall back on to go with Carr having one of his more efficient outings as a passer.