New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints
Final Score: Saints 26, Giants 14
Writer: Kevan Downs (kdsportsnet on Instagram)
A game of missed opportunities for the Giants. They started off strong in the first half, scoring touchdowns on each of their first two drives. Those would be the last points they would put on the board after committing multiple second-half turnovers. After a strong finish to the first half and putting up 13 in the second quarter, the Saints’ offense would stall and go on to score only three more points, with another seven coming from the defense from a Cam Skattebo fumble being returned for a touchdown.
Three Up
- Cam Skattebo — The clear bell cow in New York for at the very least until Tyrone Tracy Jr. is back in the mix. Skattebo is involved in every aspect of the offense, receiving most of the touches out of the backfield, while being targeted seven times in the game.
- Theo Johnson — Looking like a favorite target for Jaxson Dart, Johnson’s number has been called multiple times in the last two weeks in the red zone and found the end zone twice in the game.
- Chris Olave — Four out of five weeks to start the year, Olave has seen double-digit targets. They may not be the highest quality of targets he’s ever seen, but should give him a solid weekly floor.
Three Down
- Darius Slayton — Slayton had the opportunity to make a case to receive an increase in target share following the injury to Malik Nabers. He had a costly fumble inside of the 2-minute warning which gave the Saints an opportunity to score before the end of the first half. He was only targeted once after the fumble.
- Saints ballcarriers — Kendre Miller is more involved every week and Taysom Hill is back healthy. The Saints had several designed plays for Hill and he could be more active in the offense moving forward. He has historically seen plays called up for him in the red zone and near the goal line, so he could take some of those opportunities away from Miller and Alvin Kamara.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Jaxson Dart: 26/40, 202 Yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs | 7 Carries, 55 Yards
Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo are a great match for each other. Both carry the ball with no fear and Dart is more than willing to take a hit if it means getting a first down. Much to the pleasure of the Giants’ coaching staff, however, he was much more willing to slide Sunday to avoid the hit when necessary. Dart and the offense saw success early, stacking positive plays in the short passing game, and sustaining drives, the first two resulting in touchdowns to Theo Johnson. From there, they were stacking mistakes, including three Dart turnovers (one fumble and two interceptions).
Notes
- Dart spreads the ball around to his receiving options. None of the weapons at his disposal will be able to fill the void left from the Malik Nabers injury alone, so those targets will be dispersed.
- The short and intermediate passing game found success. Wan’Dale Robinson, Daniel Bellinger, Johnson, and Skattebo were all active on these types of routes.
- Dart struggled to connect on deep passes. He targeted Darius Slayton and Jaylin Hyatt multiple times down the field and none were hauled in.
- Dart is very willing to keep it himself and run for the first down. His rushing ability will prop up his weekly floor.
Missed Opportunities
- A third-and-1 that the Giants had the defense selling out to stop Skattebo and the run, Skattebo flipped it back to Dart on the flea flicker and had Slayton open with a couple steps on the DB. Dart underthrew it, allowing the DB to recover and get the incompletion.
Running Back
Cam Skattebo: 15 Carries, 59 Yards | 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 45 Yards
Cam Skattebo is the best offensive weapon the Giants have this season. His physical style wears down the defense and keeps them honest on third- and fourth-and-short situations. Several times, the Saints sold out to defend the run only for it to be a play-action pass, giving Dart opportunities to find his receivers in 1-on-1 coverage.
Notes
- Skattebo rarely has negative plays. These 3-, 4- and 5-yard carries he generates will help the offense sustain drives by avoiding third-and-long scenarios. He gets involved in the passing game, often as the dump-off option and in the screen game.
Missed Opportunities
- A 7-minute drive came to an end following a fumble by Skattebo, resulting in a recovery and return for a touchdown for the Saints’ defense.
Devin Singletary: 6 Carries, 20 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Not a threat to Skattebo’s touches and will receive even fewer once Tyrone Tracy Jr. is back.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Theo Johnson: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 33 Yards, 2 TDs
Second week in a row the Giants got Theo Johnson involved in the red-zone offense. He may not see an overwhelming amount of targets, but so far, has made the most of them.
Notes
- Utilized again for a touchdown on the goal line. The defense was expecting a Skattebo run and Johnson slipped through the defense and was wide open for the completion.
- On the second drive, Johnson found himself 1-on-1 on the outside, matched up with the smaller Kool-Aid McKinstry and Dart was able to connect with him on the slant for a touchdown.
Daniel Bellinger: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 52 Yards
Early on it seemed Daniel Bellinger might be the more heavily utilized tight end with three receptions on the first two drives. Bellinger was more active on plays between the 20s, with Johnson seeing more targets in the red zone. Both tight ends were on the field a lot and have a chance to absorb some of the vacated Nabers targets.
Missed Opportunities
- Was tackled on the 1-yard line after an 18-yard completion on a route where he lined up as the fullback in the I formation. It seems the Giants will try to keep both tight ends involved in the offense as the play-action pass game was working with the defense expecting runs with Skattebo.
Wan’Dale Robinson: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 30 Yards | 1 Carry, 2 Yards
Wan’Dale Robinson is still utilized in the quick passing game, but with Johnson and Bellinger receiving similar targets, Robinson might be tough to trust to get back to the 10-target mark he saw early in the season. Despite his route running ability, the Giants look to trust their bigger playmakers in the red zone
Darius Slayton: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 31 Yards
An incompletion caused by Slayton and Dart not being on the same page, followed by a fumble on his next target, left Slayton seemingly in the doghouse for the rest of the game. He was only targeted once more after his fumble.
Notes
- Slayton should still get opportunities for big plays as he and Hyatt are the only deep threats, outside receivers in the offense, but Dart struggled to connect deep. His role moving forward looks to be inconsistent week to week
Missed Opportunities
- Dart missed him deep on a flea flicker that would have been a touchdown if he hit him even close to in stride. Slayton had to wait for it to come to him giving the defensive back a chance to recover and break up the play.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Spencer Rattler: 21/31, 225 Yards, 1 TD | 6 Carries, 21 Yards
Rattler did what he had to in order to minimize the impact of this Giants pass rush. He was comfortable leaving the pocket and rolling out to buy time and find a receiver down the field. He continues to build chemistry with Chris Olave, connecting for three first downs in the game, and finally found Rashid Shaheed and his big-play potential for an 87-yard touchdown
Notes
- Early-down incompletions and short runs stalled drives for the Saints, but the coaching staff showed confidence in their second year quarterback. Late in the game, facing a fourth-and-5, the Saints kept the offense out on the field and Rattler found Shaheed for a first down. This allowed them to eat more clock and deny the Giants opportunity for a late game comeback attempt.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 8 Carries, 27 yards | 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 28 Yards
Alvin Kamara is still the most heavily used player in the offense despite Kendre Miller starting to see an increase in touches. More of an even split in rushes (Kamara eight, Miller 10), but Kamara still sees more work in the passing game.
Notes
- Taysom Hill is back and can definitely limit the upside of other Saints ballcarriers with his historical red-zone and goal-line usage.
- Although Miller outrushed Kamara, most of Miller’s rushes came in the second half once the Saints had a lead. Considering the 1-4 start to the season, the Saints likely won’t be seeing that situation much throughout the year, giving Kamara more chances in the passing game where he had six targets to Miller’s one in this game
Missed Opportunities
- The two targets that were not completed were off the hands of Kamara.
Kendre Miller: 10 Carries, 41 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 yards
Kendre Miller continues to see an increased role in the offense, but is definitely still the 1B to Kamara. He is also not featured in the passing game.
Notes
- Eight of 11 touches coming in the second half. The box score alone might make the split with Miller and Kamara look closer than it actually is, but much of Miller’s usage came once the team had a lead.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Rasheed Shaheed: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 114 Yards, 1 TD
Rattler was able to take advantage of Rasheed Shaheed‘s speed and the two connected for an 87-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive. While he only had five targets, the big-play potential is still there and gives Shaheed a high weekly upside, albeit low floor.
Chris Olave: 11 Targets, 7 Receptions, 59 Yards
The safest player in the Saints’ offense, Olave, once again, found himself getting double-digit targets, and continuing to be a reliable safety net for Rattler in the passing game.
Notes
- When plays broke down, Rattler seemed to most often look Olave’s way. He was targeted multiple times on third down during the game.
- The inefficient red-zone offense will leave Olave limited in his potential for touchdown receptions, but his target share will provide him a weekly floor worth starting.
Missed Opportunities
- Twice on the same drive, Olave’s defender was called for defensive pass interference, including one deep ball, denying Olave the chance to turns those into receptions.