Tag: Giants

8 takeaways from the Saints’ dominant 24-6 win over Giants

8 takeaways from the New Orleans Saints’ 24-6 win over New York Giants

What did we learn about the New Orleans Saints on Sunday? They handled the New York Giants with ease in their 24-6 blowout win, with the offense and defense each doing its part to seal a victory.

Here are our notes and observations after Week 15’s big win:

Saints spread the ball around to combat Chris Olave’s absence

With Chris Olave out, 10 different Saints receivers caught a pass. The committee approach allowed the offense to function without their star:

When your stars go down, it’s typically a group effort to replace them. The New Orleans Saints were missing Chris Olave and Michael Thomas, and Derek Carr surprisingly connected with 10 different receivers on Sunday. Alvin Kamara leading the team in receptions and yards was expected but the tight ends were more involved this week. All three tight ends caught at least two passes, and Juwan Johnson scored his first touchdown this season.

Thomas is on injured reserve and has missed the past four games, so his absence is feels less impactful. When you pair it with Olave’s absence, the hole feels deeper. Spreading the ball allowed them to dig out of the hole. One of the more surprising players who was a factor was Lynn Bowden Jr. He had a few plays designed specifically for him, which feels like something we haven’t seen much of this year.

Want an example of how well Carr spread the ball around? Rashid Shaheed returned from injury this week, and his contributions haven’t been mentioned in this article. It’s not an indictment of him, rather a testament of how well everyone else stepped up.

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Studs and Duds from Saints’ 24-6 win over the Giants

Who were the studs and and what were the duds from the New Orleans Saints’ 24-6 win over the New York Giants

The New Orleans Saints (7-7) dismantled the New York Giants (5-9) on Sunday, and it was largely thanks to the efforts of some veterans who rose to the occasion. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was close to an ideal game in Dennis Allen’s vision for this team.

Who made a difference on Sunday afternoon — for good or bad? Who stood out for positive and negative reasons? Let’s break down this week’s Studs and Duds:

International Saints fans say Caesars Superdome security defaced their flag at Giants game

A Saints fan visiting from the United Kingdom says a member of the Caesars Superdome security team defaced their flag at Sunday’s Giants game:

You hate to see this. A British New Orleans Saints fan traveled all the way from the United Kingdom to support their favorite team and visit the Crescent City, only for an ugly run-in with the Caesars Superdome security team spoiling the experience.

As told by the Dome Patrol UK social media page, this fan was flying a large flag modeled after the UK’s Union Jack in black and gold, emblazoned with “Who Dat” and “UK Saints” as well as the team logo. They displayed the flag from the upper level railing at last week’s game with the Carolina Panthers without issue, and brought it back for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Except this time, they say, a member of the security team confiscated the flag and then defaced it by slashing it apart down the middle.

That’s excessive. “Conduct that results in damage to the stadium or other personal property,” is a punishable offense per the Saints’ established Fan Code of Conduct, as are offensive language and obscene gestures towards someone concerning their national origin. But it’s fine for someone’s personal property — representing their nationality, to boot — to be taken away and destroyed by stadium staff? Come on.

It’s an awful look for the Saints as an organization after the team traveled overseas for a game in London just last year. This incident falls on the heels of an expanded slate of international games as the NFL looks to reach foreign markets and win over fans outside America.

Sure, it is a large flag, and it’s possible it may have been limiting other fans’ viewing of the field. But if that’s the case then Superdome security shouldn’t have let the flag be brought inside the building in the first place, much less twice. Confiscating it with a warning would have been one thing. Taking an extra step to deface it and insult fans who spent thousands of dollars to travel so far to support the team is just mean-spirited. The Saints need to make this right.

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WATCH: Dennis Allen addresses the Saints locker room after Week 15 Giants win

WATCH: Dennis Allen addresses the Saints locker room after Week 15 win over the Giants

Dennis Allen had a bit of a pep in his step after taking down the New York Giants on Sunday. The New Orleans Saints head coach addressed his victorious locker room in the minutes after the final whistle, expressing his appreciation for the total team win — while keeping focus on what’s next.

The season isn’t over. All three games left on the regular season schedule are critically important as the Saints compete for the NFC South title. But it’s worth taking time to celebrate success.

Allen turned the podium over to team captain Demario Davis, who emphasized the importance of preparing for Thursday night’s game with the Los Angeles Rams. It’s never easy to play on a short week, much less flying cross-country to do so, knowing a playoff team is up next. But that’s the challenge. It’s the assignment. And the Saints are doing everything they can to be ready for it.

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What went right, what went wrong in Saints’ Week 15 win over the Giants

What went right and what went wrong in the New Orleans Saints’ Week 15 win over the New York Giants; where do they go from here?

Whew — that was a fun one. The New Orleans Saints (7-7) took care of business against the New York Giants (5-9), and then some. The Saints won by a margin of 24-6 for their second lopsided victory in as many weeks. It wasn’t a perfect game, but it was awfully close.

How did we get here? Let’s break it down by asking and answering three questions:

  • What went right?
  • What went wrong?
  • And what’s the bottom line?

Stout defense, Derek Carr’s best game with Saints knocks down the Giants

A stout defense and Derek Carr’s best game in a Saints uniform combined to knock down the Giants:

This is what New Orleans Saints games are supposed to look like. A combination of a stout defense and Derek Carr’s best game in a black and gold uniform knocked down the New York Giants on Sunday by a margin of 24-6. This is their vision for a victory. It’s why they pursued Carr and retained Dennis Allen as head coach to cultivate an elite defense. And on Sunday that vision became reality.

New York gained just 60 rushing yards as a team with star running back Saquon Barkley limited to 14 yards on 9 carries; rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito is known for his rushing ability but he was contained to 36 yards on 4 attempts, actually losing more yards (57) to 7 sacks than he gained as a runner.

And DeVito didn’t have many answers for the ferocious Saints defense. New Orleans pressured him early and often on his 34 pass attempts. Five different defenders hit him at different points through the game, with veteran defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon stepping up in particular. Kpasagnon finished the day with 3 sacks and 4 quarterback hits, plus 6 tackles (3 solo, 3 tackles for loss). Cornerbacks Isaac Yiadom and Paulson Adebo combined for 4 pass breakups.

Let’s talk about Carr. He’s earned a lot of criticism this season for poor play, but he did his job well on Sunday. Carr completed 23 of 28 passes (82.1%) for 218 yards, throwing 3 touchdown passes for the first time in a Saints uniform. He didn’t turn the ball over, he navigated pressure well, and he spread the ball around efficiently. 10 different players caught a pass in this game, and 7 of them caught multiple receptions from Carr. It was really impressive to see with Chris Olave out of the lineup.

So where do they go next? The Saints must take their show on the road and visit the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night before flying cross-country for another road game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that, the regular season finale at home against the Atlanta Falcons. New Orleans doesn’t control its own destiny, but positive games like this one are going to be big as they go down the stretch.

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WATCH: Jimmy Graham finds the end zone for second straight week

WATCH: Jimmy Graham finds the end zone for second straight week

The New Orleans Saints had the offense rolling against the New York Giants in their Week 15 matchup. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Derek Carr found Jimmy Graham in the end zone for a one-yard touchdown.

That was Graham’s second straight game with a touchdown, as the 37-year-old veteran has emerged as a serious red zone threat. Graham is up to six receptions on the season, with four of them ending in scores.

After spending weeks trying to find things that worked in the red zone, ole reliable peeked in and the answer turned out to be the same one that Drew Brees used in the early 2010s. Graham is limited to a smaller role, because of his age, but should certainly stick around in the game plan.

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WATCH: Derek Carr throws first TD pass to Juwan Johnson in Week 15

WATCH: Derek Carr throws first touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson in Week 15

The New Orleans Saints took on the New York Giants in Week 15 of the NFL season on Sunday afternoon. During the third quarter, Derek Carr connected with Juwan Johnson for a 23-yard touchdown pass. It was the first time Carr found Johnson for a score this season.

There was some hype building around Johnson after he broke out last season, catching seven touchdowns from Andy Dalton and scoring four times the year before, but the consistency just hasn’t been there. The former Penn State and Oregon wide receiver-turned-tight end has only eclipsed 20 yards in three games this season. His first and only other receiving touchdown this season came from Taysom Hill.

As the Saints continued to try to get the offense into a rhythm, a positive step this week, Johnson will need to continue to emerge. The top offenses in the NFL have a reliable tight end and the Saints have been missing that factor.

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Tommy DeVito clears concussion protocol, returns for Saints vs. Giants

Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito cleared concussion protocol to return to action against the Saints after hitting his head hard on the turf:

There haven’t been many stories bigger in the last week’s NFL news cycle than Tommy DeVito, the New York Giants rookie quarterback who endeared himself quickly to fans during what looked like a lost season.

So it’s understandable that many were waiting with bated breath when DeVito hit his head hard on the turf and left Sunday’s game with the New Orleans Saints to enter concussion protocol. DeVito scrambled and slid to the ground but was hit by Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom at the top of his slide; it was a clean hit by Yiadom, who was not fouled, but the whiplash from it sent DeVito’s head into the turf for what looked like a painful ricochet.

DeVito exited the game and headed to the locker room before halftime for further evaluation by the league’s independent neurological examiner. Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor stepped in to close out that end-of-half drive and returned to handle the Giants’ next possession after the halftime break, going 2-for-4 for just 13 yards.

But DeVito cleared protocol and returned in the third quarter. He’ll need to make some plays with his Giants facing a manageable deficit, but the Saints defense is already firing on all cylinders with 4 sacks for a loss of 35 yards against the rookie standout.

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