The New York Giants and New Orleans Saints combined to score 101 points in their 2015 match-up, a true shootout. Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees shredded the Giants defense for a whopping 505 yards and NFL-record seven touchdowns. Brees’ stat line makes Eli Manning’s look like child’s play, as he “only” threw for 350 yards and six touchdowns. If last year is any indication, each team’s defense will have to step it up this time around. Below, I look at the keys to the Giants vs. Saints rematch.
Secondary Play
Nat Berhe started at safety last week, a mild surprise as most considered rookie Darian Thompson the favorite to start. Berhe performed admirably coming down into the box and laying some big hits on rookie Ezekiel Elliott. Janoris Jenkins also played a big role, shutting down Dez Bryant, who was limited to one catch for eight yards. Jenkins and the rest of the Giants’ deep secondary figure to have their hands full this Sunday. Both Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead eclipsed the 140-yard mark and had three touchdowns between them against the Oakland Raiders. The Giants certainly have the defensive edge over the Saints, who lost top corner Delvin Breaux to a broken fibula in their season opener. To add insult to injury, NOLA lost in soul-crushing fashion to Oakland on a two-point conversion in the final minute.
Penalties
The Giants did an average job in the penalty department on Sunday; four penalties for forty yards. Fortunately, none of those four was as back-breaking as the facemask penalty called against punter Brad Wing against the Saints last year. After returner Marcus Murphy fumbled a punt from Wing, Snead recovered the fumble and was subsequently dragged down by the facemask. Add on fifteen yards to the end of the spot, the Saints move into field goal range, another last minute Giants loss. Let’s not relive that type of game again.
Special Teams
In the Giants’ victory against Dallas, Wing struggled to pin the Cowboys deep in their own territory. On five punts, Wing had three touchbacks and had zero punts land inside the twenty. According to Newsday, head coach Ben McAdoo calls Wing a “sniper and good at downing the ball inside the ten.” While special teams is often unheralded by fans, flipping field position is one of the most underrated parts of the NFL game. Keeping Brees away from Giants territory should be Big Blue’s number one goal. We will also see Josh Brown’s return from a one-game suspension related to his arrest for domestic violence.