Five things to look for in Giants at Saints

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The Saints are looking to get back to .500 for the first time since the season opener. That would be a pretty big hole to climb out of considering where they started. By the way how do you like the photo I picked for this post? Straight out of 1986, one of the first seasons I really remember as a 6 year old. The Saints would blow a 17-0 lead in that game before the Giants reeled off 20 unanswered to win 20-17. What an apt introduction into Saints football. The Giants lead the all time series 15-12 which is surprising considering they have a much richer history than the Saints. The Saints are 3-1 against the Giants in the Sean Payton era, though, with the one Giants win coming in 2012 when Payton was suspended. So Payton himself is 3-0 as a head coach against the Giants. In those three games the Saints have averaged 42.3 points per game… you think Payton knows how to put up points on this Coughlin defense? Here are five things I’m looking for:

1. No Ellerbe or Hawthorne most likely, what gives?

This is a pretty big concern. I’m assuming Ramon Humber will benefit from a significant amount of playing time with the two veterans out. Don’t forget Jo-Lonn Dunbar just signed too and could play some as a reserve. The only other linebacker on the roster that isn’t already playing is Michael Mauti, and he’s really reserved for special teams so I could see Dunbar leap frogging him on the depth chart. Obviously if Ellerbe can get healthy enough to play this game that makes a big difference, but I think we should see a notable increase in snaps for Humber no matter what. He’s gotten this opportunity in the past and played pretty well when given the opportunity. Hopefully we’ll see more of that.

2. Turnover binge Eli? 

The media narrative this week has been how quickly Eli Manning is getting the ball out which has prevented him from really getting sacked this year. He’s off to a good start this season and performing similarly to last year. He’s only been sacked 9 times in 7 games and thrown 4 interceptions… so he’s been getting the ball out fast and done a decent job protecting the football. Eli is always good for some turnover binges when things go wrong, though. In those aforementioned 3 games against Sean Payton, the Saints have had 3 interceptions and 4 sacks. So they’re blowing the Giants out but it’s been more about the offense blitzing the Giants’s defense than Eli imploding. Unfortunately I don’t know if this Saints offense has it in then to put up 40 points on anyone. So a turnover binge might be the most realistic path to success. A couple sacks and a pick would help, but they might need a little more.

3. Can a Saints receiver finally have a monster game?

Willie Snead has had a couple good games this year but I’m still waiting for a monster breakout performance from a Saints wide receiver. We finally saw Ben Watson do this against the Falcons, but I want to see Cooks, Colston, Coleman or Snead rip a 150 type game. The Giants’ pass defense is bad, ranked 30th, and their best DB Prince Amukamara is out. If the Saints are ever going to torch someone this would be the team.

4. The Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Delvin Breaux matchup.

This doesn’t need much build up, it speaks for itself. How Breaux has stacked up against every receiver he’s faced has been impressive when he’s not falling down. And as impressive as his performance was against Julio Jones, this test might be just as tough. Beckham is as explosive and productive as it gets in the NFL right now. If Breaux can have another huge performance, he really needs to start to get talked about in a real way league wide.

5. The crowd

Curious to see if the Dome is back into these games. At 3-4, the playoff picture is relevant again. With this weak of a schedule, a win and a 4-4 record puts the Saints clearly in the mix for a wild card berth. I would like to see recognition of this in the crowd. Are they still down on the team for a 3-4 record, or do they get behind the Saints and make a difference in the game giving the team a boost?

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