Giants vs. Saints: 5 Reasons This Is a Must-Win for the New York Giants

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The New York Giants take on the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football this weekend in what is the toughest road test of the season for the Giants.

The Saints' home crowd is one of the best in the NFL, and when they host a prime time game they get even more amped up.

As good as the Giants have typically been on the road—especially against good teams—nobody is giving them much chance to win.

Here are five reasons this is a must-win for the Giants.

Dallas Won on Thanksgiving

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After Dallas came from behind to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired against the Miami Dolphins, they took a half-game lead in the division.

The Giants have to win to keep up with the Cowboys as next week gets even tougher for the Giants, and maybe even easier for the Cowboys as they play the Cardinals.

If the Giants don't win, they will likely be two games back by Week 14 with the Packers coming to town next weekend.

The Giants Need to Restore Faith in Fans

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After losing their first two games of the second half of the season, Giants fans are beginning to sing familiar tunes. We've been down this road far too often—starting a season off strong then tumbling down the stretch.

Fans are letting the team hear it—especially during and after a home loss to the Eagles, who were with a backup quarterback and without a top receiver.

Brandon Jacobs appeared on WFAN radio this week expressing his distaste with the fans. I got news for Jacobs, you don't want the fans to boo? Don't give them a reason.

Beating the Saints will restore the faith in this team that has been lost over the previous two weeks.

Tom Coughlin's Job Is on the Line

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We've known this all season long—as soon as things started to go south, people would begin to question whether or not Tom Coughlin would keep his job.

After last week's loss, the Coughlin job watch has officially started. He needs a signature win to keep the fans and the front office from thinking about his future.

NFC Playoff Implications

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The consensus from many seems to be that the Saints will win the NFC South. I tend to agree with them but the Falcons are just a game behind, so you never know what might happen.

Any chance the Giants have to get the head-to-head tiebreaker over an NFC team has to be taken advantage of.

I guarantee the Saints are thinking the same.

Avoid Season-Changing Losing Streak

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The NFL is as much about confidence as it is about talent, so the Giants can ill afford to lose three games in a row.

Should they do that, it would break their confidence moving forward up to and beyond the Packers game next weekend.

If they can end their losing streak and do it against one of the best home teams in the NFL, it would not only avoid that loss in confidence, but also provide a spark and turn their season in the right direction.