Giants vs. Saints: New Orleans Grades, Notes and Quotes
The New Orleans Saints pulled their record to an even 4-4 on Sunday afternoon, outscoring the New York Giants, 52-49, in a wildly entertaining contest that won’t soon be forgotten.
After starting 0-3, New Orleans has now won three straight and four of its last five.
This Saints victory was profoundly different from the others, however. Both offenses delivered phenomenal performances and combined to ring up 101 points and over 1,000 yards.
Kai Forbath nailed a 50-yard field goal as time expired to give New Orleans the win. The kick was Forbath’s first field-goal attempt in a Saints uniform, and remarkably, it was also the first field-goal attempt of the contest.
The two quarterbacks, Drew Brees and Eli Manning, put on an air show for the rowdy crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, combining for an astounding 13 passing touchdowns and 840 yards through the air.
After the Saints offense started out with a three-and-out, the Giants (4-4) struck first with a Manning-to-Odell Beckham, Jr. touchdown pass on a pick play. The scoring play marked the first of three touchdown receptions for Beckham, who showcased his top-end receiving skills in front of his hometown crowd.
New Orleans didn’t waste any time answering back, however, as Brees connected with Willie Snead on a deep ball off a flea-flicker to tie things up on the Saints’ ensuing possession.
The shootout was then on in New Orleans, as both offenses put the pedal to the metal for the remainder of the half.
Brees fired touchdown passes to Brandin Cooks, Marques Colston and Snead again, while Manning connected for scores with Shane Vereen and then Beckham for a second time.
New Orleans led 28-21 at the half, but more fireworks were in store for the fans in the Superdome.
The second half saw much of the same, as both offenses continued to operate at an extremely high level.
New Orleans pulled ahead, 42-28, on Brees’ touchdown toss to Watson, but the Giants came roaring back and scored 21 straight points.
New York took the lead on Trumaine McBride’s 63-yard touchdown scamper, after the Giants cornerback plucked a Snead fumble from midair and raced to pay dirt.
The Saints tied things up on a C.J. Spiller touchdown reception with 36 seconds left in the game. After a New Orleans defensive stand and a huge punt return from Marcus Murphy, a facemask penalty on Giants punter Brad Wing set the Saints up for the winning kick.
Continue reading for a closer look at the Saints' thrilling Week 8 victory.
Grades
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| QB | A |
| RB | B+ |
| WR/TE | A |
| OL | A |
| DL | C- |
| LB | C |
| DB | D |
| Special Teams | A- |
| Coaching | B+ |
Offense
The Saints offense obviously did a lot right on Sunday, and it all began with the man under center.
Operating mostly from the no-huddle, Brees was stellar, hitting on 40-of-50 passes for 511 yards. He tied an NFL single-game record with seven touchdown passes, and he made one pinpoint throw after another, often into tight spaces.
The New Orleans signal-caller did have one blunder in the form of an interception that was thrown deep in Giants territory, but the Saints forced a stop on the ensuing Giants possession, thus preventing the error from becoming overly costly.
All-in-all, it was a stellar day for the future Hall of Fame quarterback, as he distributed the ball to nine different receivers, four of whom caught seven or more balls.
His favorite target, once again, was tight end Benjamin Watson. The 12-year veteran continued his recent run of Pro-Bowl-worthy production, as he snagged nine receptions for 147 yards and a score.
Also outstanding were wide receivers Marques Colston, Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead, who combined for 21 catches, 276 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
The Saints offensive line did an exceptional job in pass protection, as Brees was only hit three times in 50 drop-backs, and he was never sacked.
With the passing game in high gear, New Orleans didn’t need much of a running game in the first half to rack up points. The Saints turned it up a notch later in the game, though, and they averaged 5.1 yards per carry during the second half.
Mark Ingram got the tough yards on the ground and finished with 80 yards on 16 carries, but the Saints backfield suffered a serious setback in the form of an injury to Khiry Robinson. The New Orleans running back was carted off the field in the second quarter with an apparent lower leg injury.
With 614 yards, 35 first downs and 52 points scored, it was a sensational performance from the Saints offense, and as it turned out, they needed every bit of it in order to emerge with a victory.
Defense
Sunday afternoon in the Superdome was a rough time and place to be a defensive player for either squad, but the Saints still had some positives to take away.
The New Orleans defensive front limited the Giants’ quartet of ball-carriers to 87 rushing yards on the day, and defensive tackle Kevin Williams was in on several key stops.
Rashad Jennings ran for 54 yards on just 10 carries, but like the Saints, the Giants only needed minimal production on the ground in order to reach the end zone frequently.
The Giants passing attack was hitting on all cylinders, as Manning picked apart the Saints secondary for 30 completions, 350 yards and six touchdowns. New Orleans applied decent pressure, at times, and rang up three sacks, but Manning got the ball out quickly on most occasions.
Beckham did most of the damage for the Giants, hauling in eight receptions for 130 yards and three scores. Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux followed the 2014 Pro Bowler in shadow coverage for much of the game, but Beckham enjoyed the upper hand more often than not in this highly anticipated one-on-one matchup.
As a group, the Saints secondary struggled to overcome an excess of penalties and mistakes. Brandon Browner was the guilty party on most occasions, although costly errors were also made by Breaux and Damian Swann.
Jairus Byrd allowed Beckham to get behind him in the third quarter for a touchdown, but the Saints safety redeemed himself later on in the period with a strip of Will Tye and a subsequent fumble recovery.
The New Orleans defense certainly endured a forgettable day, but with the game on the line, coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit stepped up and made a key stop. With the score tied at 49 and the Giants looking to get in field goal range on their final possession, the Saints forced a quick three-and-out, thereby giving themselves a chance to win in the closing seconds.
Saints Special Teams Come Up Big Down the Stretch
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In a game that was dominated by incredible offensive performances, the New Orleans special teams units ended up making the difference.
With just 20 ticks left on the clock, Marcus Murphy ripped off a 24-yard punt return, and the Saints were suddenly in business at the Giants' 46-yard line.
The aforementioned facemask penalty on Wing cost New York dearly, as the Saints were then moved up 15 yards to the Giants' 32 with just five seconds remaining.
Out came Forbath, who booted the game-winning 50-yard kick at the gun to secure the win.
The Saints special teams weren’t always solid on Sunday, as the Giants had kickoff returns of 46 and 33 yards. But the late-game heroics more than made up for those big runs and proved to be the difference in the game.
Saints Defense Allows Just One 3rd-Down Conversion
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Despite the fact that they gave up 42 points and 28 first downs, the New Orleans defense turned in a first-rate performance in one crucial area Sunday: third-down conversions.
The Giants converted on just one of eight attempts on third down and went 0-for-4 in the second half.
This continues a recent run of exceptional play on third down for the young New Orleans defense. In the past three games, all Saints victories, Ryan’s group has allowed third-down conversions just seven times on 33 attempts.
Getting off the field on third down is vital for any successful defense, and throughout their recent winning streak, these Saints have been outstanding.
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Sean Payton on His Team Winning the Shootout
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Following the game, Payton gave his thoughts on the mental approach taken after getting into a shootout, via the Saints' official site:
"I’m just proud of our guys to end up getting the win. I told them in there (locker room), sometimes you play a game that finishes 10-7, 12-10, 14-13, and I remember Bill (Parcells) used to say, look, conventional wisdom is you did not score enough points, but Bill would think the opposite. He’d say we didn’t hold them to fewer if you didn’t win the game. In a game like that, that is the way that game was being played. Both offenses were going and he (Parcells) would look at that game and say, ‘Hey you have got to score one more,' and I think that is the way it unfolded.
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The Saints could have faded when the Giants erased a 14-point deficit to take a 49-42 lead in the fourth quarter. Instead, Payton’s squad gathered itself and put together another fantastic drive to tie the game.
Successful NFL teams must learn to win games in different ways, and New Orleans certainly proved it could do that on Sunday. After all, it’s very rare for a team to need 50 points just to win, but that’s the type of contest it became.
The Saints were able adjust to the circumstances and pull out a close victory, and in doing so they stayed within striking distance in the NFC South.
Kai Forbath on His Game-Winning Field Goal
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As stated earlier, Forbath’s winning kick was his first field-goal attempt since becoming a Saint on October 21. The 28-year-old gave his thoughts on the kick after the game, via the Saints' official site:
"What else do you want besides a game-winner? That’s what kickers live for. It was funny, because (punter) Thomas (Morstead) actually called it. He said, ‘Look, they are going to punt it, we’re going to get the ball back, and you’re going to hit a game-winner.' Mentally, I was trying to get ready for it before we got the ball.
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Signed by the Saints on October 21, Forbath spent three seasons as the Washington Redskins' kicker but was released in September after just one game.
He's known for his ability to make clutch kicks, and his 50-yard effort on the game’s final play will only strengthen that reputation.
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