Why the Giants Will Get a Wakeup Call in Week 6

By all accounts, 2009 has been a banner season for the New York Giants so far. Pick your cool storyline; Eli Manning flourishing without Plaxico Burress; Steve Smith becoming the new, uh, Steve Smith; Ahmad Bradshaw becoming far more than a second fiddle to Brandon Jacobs (fantasy geeks would call it becoming a true RB2); the absurdly good pass defense; and so on.

Hey, I can't blame any fan or sportsbook bettor for pouncing all over the Giants. They're a formidable team, capable of running the ball down your throat, beating you through the air, and ferocious with their pass rush. They're also quite possibly the deepest defensive team in the NFL.

But that doesn't mean they'll win this week. Sorry, Giants, but you're about to get a major gut punch courtesy of the New Orleans Saints, for the following reasons:

1. The Giants' recent schedule was softer than a bowl of ice cream in a desert. In this bizarre season of multiple horrific teams, the Giants just drew Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland in consecutive weeks. The combined record of those teams: 1-14. If I took the field with my grandpa and baby cousins in Weeks 3-5 against those opponents, my family team would've taken at least two of three. The Giants could very well be mentally soft, complacent, entering Sunday's battle of the undefeateds.

How weird will it be for the Giants "D" to play a team that completes passes and runs for positive gains?

2. The Saints are not just the Greatest Show on Turf v.2. Yeah, I know the Rams wont a title, but my point is that the Saints are no longer just a pocket-passing group of mavericks who win games 45-40 and lose if teams shut down Drew Brees. As these guys showed in beating the Bills and Jets, they can run the ball -- so well that Brees didn't have to throw a TD pass in either of those wins. Pierre Thomas is a load to bring down.

3. Ouchie! Eli's foot hurts. Eli's foot problem didn't give him much trouble in his one half of football against Oakland, but he wasn't exactly forced to test his mobility. Against the Saints, it will be a different story, because...

4. Uh-oh! The Saints can play defense. For the first time in years, New Orleans can defend. They're not the Vikings or the Giants but they can stop the run. More importantly, they can get to the quarterback. They made Trent Edwards' life miserable and pressured Mark Sanchez into coughing up two turnovers for touchdowns. Chances are, co-ordinator Gregg Williams will find a way to penetrate the Giants' line and force Manning to push off on that bad foot to escape.

Expect a close game on Sunday but the Saints have all the advantages (I didn't even mention home field yet). Poolies, NFL betting nuts and fans should expect New Orleans to go 5-0.