Alvin Kamara, Saints Win 3rd Straight, Beat Saquon Barkley, Giants 33-18

The New Orleans Saints earned their third win a row, beating the New York Giants 33-18 on the road Sunday.

Drew Brees continued his hot start to the 2018 NFL season, going 18-of-32 for 217 yards. Alvin Kamara had a big day on the ground, running for 134 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.  

On the other side, Odell Beckham Jr. remains without a receiving touchdown through four games, as he caught seven passes for 60 yards Sunday.

Giants Failing to Maximize Big-Play Ability of Saquon Barkley, OBJ

Simply put, there's no reason an offense that includes Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr. should gain 299 yards against what has been one of the NFL's worst defenses. Barkley ran for 44 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries while catching six passes for 56 yards.

The Giants offense caught fire late in the fourth quarter, but it was too late to make a difference in the game.

Manning has never been somebody to regularly take a lot of risks downfield. Among quarterbacks with at least 1,000 career passes, he's 103rd in yards per attempt (6.99), according to Pro Football Reference.

Many couldn't ignore the fact Manning averaged 6.2 yards per attempt Sunday.

Barkley had 5,038 yards from scrimmage in three years at Penn State, and Beckham reached the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons in the NFL. Yet neither player is fulfilling his potential with the Giants in 2018.

Manning turns 38 in January and is in his 15th year in the NFL. At this point, he's not going to change his approach. It's up to the coaching staff to work around Manning's limitations to ensure Barkley and Beckham aren't being wasted.

Dominant Defense an Encouraging Development for Saints

Through three weeks, the Saints allowed the third-most yards (421.0 per game) and ranked 28th in defensive efficiency, per Football Outsiders.

Some will rightfully point out New Orleans' stingy defense Sunday is in part owed to a sputtering Giants offense. But this is the same team that allowed 417 passing yards and four touchdowns to Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 1 and 246 yards through the air to Tyrod Taylor in Week 2.

Any way you look at it, Sunday's victory represented progress for the Saints. The Giants had a pair of 75-yard scoring drives in the second half after opening the game with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. For long stretches, however, New York struggled to move the ball.

Given how explosive the Saints offense is, New Orleans might only need to have a league-average defense to position itself as a genuine Super Bowl contender. An elite defense would be a luxury when so few teams can keep pace with Brees, Kamara, Michael Thomas and Co. firing on all cylinders.

Giants Need Healthy Defense ASAP

The Giants defense was arguably equally impressive, especially since starters Olivier Vernon and Eli Apple were out injured.

Kamara scored on a four-yard touchdown run to make it a 26-10 game in the fourth quarter. The drive ate 6:39 off the clock after after a worn-down Giants defense had already done so much to keep the team in the game. It was little surprise when Kamara broke free for a 49-yard touchdown run with 2:06 left in the game.

Having a healthy Vernon and Apple almost certainly wouldn't have overturned the result for the Giants, though they certainly would've helped.

The Giants' bye comes in Week 9. Before then, New York plays the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta falcons and Washington Redskins. Those teams sit sixth, 19th, 12th and 10th in offensive efficiency, per Football Outsiders.

On paper, the Giants should have the pieces to keep pace with any one of those four in a proverbial track meet. New York's first four games provide little reason to think that would prove true.

In order for the team to get back to .500 after starting 1-3, the defense needs to replicate Sunday's performance, and getting Vernon and Apple back would make that job easier.

What's Next?

The Saints head back home to play the Washington Redskins on Oct. 8 before their bye in Week 6. The Giants stay in the NFC South for their next game when they take on the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte on Oct. 7.