New York Giants, New Orleans Saints Resume Rivalry In Week 2
After escaping AT&T Stadium with a win, the New York Giants will have their home opener Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
Anytime the Giants and Saints get together, it’s always worth watching.
Quarterback Eli Manning is a native of New Orleans. His father Archie was drafted by the Saints with the second overall pick of the 1971 NFL Draft and spent the first 12 years of his NFL career behind center for New Orleans.
Last season, the Giants and Saints met Week 7 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The game was an offensive explosion. Manning threw six touchdown passes, three of them to wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., finishing the day with 350 yards.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees one-upped Manning by throwing for 505 yards and seven touchdowns, making his two interceptions a moot point. In the end, Brees won the game (which featured ten ties/lead changes) on the final possession, 52-49.
Brees has a 4-1 advantage lifetime against Eli Manning.
The Giants enter this year’s game as they did last year, with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Last week, the Saints lost an opening day heartbreaker to the Oakland Raiders 35-34 in spite of 423 yards and four touchdowns from Brees.
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Cover32 Saints managing editor Alex Hoegler was asked to offer his perspective on this matchup from the New Orleans side of things.
How do you expect the Saints to respond after losing a game they seemed to have in the bag against the Oakland Raiders?
I expect the Saints to respond by responding the way they usually do. Drew Brees will have another huge game and the defense will probably be awful. He has to win on his own. This team no longer has the championship pedigree. They’ve started 0-2 or worse in three of the last four seasons. They’re not the elite team that’s motivated enough to fight out of an 0-1 start.
The Saints’ secondary did not have a good day against the Raiders. How will they perform against Beckham, Cruz, and Shepard?
Anyone who expects a big day from the Saints’ secondary are kidding themselves. The Saints’ defense has finished in the NFL’s bottom-three in four of the last five seasons. Delvin Breaux was their lone above-average cornerback and now he’s out. The Saints aren’t getting any help from their “lethal” safety tandem of Kenny Vaccaro and Jairus Byrd. Expect the Giants’ receivers to have a field day.
Last season’s game was shootout. Are you expecting the same thing this season?
I actually sense a low-scoring game. There’s no way Eli Manning and Drew Brees are combining for 855 yards and 13 touchdowns. I like the way the Giants played against the Cowboys defensively last week, so I think they’ll have an answer for Brees. Can the Saints do the same? Well…
What is the key matchup that will determine the outcome of the game?
The Saints secondary vs. the Giants receivers.
There has not been an easier secondary for teams to pass on over the last five years. Find me a time when the Saints defense stole a game in which Brees played below-average. I sure as heck can’t find one.
If the defense minimizes the damage, Brees should be able to do his job and win. He’s Mr. Automatic when it comes to 300 yards and multiple touchdowns. Will he get the help is the question.
Who will win?
I originally picked the Saints to win, but I’m going Giants. Both teams have high-powered offenses, but there’s no questioning Big Blue has more talent on the defensive side of the ball. That’ll propel them to a 27-20 victory.
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