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Giants (5-0) vs New
Orleans (4-0)
Both teams are undefeated and this looks
to be a real good matchup. The Saints are coming off their bye week and their
previous games were four wins against Detroit (45-27), Philadelphia (48-22), Buffalo
(27-7), and the Jets (24-10).
Last week the Giants had an easy time at home
against the Raiders. Eli Manning threw only 10 passes in the slightly less than
two quarters he played and the Giants were up 31-7 at the half. David Carr took
over and the final score was 44-7. Saints.
The Saints ended their 2008 season with a total
of 17 players on injured reserve. Even with that the team finished with an 8-8
record and five of those eight losses came in games that were decided by three
points or less. This year head coach Sean Payton has them off to an impressive
4-0 start, the last game played against a 3-0 Jets team, and they've had a full
bye week to contemplate their matchup with the Giants. Saints
Offense.
As far as points go, the Saints
are the best, averaging 36 points a game and they are second in the league with
166.3 rushing yards a game. The opposition has gotten to quarterback Drew Brees
for a sack just four times and he has thrown only two interceptions. Brees spreads
the ball around and five different receivers have touchdowns. Four of them have
at least 14 catches including Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, and Reggie Bush.
Meanwhile running backs Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush have combined
for 589 yards and 5 touchdowns. That gives them the second best rushing attack
in the NFL at 166.2 yards per game. Last year that number was 99.63 and the team
was ranked 28th in rushing. Saints
Defense.
The defense has been holding this
team back the past two years. The Saints brought in a new defensive coordinator
for 2009 and Gregg Williams defense
is now ranked 7th compared to their rankings of 26th
and 23rd the seasons prior. They blitz and bring pressure on about half of the
snaps and lead the NFL with 13 take aways, 10 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles.
Five of them were by safety Darren Sharper, a 33 year-old free agent picked up
in the offseason. This defense is ranked 7th
against the run and 11th against the pass. Jeremy
Shockey.
Jeremy Shockey was a big fan favorite
in the first part of his career in the NFL with the Giants and this is the first
time he will be playing against the team that gave him his start. In Shockey's
six years with the Giants he reached the Pro Bowl four times. Now it's the New
Orleans fans who cheer Shockey on and they certainly have reason to. He
leads the Saints in receptions with 18, has
2 of the team’s 9 receiving touchdowns and his receptions add up to 162 yards. Giants
Offense.
Last week Eli Manning played in
the first five series and completed 8 of 10 passes for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns
playing less than one half the game. The week before he went 20 of 34, throwing
for 292 yards and 3 touchdowns before leaving early in the fourth quarter. Steve
Smith has been a great target for Eli this season. He leads the league in both
receptions (37) and receiving yards (481). Mario Manningham with 20 catches, 342
yards, and 3 touchdowns stretches the field vertically and has to be watched by
the opposition. Brandon Jacobs has gained 355 yards on 100 carries, and Ahmad
Bradshaw has 375 rushing yards averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Overall the Giants
have the second-best offense in the league. Giants
Defense.
They are the best in the NFL. They
came up with six sacks against the Raiders last week and five in their previous
game against the Chiefs. The game before that they held Tampa Bay to zero points.
They have had some weak competition since facing the Cowboys and have sharpened
their game which has helped their defensive rankings. They are top in the league
in total yards per game (210.4), passing yards per game (104.8), passing yards
per play (4.16), and third-down conversions (14-of-58 for 24.1 percent). This
week though they play the number 3 rated offense in the league. Cornerback Corey
Webster may get a nice chance to show off his skills, playing against a team that's
confident with it's passing game. Giant
Concerns.
Aside from the fact that New Orleans
can move the ball in the air or on the ground as they choose, mostly it's the
injuries. Out for this game are cornerback Aaron Ross (hamstring), defensive lineman
Chris Canty (calf) and linebacker Michael Boley (knee). Eli Manning has that plantar
fasciitis problem to deal with and that could wear on him playing a full game
against a frisky Saints defense. A few others are also playing with various aches
and pains - running back Ahmad Bradshaw (ankle/foot), tight end Kevin Boss (ankle),
safety C.C. Brown (shoulder), linebacker Bryan Kehl (finger), guard Rich Seubert
(shoulder) and running back Danny Ware (elbow). Former
Giants.
They include head coach Sean Payton,
(former Giants offensive coordinator), TE Jeremy Shockey, TE Dan Campbell, TE
Darnell Dinkins and kicker John Carney. From
thirty two to sixteen to nine to seven to five.
That number hasn't changed since last week. There are still five undefeated teams
in the NFL. With five wins you have the Colts and Broncos in the AFC and in the
NFC it's the Giants, Vikings, and the Saints with 4 wins. Carolina and Cleveland
won for the first time last week so now the number of teams that have not yet
won a game stands at 4. It's the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City in the AFC and
Tampa Bay and St. Louis in the NFC all with 5 losses. None of them are favored
to win their games. NFC
East.
Sunday at 1PM, at the same time the Giants are playing their
game, Washington (2-3) is hosting Kansas City (0-5). Philadelphia (3-1) is playing
at Oakland (1-4) later on at 4PM. Dallas (3-2) is on a bye week getting ready
to host Atlanta the following week. The Redskins and Eagles are favored to win
their games. The Giants are not. 
Check
out.
The Team
Giants Store, and see some of the really unique items we put together.
There are some items you certainly haven't seen elsewhere, and each sale helps
out our site. Notes.
Giants Eli Manning, unlike Archie or Peyton,
has never played a game in the Superdome. Giants
have scored on their opening possession in all five games this season. Giants
running back Danny Ware dislocated his left elbow on the opening kickoff of the
season.
He participated fully in practice for the first time this week and
may play. Giants had six sacks against
Oakland last week. Saints haven't trailed
in a game all season. Saints Drew Brees
is 2-0 against the Giants.
He was sacked just 13 times in the 16 games he played
last year.
He threw 9 touchdown passes in the first two games. None in the
last two games. Saints Darren Sharper
has four career interceptions against Eli Manning
He ranks 2nd in NFL history
with 10 career interceptions returned for touchdowns.
He ranks 9th in NFL
history with 59 career picks -- more than any active player. Saints
have lost their games the week after the bye the past three seasons.
Next
Games
Oct.
25 Arizona at Giants at 8:20PM.
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