Do the Big Blue View contributors believe the 1-3 New York Giants can keep the home-standing 0-4 New Orleans Saints winless on Sunday? Check out our Week 5 NFL staff picks to find out.
Chris Pflum
Can the Giants make it two in a row? It’s something they haven’t done since November 26th and December 14th, 2023. The defense seems as though the new pieces are finally starting to settle in, while Dexter Lawrence and Darius Alexander are rounding into form. The big question is, as always, on the offense. Can Dart follow up his debut with another winning effort? Can the Giants open up the passing game with the Saints will surely trying to clamp down on the running game without Malik Nabers on the field?
I’m not going to say that losing Nabers is addition by subtraction — it’s just subtraction. But removing him from the fold could force Dart to learn how to play with all of his weapons and not just lean on one superstar. The hope here is that having to diversify the passing attack ultimately makes the Giants harder to defend. That might be for the future however, and right now I think they have to lean on the defense to keep pressure to run up the score off the offense. This is a good opportunity to do so.
Pick: Giants
Tony DelGenio
This is a game the Giants can win. That doesn’t mean it’s a game they will win. The Saints are not in the Chargers’ league. Still, the Giants had a perfect matchup last week in that their strength (pass rush) lined up against an LAC offensive line missing its three best starters for all or most of the game. The Saints’ OL isn’t great and they are missing a starting guard, so the Giants’ pass rush needs to dominate again. QB Spencer Rattler mostly throws short passes and hasn’t been great on long passes when he does throw. He puts the ball up for grabs a lot. He does have good receivers in Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks, though. If the Giants had a secondary I trusted (or if Shane Bowen disguised his defenses – h/t Rattler) I’d say advantage, Giants. But I don’t trust them. I also don’t trust the Giants’ run defense, and the run is the Saints’ offensive strength with Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller. On defense, the Saints are middling although they have a great linebacker in Demario Davis and a good rookie safety, Jonas Sanker. They also have a good pass rush off the edge, but I think the Giants’ tackles can mostly neutralize it. My big question is, how are the Giants going to score points, in this game and beyond, with Malik Nabers out? Can Jaxson Dart win with his arm if his hamstring limits what he can do with his legs? Depending on the answer, this game could go either way. The Saints were within 2 points of Buffalo midway through the fourth quarter last week; they are better than their 0-4 record. I’ll go with the Giants, but with reservations.
Pick: Giants
David Hartman
The 1-3 Giants head to New Orleans this week where they’re 1.5 point underdogs to a winless Saints team. The Saints stuck around against the Bills in Buffalo last week (no small task) and should be up for this game, which represents a good chance for them to get their first win.
The Giants have something to build on after last week’s big home upset over the Chargers, and first and foremost is the strong play of their rookie QB. But they’ll have to move on without their best player, as Malik Nabers is done for the season. With the Giants about to face a gauntlet of PHI-DEN-PHI in their next three, this is definitely a potential trap game for Big Blue after a gut-wrenching, hard fought, and emotional first win. Can they put everything that happened last week behind them and show up for a winnable road game? I think they found something on both sides of the ball last week, and that they can.
I’m a little concerned about Jaxson Dart’s hamstring and his ability to run, and run often and effectively, which is key to his game.
The Giants have more talent than the Saints and should win this game. Their pass rush should rattle Rattler into some key mistakes and negative plays, and that could be the difference. I’ll take them to make it two in a row, and cross my fingers that Dart is fine.
Pick: Giants by 4
James Hickey
Can one player make a difference?
The answer to that question last week was yes in a positive way. Jaxson Dart gave the team — and the fans — that spark that has them feelings those good vibes that had surround the team in the preseason. And the return of Andrew Thomas should not be overlooked as well.
But this week the question that question is flipped because the Giants best offensive weapon was lost for the season. Just look how at the betting line —the Giants started as favorites and are now in the familiar role of underdogs — against a winless New Orleans team. The Saints have weapons on the offensive side of the ball— with Alvin Kamara in the backfield and wide outs Chris Olave and Brandin Cooks. But they have serious questions at the QB spot — one the Giants were expected to focus on even before Shane Rattler questioned how they operate.
For the rest of the season, the Giants will be a team that wins games because of their defense. It is up to Shane Bowen to continue to be as aggressive as he was against the Chargers. In a must win game for both teams, give me the one that has the best unit— and that is the Giants and their defense.
Pick: Giants 20 Saints 13
Valentine’s View
This is DANGEROUS! I know it. You know. In the space above my selection, each Big Blue View writer has picked the Giants to win on Sunday. Which would mean their first winning streak since 2023. I am about to do the same thing. That confidence should, quite honestly, make everyone nervous.
The loss of Malik Nabers cannot be ignored. It will undoubtedly impact the Giants’ ability to create explosive plays and score points, no matter how Jalin Hyatt or Beaux Collins plays and no matter how well offensive coordinator Mike Kafka calls plays. It also doesn’t help that the Giants are still without Tyrone Tracy. As much excitement as there is about Cam Skattebo, Tracy is better than Devin Singletary and the Giants miss him.
Still, this is a game the Giants can win. It is a game they should win. It is a game they need to win. They play the Philadelphia Eagles twice, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers in the next four weeks. Those teams have a combined 10-3 record. Any wins in that stretch are going to be surprises. I think this is a game the Giants will win.
The way the Giants’ defense played in Week 4, pressuring Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert unmercifully and creating two takeaways, is the way that unit will have to play on a weekly basis for the Giants to be consistently competitive. Against a New Orleans team with a shaky, wounded offensive line Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence and the rest of the defense should feast.
This won’t be easy. I will choose to be optimistic, though, and believe that the Giants will do what they should do on Sunday, regardless of what the silly Las Vegas oddsmakers think.
Pick: Giants
Week 5 staff picks
Staff pick standings
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