Christmas came early for the New Orleans Saints as the New York Giants gift-wrapped them their first victory of the season with five turnovers, a host of bad penalties, drops and other assorted mistakes. Let’s get to the ‘Kudos & Wet Willies,’ which I will do my best not to fumble.
Kudos to …
Daniel Bellinger — It has been a looooong time since the Giants used Bellinger as a weapon in the passing game. Sunday, Bellinger caught four passes for 52 yards, including an 18-yarder on the opening drive that set up a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line the Giants converted into a touchdown. Bellinger also had a 14-yard catch for a first down on that drive.
It has been too long since the Giants remembered how reliable Bellinger can be when they throw him the ball.
Theo Johnson — The second-year tight end is developing a nice red zone connection with quarterback Jaxson Dart. Johnson caught touchdown passes of 1 and 15 yards on the Giants’ first two possessions. Per the CBS broadcast, it marked the first time the Giants had scored touchdowns on their two opening possessions since 2020. Johnson finished with six catches for 33 yards.
Jamie Gillan — A week after inexperienced placekicker Jude McAtamney hit a pair of kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks, which come out to the 35-yard line, Gillan was kicking off. Gillan masterfully placed kickoffs that were returned to the 18 and 9-yard lines. He did hit one for a touchbacks, but that was only brought to the 20-yard line because it bounced in the landing area. Gillan also punted twice, with both being downed inside the 20-yard line.
Darius Alexander — The rookie third-round pick continues to show flashes of development. Sunday, Alexander had a tackle for loss and a pair of quarterback pressures.
Run defense — The Giants sprung leaks in the secondary, they committed several devastating penalties, and they had a serious case of butterfingers that led to three lost fumbles and a few costly drops. Finally, though, one problem they did not have was run defense.
The Giants seemed to play Dexter Lawrence on run downs, with rookie Darius Alexander often subbing in in passing situations. Defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches was also back in the lineup after missing three games with a foot injury.
The Saints gained just 88 yards on 30 rushing attempts (2.9 yards per carry), with a long run of only 11 yards.
Mike Kafka — This loss certainly was not due to the play-calling of the Giants’ offensive coordinator. Kafka used misdirection, wide receiver and tight end screens, a fourth-and-1 run by wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, mixed the run and the pass nicely, called a third-and-2 flea flicker that would have been a touchdown had it been properly executed by Dart. There isn’t much the offensive coordinator can do if his key guys are going to keep dropping the ball or throwing it the wrong colored jerseys.
Kickoff return — The Giants have found something on kickoff return as Tae Banks and Gunner Olszewski combined to average 32.0 yards on five kickoff returns.
As a cornerback, Banks continued to frustrate on Sunday. To his credit, though, Banks looks like the real deal as a kickoff returner. He had a 46-yard return right after the Skattebo fumble that was a placekicker Blake Grupe tackle away from being a touchdown that would have put the Giants back in the game. Banks averaged 37.5 yards on two kickoff returns.
With Banks next to him, the Saints kicked to Olszewski three times. He averaged 28.3 yards with a long return of 34 yards.
Wet Willies to …
Darius Slayton — It was all downhill for the Giants after Slayton’s fumble with 1:13 left in the first half that turned a Giants’ scoring opportunity into a New Orleans field goal that gave the Saints a 16-14 lead they would never relinquish.
Slayton also couldn’t come up with a long Dart pass in the second quarter that would have put the Giants in the New Orleans’ red zone with a 14-13 lead. I’m not sure that play will officially be ruled a drop, but Slayton had both hands on it and it’s a play that needs to be made in order to win a game.
Giants defensive backs (except Jevon Holland and Cor’Dale Flott) — The early, unofficial Pro Football Focus post-game grades show Tyler Nubin, Paulson Adebo, Dru Phillips and Tae Banks as the Giants’ lowest-graded defenders. There is good reason.
- Banks committed a third-down defensive pass interference penalty that negated a Jevon Holland interception in Saints’ territory and led to a New Orleans field goal.
- Phillips gave up four receptions in four targets and committed his sixth penalty of the season, a 19-yard defensive pass interference penalty.
- Nubin was aggressive in run support, but was in coverage on a momentum-changing 87-yard touchdown pass to Rashid Shaheed on which Nubin’s lack of athleticism was badly exposed by the speedy Shaheed.
- Adebo gave up five receptions on seven targets and committed a 16-yard defensive pass interference penalty.
Jermaine Eleumunor — The veteran right tackle had a so-so day blocking, but did not help the cause by committing three penalties. Eleumunor had a holding penalty and two false starts.
Kwillies to …
Jaxson Dart — The rookie quarterback had, to be honest, a rookie quarterback kind of day. He looked awesome the first two times the Giants had the ball, leading touchdown drives that resulted in 1 and 15-yard touchdown passes to Theo Johnson.
Then, he looked like a young quarterback with a lot to learn. He fumbled away a ball when he was untouched, failing to protect it while trying to scramble and having it slip out of his hand. He underthrew Slayton on a flea flicker that should have been a touchdown. He threw the first two interceptions of his NFL career, not that he can really be blamed for either with the Giants desperately trying to rally in the fourth quarter.
Dart was 11 of 16 for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He want 15 of 24 for 92 yards and two interceptions in the second half.
Cam Skattebo — The bruising rookie ran well, with 15 carries for 59 yards (3.9 yards per carry). He caught six passes for 45 more yards, giving him 104 total yards on the day. Still, he had a critical fumble. On the first play of the fourth quarter, with the Giants trailing by five, 19-14, and facing second-and-7 on the Saints’ 12-yard line, Skattebo lost the handle. Jordan Howden of New Orleans scooped it up, took it 86 yards for a touchdown, and the Giants were in a hopeless scramble to try and come from behind the rest of the way.
Pass rush — The Giants put a lot of pressure on New Orleans quarterback Spencer Rattler throughout the game. NextGen Stats said the Giants pressured Rattler on 17 of 31 dropbacks (54.8%), but did not sack the second-year quarterback a single time. Abdul Carter had six pressures on 23 rushes, per NGS, but again came out of a game without a game-changing play. He has only a half-sack in five games.
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