The Saints (6-7) finish their three-game homestand against the New York Giants (5-8) on Sunday. Can the Saints make it back-to-back Dome victories? Here are four things to look out for on Sunday as the Saints try to get back to.500.
DeVito’s defense
I know it sounds like a broken record, but the Saints have struggled with mobile quarterbacks in the past. They’ll face another one on Sunday in Tommy DeVito. You probably had never heard that name before the last month. However, after leading the Giants to a three-game winning streak, the rookie will make his fifth start on Sunday. He is the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 116 yards and rushing for 71 yards against the Green Bay Packers. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 80% of his passes while rushing for 70 yards or more with no turnovers or sacks. Can the Saints keep DeVito under control, or will he cause them problems like so many other mobile quarterbacks?
Barkley is being stopped.
The Saints used to have no trouble stopping the run. That is no longer true. Last week, they allowed 204 rushing yards to the Carolina Panthers. The previous week, the Detroit Lions rushed for 142 yards in the Dome. They must now try to contain Saquon Barkley, who is averaging 4.2 yards per carry and ranks first in the league in big runs. Barkley has seven rushes for 20 yards or more this season, which ranks second in the NFL only to Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs. The Saints’ run defense ranks near the bottom of the league (26th) in yards allowed per carry (4.6), so slowing Barkley down and forcing the Giants into third-and-long situations will be critical. Especially since the Giants allow a lot of sacks.
Carr and his teammates
Over the last two weeks, Saints quarterback Derek Carr has been booed. The only way to prevent this is for the offense to maintain drives and score points. The Saints have scored touchdowns on seven of their last eight trips to the red zone, which is a significant improvement from their abysmal numbers to begin the season. Last week, the offense struggled early against Carolina, but came alive in the fourth quarter to pull away for a win that appeared more convincing than it actually was. It would be beneficial for Carr and the Saints to get off to a fast start in this one. It would also help if the Saints didn’t have any more distractions like the one they had last week, when Carr and center Erik McCoy got into a spat after a sack. Winning cures everything, and Carr has a fantastic opportunity to silence the boos.
The final push
With only four games remaining, the Saints must start stringing together some victories. They are currently tied for first place in the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. All three teams have a record of 6-7. Following this game, the Saints will travel to the West Coast to face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night before finishing the season on the road in Tampa and then returning home for the regular-season finale against the Falcons. None of the remaining opponents for the Saints have a winning record. But, as has been the case all season, none of those games will be easy. To begin, the Saints must take care of business at home against a Giants team that has shown signs of life over the last three weeks.67
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