New York Giants Must Win This Matchup vs. New Orleans Saints

The New York Giants are looking for their first win at home this season. If they can win this particular matchup against the Saints, they'll stand a pretty good chance of making that happen.

Nov 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) hands off to running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

After losing to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving 27-20, the New York Giants have fallen to 2-10 midway through the season, collecting their seventh straight loss. The Giants should focus on setting themselves up for a strong draft position next year rather than worrying about this game.

Given the Saints are 4-8 and the Giants are also having trouble, the game has more of an effect on team morale and future roster planning than it does on the playoffs. A significant victory would increase team confidence and possibly limit the questions surrounding Brian Daboll’s effectiveness as head coach.   

Despite the Saints being favored, this game is one of the Giants' better chances for a victory in their remaining schedule, given the Saints' recent performance. If the Giants are serious about continuing their season of landing wins, they'll need to unleash their best offensive weapons at the Superdome. 

In terms of the Giants' strategy, focusing on their rookies could be the path to take. Rookie running back Tyrone Tracy, Jr. has shown promise for the Giants, especially in games where he has received a lot of carries. He has proven to be successful in both the running and receiving games and has the capacity to accumulate yards quickly. 

Tracy has 545 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He's fourth in the league with an average of 5.3 yards per touch and has only six negative carries. Among his statistics are zone runs with a 5.86 YPC and a 53.1% success rate. 

Tracy might have a good game if the Giants use their offensive approach to exploit the Saints' limitations against the run, especially in zone tactics. He might be especially useful against a defense that has demonstrated that it can be intimidated on the ground because of his ability to make quick cuts and gain yards after contact.

However, if the Giants’ offensive line shows a struggle to keep players from rushing off the edge, it could be another difficult game with the run–putting more pressure to make plays in the air.

Luckily, the Giants have another key rookie who’s shown signs of making an impact on the Giants’ offense, which is receiver Malik Nabers. 

Nabers set a record as the first player in NFL history to record 23 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns in his first three games of the season. Since then, a few injuries have slowed down his momentum recently, but Nabers has shown he can be effective when healthy.

Nabers may make a big difference if he can take advantage of any weaknesses or mismatches, particularly if the Saints are struggling with injuries. 

With Drew Lock set to start as quarterback for the Giants, it could be crucial to see how well Nabers will perform. In a game where the Saints might concentrate on stopping the run, Nabers might see a lot of targets.

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