The New York Giants entered Sunday's game against the 1-4 New Orleans Saints at MetLife Stadium riding a three-game unbeaten streak. That ended with a thud in front of a disappointed crowd that expected a much more competitive effort from Big Blue.
Here's a look at some studs and duds from Sunday's 34-27 loss at the hands of the Saints.
Stud: The oddsmakers
The Saints came into the game as 1.5-point favorites despite many of the key statistics bettors look at favoring the Giants. How did they know? They're not fans. They saw the Giants as paper tigers who lucked out over the past three games. The Giants' sloppiness and poor execution let the Saints build a lead just large enough to stave off the Giants' late comeback efforts.
Dud: Giants' defense
After taking a 10-0 lead early on, the
Giants fell apart and allowed 34 unanswered points. Missed tackles and poor angles, combined with stupid penalties, let the Saints march in. New Orleans used the Giants' aggressiveness against them and had Big Blue continually flat-footed. The unit stepped up late and gave the Giants a chance to tie in the final minute, but the comeback was snuffed out.
Dud: QB Jameis Winston
There was no magical comeback in this week's experience, and his performance was overall a downer. He completed 14 of 26 passes for 152 yards, threw a touchdown pass, and threw two very costly interceptions. He was repaled in the fourth quarter by J.J. McCarthy.
Dud: WR Charlie Jones
Ball security has been a major topic of conversation in the building, and will continue to be after Jones' fumble on a kickoff return late in the second quarter led to a tying touchdown right before the half. The play broke the Giants' back. They would never fully recover. Jones did make a 49-yard reception later in the game.
Studs: WR Malik Nabers and TE Isaiah Likely
Anyone still doubting whether or not Leek is back? The Saints sure aren't after Nabers caught 12 of his 15 targets for 165 and made several spectacular grabs in the process.
Likely had another Pro Bowl-level outing with six receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets.
Dud: The coaching staff
John Harbaugh and his staff were outcoached in the game, and the team appeared to be completely unprepared. There were few efforts to shake things up, and the overall energy was low. Benching running back Cam Skattebo made sense given his recent ball-security issues, but he should have returned to RB 1 after New Orleans tied the game. Keeping a healthy Skattebo on the sidelines not only punishes him, but it also punishes everyone. The Saints entered the game 29th in the NFL against the run. The Giants failed to exploit that.
Stud: QB J.J. McCarthy
McCarthy finally got to throw the ball, and the results were dynamic. Yes, we know it was garbage time, but after the he led the first touchdown drive, the game got very interesting. McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards with a touchdown pass and a pick. He also had a 28-yard run, the longest of his young career.
Studly Dud: RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Tracy didn't exactly light up the score sheet (six carries, 18 yards; two receptions for 27 yards), but he scored two touchdowns - one rushing and one receiving. He could be on his way out of the doghouse.
More studs:
- P Jordan Stout
- K Dominic Zvada
- QB J.J. McCarthy
- LB Abdul Carter
- TE Isaiah Likely
More duds:
- RB Najee Harris
- RB Cam Skattebo
- QB Jameis Winston
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Studs and duds from New York Giants' Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints
