Copr. IMAGN Images 2026
The New York Giants look to start a season 4-0 at home for the first time since 2008 in this mid-October matchup with the visiting New Orleans Saints. Despite what many would consider a hot start for the G-Men, the first five weeks of the year have been a roller coaster filled with injuries, wild comebacks, and a resistance to surrender not seen in the Big Apple since the Tom Coughlin era.
The Saints, meanwhile, have fallen well short of their high expectations thus far. Head coach Kellen Moore has witnessed his team fail to score more than 30 points in a game since week 1 against Detroit; with most of the issues beginning with ‘who dat’s’ abysmal run game in Travis Etienne’s absence after suffering a hamstring strain in week 3. New Orleans is 28th in the NFL in rushing yards per game with a mere 81.8 and only 3.5 yards per carry. Aging veteran Alvin Kamara has been sharing reps with the young Kendre Miller behind the line of scrimmage, although neither of the two RB’s have eclipsed 3.1 YPC thus far.
The Saints’ bottom tier rushing attack combined with the Giant’s top tier pass defense should aid Big Blue in checking off all boxes on the defensive side of the ball. The pass rush came alive for New York last week after a slow start to the year, bringing down the mobile Jayden Daniels for five sacks in the bizarre 27-27 stalemate. The Giants’ secondary has also far exceeded expectations, ranking seventh in the league in passing yards allowed per game with 199.4 and only 167.7 when playing in MetLife Stadium mainly due to the combined efforts of Greg Newsome II, Jevon Holland, and a resurgent Deonte Banks. With Saints quarterback Tyler Shough coming off a dreadful performance in Minnesota last week (16-25, 96 yds, 2 INT’s), this should provide the New York defense with a prime opportunity to have a dominant outing; although containing wide receiver Chris Olave may prove difficult. Olave has been one of the most prolific pass catchers in the entire league in 2026, snagging 39 receptions for 537 yards over the first five weeks of the regular season. It’s unknown whether Newsome or Banks will be assigned the task to cover the young star, but whoever does will be provided with the Giants’ biggest pass coverage challenge since Davante Adams made mince meat of the NYG secondary in week 2
Offensively, the Giants have been a mixed bag under the leadership of Jameis Winston. What we’ve mainly seen thus far from the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner has been a plethora of slow starts followed by some explosive play mixed into the middle and/or end of contests, such is the Jameis Winston experience. Winston aside, the G-Men’s receiver group, while thin, has gained new life once again after a rough stretch between weeks 2-3. Wideout Malik Nabers in particular has been spectacular. The third-year star has reeled in 17 receptions for 233 yards and two touchdowns over the last two weeks, and has appeared to return to pre-injury form. Tight end Isaiah Likely has proven to be one of Big Blue’s greatest offseason acquisitions in over a decade thus far, and last week was a catalyst in New York’s epic second half comeback against the Commanders. Likely tallied up 11 receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns last week in the tie, and is currently on pace to have the greatest season of his career by a country mile after stepping out of Mark Andrews’s shadow in Baltimore to become one of the NFL’s most prolific tight ends in 2026.
If New York has had one consistent offensive issue, it’s been their rushing attack. Cam Skattebo has lacked the fire that drove him before his gruesome injury ended his season early last year, and the supporting cast behind him hasn’t been of much assistance. Skattebo boasts the only rushing touchdown of the season for New York, and that was earned back on the opening drive of the season against the Dallas Cowboys. Since then, Skattebo has fumbled the football 4 times, including a costly one against Washington last weekend in overtime that cost the Giants an almost assured victory. If this team hopes to win at this consistent of a rate going forward, they need to be more efficient on the ground to compliment Winston.
The General Consensus
Copr. Athlon Sports 2026
For the second straight week, the Giants will battle it out with a team much better than their record would have you believe. Despite their recent woes over the last three weeks, the Saints are still a competitive football team. Until last week, Shough hadn’t yet thrown for under 250 yards in a game this season, which may say more about the Minnesota Vikings defensive unit than it says about the 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Despite their struggles offensively in the run game, the Giants defense against the rush could allow either Kamara or Miller to have a breakout day in East Rutherford. Combined with one of the better pass defenses in the league (11th overall), the Saints provide a sizable threat to Big Blue’s lossless streak. However, if Winston plays as consistently as he’d prefer to, particularly like he did in the second half last week, then the Giants should be able to come out of MetLife with their fourth win of the year.
Prediction: Giants- 31 Saints- 27
-Jack Barber
Works Cited
https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4360689/tyler-shough
https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4361370/chris-olave
https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/stat/rushing
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-passing-yards-per-game
https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4595348/malik-nabers
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