The New Orleans Saints defense dominated New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito with a complete game shutout.
It was the right thing to do, so it’s no surprise that Bryan Bresee did the same thing as his fellow pass-rusher, Tanoh Kaspagnon. After both pass-rushers picked up their second sacks of the game on Sunday, Bresee and Kaspagnon both did the same thing with their hands. It’s the same gesture that new Giants quarterback Tommy Devito does after every touchdown, and it’s the one that made him a national sensation overnight.
Well, the Saints stopped that from happening. And then some, too. In Sunday’s 24-6 blowout of the Giants, the Saints’ defense had seven sacks, limited the Giants to 193 yards, and looked more like the unit that had been dominating early in the season.
After picking up a season-high four sacks against the Carolina Panthers last week, the Saints have now had four sacks in consecutive games for the first time since… weeks 1 and 2 this year.
With the win, New Orleans kept alive its playoff hopes. The Saints are now 7-7 and have a big “Thursday Night Football” matchup with the Rams coming up next week.
In the first half against the Giants, New Orleans played its best game of the season, and quarterback Derek Carr was the star of the show. Carr went 23-for-28 for 218 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.
Demario Davis was at the forefront of the Saints’ defense early on. From the moment he led the huddle to the crowd’s “WHO DAT” chant on Sunday, Davis carried that energy into the game. He was at the heart of the defense that routinely went after the ball, and it made DeVito’s afternoon a painful one.
Even when mistakes cost the unit the game — a late hit on the punter wiped out a 3rd-and-1 for the Saints — the defense held up when it needed to. For example, when the Giants drove into New Orleans territory on their opening possession, Saints rookie defensive end Jordan Howden got pressure on the blitz and forced the Giants quarterback to scramble for a 3-yard gain on third-and-1 that set up a 56-yard Giants field goal.
At first, it looked like the Saints would be able to keep up with the energy of the defense. The Saints went three and out on their opening possession, but they were still able to move the ball fairly well in the first half. Carr engineered an 11-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in a 7-yard pass to Keith Kirkwood
With the lead, the Saints began to put pressure on the Giants’ leaky offensive line, getting consistent pressure and getting into the backfield regularly. When the Saints weren’t getting pressure on the quarterback, which they were four times, three of those times coming after New Orleans took the lead, they were forcing New York into bad situations by limiting the run. The only real blemish on the Saints’ defensive end was that, like many of the quarterbacks the Saints have faced this season, they were able to extend drives with their legs.
DeVito rushed for 36 yards, the ninth time this season in 14 games an opposing quarterback has averaged at least 30 yards per carry.
The damage, however, was relatively light considering the coverage breakdowns and exploding plays that have beset the unit for the past month.
The Saints went into the locker room trailing 7-6. But before the half, the Giants were able to get to field goal range thanks to a dubious call that gave them new downs on third and two at the Saints’ 22-yard line after a flag was thrown on the play for a roughing-the-passes penalty.
Cornerback A.ontae Taylor appeared to take the hit with his shoulder but the officials still called it a penalty, much to Allen’s chagrin and the delight of the crowd in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
On the same drive, New York moved the ball nicely enough to set up Jamie Gillan at the 30-yard line, replacing a hobbled Randy Bullock.
The Saints never trailed by more than a single point in the second half, thanks in large part to their offense finding its mojo.
That mojo came from Carmichael’s creative play design. Carr found an open Juwan Johnson, the tight end who burst for a 23-yard gain on an over-the-shoulder fade that completely missed the underneath defender.
Johnson’s score was the first of three consecutive scoring drives for the Saints, who also got a 50-yard field goal from Blake Grupe, and a one-yard reception from Jimmy Graham, who has now caught four of his last six passes in the red zone.
