Big Blue View
Christmas came early for the New Orleans Saints as the New York Giants gift-wrapped them their first victory of the season with five turnovers, a host of bad penalties, drops and other assorted mistakes. Let’s get to the ‘Kudos & Wet Willies,’ which I will do my best not to fumble.
Daniel Bellinger — It has been a looooong time since the Giants used Bellinger as a weapon in the passing game. Sunday, Bellinger caught four passes for 52 yards, including an 18-yarder on the opening drive that set up a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line the Giants converted into a touchdown. Bellinger also had a 14-yard catch for a first down on that drive.
It has been too long since the Giants remembered how reliable Bellinger can be when they throw him the ball.
Theo Johnson — The second-year tight end is developing a nice red zone connection with quarterback Jaxson Dart. Johnson caught touchdown passes of 1 and 15 yards on the Giants’ first two possessions. Per the CBS broadcast, it marked the first time the Giants had scored touchdowns on their two opening possessions since 2020. Johnson finished with six catches for 33 yards.
Jamie Gillan — A week after inexperienced placekicker Jude McAtamney hit a pair of kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks, which come out to the 35-yard line, Gillan was kicking off. Gillan masterfully placed kickoffs that were returned to the 18 and 9-yard lines. He did hit one for a touchbacks, but that was only brought to the 20-yard line because it bounced in the landing area. Gillan also punted twice, with both being downed inside the 20-yard line.
Darius Alexander — The rookie third-round pick continues to show flashes of development. Sunday, Alexander had a tackle for loss and a pair of quarterback pressures.
Run defense — The Giants sprung leaks in the secondary, they committed several devastating penalties, and they had a serious case of butterfingers that led to three lost fumbles and a few costly drops. Finally, though, one problem they did not have was run defense.
The Giants seemed to play Dexter Lawrence on run downs, with rookie Darius Alexander often subbing in in passing situations. Defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches was also back in the lineup after missing three games with a foot injury.
The Saints gained just 88 yards on 30 rushing attempts (2.9 yards per carry), with a long run of only 11 yards.
Mike Kafka — This loss certainly was not due to the play-calling of the Giants’ offensive coordinator. Kafka used misdirection, wide receiver and tight end screens, a fourth-and-1 run by wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, mixed the run and the pass nicely, called a third-and-2 flea flicker that would have been a touchdown had it been properly executed by Dart. There isn’t much the offensive coordinator can do if his key guys are going to keep dropping the ball or throwing it the wrong colored jerseys.
Kickoff return —...
