Sunday, 1 p.m.
Spread: Saints -7 1/2
The Giants are reeling from two heart-breaking losses, their season is perched on the edge of the abyss, and the heat has been turned way up on their second-year head coach. They desperately need a game to feel good about, something positive to change the subject, and a win to blow some of the hovering dark clouds away.
So yeah, this is a terrible time for a trip to New Orleans.
The Superdome, or whatever it’s called now, has always been one of the loudest and toughest places to play in the NFL, and it figures to be even more fired up on Sunday, in the Saints’ first home game since Hurricane Ida devastated their city and chased the team away. The noise inside that building can be deafening and intimidating in a normal situation.
On Sunday, it will all be exponentially worse.
About the only good thing on the Giants’ side is that these aren’t Drew Brees’ Saints anymore. Their once-explosive offense has looked bad the past two weeks, after their opening day pummeling of the Packers. In what has to be an absolute shocker for head coach Sean Payton, their offense ranks 31st in the NFL.
And quarterback Jameis Winston has come back to earth after his five-touchdown opener and, remarkably, has thrown for a total of 387 yards in three games. Outside of running back Alvin Kamara, they don’t have the explosive weapons they used to have.
In fact, if you take out the Superdome factor, the Giants match up well. Their offense has played much better over the past two weeks and quarterback Daniel Jones has shown a lot of improvement. It won’t help that he’s missing two receivers – Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton – but he still has Kenny Golladay and it looks like rookie Kadarius Toney will be part of the game plan this week. And of course they have an improving Saquon Barkley, too.
So if the Giants’ defense can keep the Saints’ offense down the way the Jaguars and Panthers did the past two weeks, they could easily be in this game.
I’d feel better about that, though, if this were at the Meadowlands or a neutral site.
There’s just something different about the Saints in the Superdome as the Giants have found out time and time again. No, this probably won’t be anything like the last five games there – including four won by the Saints with scores of 52-49 (2015), 49-24 (2011), 48-27 (2009) and 45-7 (2003). The Saints don’t have that kind of quick-strike, relentless offense anymore.
But if they ride the wave of emotion back in their hometown, they should just have enough. And in an incredibly loud, hostile environment, with the Giants again trying to patch together an injury-riddled offensive line, this all could just be a little too overwhelming. Certainly it won’t be as high-scoring. But it will probably feel just as bad.
Pick: Take the Saints, minus the 7 1/2
Prediction: Saints 27, Giants 13
My record straight up: 1-2
My record against the spread: 0-2-1