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A shootout. That is what we have come to expect when the New York Giants and the New Orleans Saints play each other. The last time the teams met, in 2016, was an aberration as the Giants eked out a 16-13 victory.
In four matchups prior to that dating back to 2009, one of the two teams always surpassed the 40-point mark, with the score twice getting into the 50s. The wildest was, of course, the Saints’ last-second 52-49 victory in 2015.
Will this one be another high-scoring affair?
Well, the Saints are second in the league in scoring at 34.7 points per game. Quarterback Drew Brees is completing an unbelievable 80.6 percent of his passes and is in the process of re-writing the NFL’s career passing record book.
The Giants haven’t scored 30 or more points in a game since the final game of Tom Coughlin’s career as the team’s coach — 37 games ago, including the playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Giants, though, played their best offensive football in a long, long time in Sunday’s 27-22 victory the Houston Texans, sparking optimism that the 30-point streak will soon fall.
Besides, neither of these defenses is exactly “shut-down” caliber. The Saints are giving up a league-worst 34.3 points per game, are last in the league in yards allowed per completion (14.6) and just lost starting cornerback Patrick Robinson to a broken ankle. The Giants are giving up just 20.7, but got gashed in the air by Houston’s Deshaun Watson for 385 passing yards and are 27th in yards allowed per completion at 12.0. That leaky pass defense is a concern with Brees on tap.
Stick with Big Blue View all week as we prep you for Sunday’s key game.
By the numbers
Odell Beckham
Odell Beckham Jr. has had a pretty good start to his career, just in case you hadn’t noticed.
Odell Receptions (50 Games)
| Beckham, Odell | 337 |
|---|---|
| Beckham, Odell | 337 |
| Boldin, Anquan | 314 |
| Landry, Jarvis | 307 |
| Allen, Keenan | 298 |
| Jones, Julio | 287 |
| Note: All but Boldin are still active. |
Odell Receiving Yards (50 Games)
| Alworth, Lance | 4,785 |
|---|---|
| Alworth, Lance | 4,785 |
| Beckham, Odell | 4,695 |
| Jones, Julio | 4,471 |
| Moss, Randy | 4,272 |
| Rice, Jerry | 4,164 |
Odell Touchdowns (50 Games)
| Alworth, Lance | 45 |
|---|---|
| Alworth, Lance | 45 |
| Rice, Jerry | 44 |
| Moss, Randy | 43 |
| Gronkowski, Rob | 42 |
| Hayes, Bob | 42 |
| Beckham, Odell | 38 |
Odell 100-Yards Receiving (50 Games)
| Alworth, Lance | 21 |
|---|---|
| Alworth, Lance | 21 |
| Beckham, Odell | 21 |
| Jones, Julio | 20 |
| Moss, Randy | 19 |
| Hennigan, Charley | 18 |
| Hill, Harlon 18 | 18 |
Here is where he stands in Giants franchise record books.
Odell now in top 10 in Giants history in rec. yds. Remarkable how fast for a 94-year-old franchise.
— Dan Salomone (@NYGsalomone) September 24, 2018
1 Toomer (190 games) 9,497
2 Gifford (136) 5,434
3 Barber (154) 5,183
4 Morrison (184) 4,993
5 H. Jones (73) 4,845
6 Rote (120) 4,797
7 Calloway (112) 4,710
8 Beckham (50) 4,695
Team stats
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More numbers that matter
343 — Eli Manning (342) needs 1 touchdown pass to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton (342) for 7th-most touchdown passes all-time.
6,326 — The number of passes completed by Drew Brees in his career, the most all-time for an NFL quarterback. Manning is No. 6 on that list with 4,505 completions.
80.6 — Brees’ utterly ridiculous completion percentage thru three games.
418 — Passing yards needed by Brees (71,523) to surpass Peyton Manning (71,940) for most all-time. Brees is currently third behind Manning and Brett Favre (71,838).
[E-mail Ed at bigblueview@gmail.com or via the Big Blue View Contact Page | Follow Big Blue View on Twitter | ‘Like’ Big Blue View on Facebook | Follow Big Blue View on Instagram]