After Further Review: Five takes from Saints win over Giants

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Take One: Getting to 7-7

The Saints’ December three-game homestand is over and here they are, still standing at 7-7.

Their effort against New York was one of their most complete of the season. The offense was on point, the defense dominated and the special teams were efficient.

For the second straight week, the Saints won a game where they didn’t allow a touchdown.

The season as whole, hasn’t been pretty. At times, this team been painful to watch and frustrating to follow. Their inconsistent ways have disgusted the fan base all season. But, fair is fair. The reality is, it’s mid December, and the Saints remain tied for the top spot in their division. No one knows where it’s going to go, this team has also not dealt with success very well . However, at the very least, they’ve given themselves a chance at the postseason.

Take Two: Derek Carr delivers

2023 hasn’t quite gone the way Derek Carr planned when he signed with the Saints.

He’s been beaten, bruised and booed. He’s been knocked out of three games and become the top target of Saints fans’ resentment for most of the season. Some of that was warranted, other times it’s just part of the ultimate job description of being an NFL starting quarterback, who will always gets too much credit when times are good and too much blame when things go wrong.

Through it all, Carr kept pushing. Despite various injuries, he never missed a start and remained positive about his and the team’s circumstances. It finally paid off against the Giants.

Sunday was his finest hour in black & gold. The stats won’t wow anyone, but if you watched that game it wasn’t hard to see just how dialed in Carr truly was. He was poised, decisive and accurate. He completed 23 of 28 passes to ten different receivers. He threw three touchdowns and operated an efficient offense on third down and red zone. He looked more and more like the player the Saints envisioned him being when they signed him to a $150 million contract this offseason.

One game may not change the chatter surrounding Carr’s 2023 season, but it is a step in the right direction.

Take Three: Pass rush awakens

After a few weeks of slumber, the Saints pass rush has awaken these last two weeks of the season.

In that time frame, they’ve recorded 11 sacks. Sunday against the Giants, they got to Tommy DeVito seven different times.

Tanoh Kpassagnon led the way with three sacks. First round pick Bryan Bresee had two. Carl Granderson and DeMario Davis each had one apiece.

Zack Baun was once again inserted as a pass rusher on passing downs, and though he didn’t record a sack, he had a massive presence in the backfield. In fact, on two of Kpassagnon’s sacks, it was Baun who initially disrupted DeVito in the backfield.

It was a great day for the guys up front, and they needed it. If the Saints can somehow generate a consistent pass rush over the final three weeks of the season, it could be the missing link they need to get over the inconsistent hump and get into the playoffs.

Take Four: Graham steps up… again

What’s happening with Jimmy Graham this season is truly remarkable. His energy is contagious, while his production has been magnificent. On Sunday, the 37 year-old ageless wonder was at it again.

This time he had two receptions. One went for a first down. The other, of course, was a touchdown in the red zone. On the play, it felt the whole stadium knew where Carr was going with the ball. Sure enough, there was a fake handoff and Graham snuck into the back of the end zone. Carr lofted the pass, and Graham scored the touchdown.

For the season, Graham now has six receptions and four touchdowns. Who knows what the Saints were thinking during that four-game stretch where Graham was a healthy scratch, but safe to say they were wrong in their assessment. Fortunately, they realized their error and are reaping the benefits now.

Take Five: Other Observations

Demario Davis was a beast to start the game Sunday. He finished his day with ten tackles, two for loss and a sack. His early energy help set the tone for the game.
The Saints were 2/2 in the red zone Sunday. They’re 9/10 inside the 20 in their last three games.
Beautifully designed play on the touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson, who popped wide open on an out-an-up route. Pete Carmichael did a nice job of calling plays Sunday.
Horrible penalty called on Alontae Taylor in the second quarter. Im not sure there could have been a more perfect tackle than Taylor put on in the open field. The flag extended the Giants’ drive which led to a field goal.
Landon Young did a nice job of filling in for Ryan Ramczyk at right tackle.
A Thursday night trip to the west coast to face the Rams is not going to be easy for the Saints.

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