Two undefeated teams enter, one leaves with a win and the unquestioned title of NFC Favorite. This is what football is all about.Brother Eli and the G-Men travel to the Superdome with Super aspirations in mind. Coach Sean Payton has put the "S" back in Saints, and New Orleans will look to extend a four-game winning streak that has been matched just three times in Saints history.
There's a very good chance (barring late-season mojo from Grandfather Time) that this Week 6 matchup will end up being a preview of the NFC Championship game in January, which makes it by all accounts the game of the week.
More Previews: Texans-Bengals | Rams-Jags | Lions-Packers
Ravens-Vikings | Browns-Steelers | Panthers-Bucs | Chiefs-Redskins
Ravens-Vikings | Browns-Steelers | Panthers-Bucs | Chiefs-Redskins
Three Key Questions:
1. How's the foot, Eli?
2. Will the New Orleans defense stand strong against their biggest challenge yet?
3. With Michael Boley, Chris Canty, and Aaron Ross out, has the Giants' plan of building defensive depth paid off?
Player in the Spotlight: Jeremy Shockey. Drafted by the Giants and traded to the Saints, Shockey is probably the person best acquitted with the workings of both teams. He's the type of player that competes with a chip on his shoulder, so expect him to be primed and ready to go. He'll need to be at his best; Giants cornerback Corey Webster has quickly turned into one of the league's best shutdown corner, weekly taking the opposing team's best receiver out of the picture. Sorry, Marques Colston fans. With Lance Moore having showed nothing to this point, that puts much of the pressure on Shockey to carry the load on the receiving end.
New York's Path to Victory: It's amazing that although the Giants have been ahead in games for much of the season, they still boast the best passing defense in the league. Even when opposing teams must go strictly to the air, the Giants still give up virtually nothing. Against Drew Brees and the Saints, you'd be foolish to expect to contain the pass for 60 minutes. The key will be to exploit replacement left tackle Jermon Bushrod in obvious passing situations, get pressure on Brees, and force the Saints' punting team on the field. The New Orleans defense is much improved, but the Giants offense will get theirs. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw could be the best 1-2 punch in the league at the running back position. But to win, the Giants have to limit the scoring chances of New Orleans.
New Orleans' Path to Victory: Knowing how well the passing offense did in 2008 and seeing the Saints as the No. 1 scoring team in the land, you would expect that a pass-dominant offense has led the way for New Orleans. But this has been the second-best rushing offense in the league this season (compared to being the 11th-ranked passing offense), and with early-season wonder Mike Bell ready to return to action, this group is capable of cycling fresh runners throughout the game. While the Giants are scared of Brees' arm, the New Orleans offense must commit to a rushing attack that has worked well all season. Once they can get Eli Manning into catch-up mode, the playbook is opened up for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
Prediction: The only prediction you can be sure of here is that we'll be watching a great game featuring two well-prepared teams that play great football. The Superdome crowd will be ready to will their team to victory in this game if they must. With two weeks to prepare for this contest, I'd give the upper hand to the Saints. New Orleans 30, New York 24.
