New Orleans Saints (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) at New York Giants (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS)
NFL Week 2
Date/Time: Sunday, September 18, 2016 at 1:00 PM EST
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
TV: FOX
by Keith, Expert Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: NYG -5/NO +5
Over/Under Total: 52.5
The last time these two teams met, there was over 1,000 yards of offense and over 100 points scored in total. Once again, the New Orleans Saints (0-1) and the New York Giants (1-0) will square off in a NFC conference clash at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey with a 1:00 PM scheduled kick-off. The game is set to be aired on FOX with regional coverage. The Saints come in off a bitter loss in Week One, when New Orleans fell to Oakland by a slim margin of 35-34 in the Superdome. Conversely, the Giants come in off a nail-biting win against their hated rival the Dallas Cowboys, 20-19 on the road last Sunday.
Straight-up New Orleans has won four of the last five meetings between these two franchises. Most notably the most recent encounter between the squads took place last November in the Louisiana Superdome where the Saints would win 52-49. Both Drew Brees and Eli Manning had numbers that would make any fantasy football player drool, as both quarterbacks would combine for 834 yards through the air.
A different game flow is expected in this contest. The Giants have since parted ways with the former Head Coach Tom Coughlin and thus they are learning and mastering a new style of offense. For the Saints, many have claimed their offense is no longer as potent as it typically is. The last clash between these two foes was a day that recalled the greatness of Drew Brees. Brees certainly looked sparkling in the Saints opening game defeat against Oakland as Brees threw for 423 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
On the contrary, the Giants were the team that looked to struggle to produce. The Cowboys were left without their veteran quarterback Tony Romo and yet the Giants barely squeaked by with a healthy Victor Cruz and perhaps the games best receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. Despite the weapons in the Giants arsenal, they could not proliferate a receiver with over 100 yards. Dallas led for much of their second half until a late Victor Cruz touchdown edged the Giants ahead. Even with 3 touchdowns thrown, Eli Manning threw for just 207 yards. The Giants could only muster up 18 first downs and just over 300 yards of offense. The Saints nearly eclipsed 500 yards in their loss against Oakland.
The Giants are likely going to have their hands full with having to cover both wide receivers Willie Snead and Brandin Cooks, a duo of young and talented Saints recievers, Brees targeted 18 times and found the end zone three times. In addition, these two playmakers accumulated over 300 receiving yards between the both of them. The Giants may not have an answer on defense to spell both Snead and Cooks.
However, there have always been two fatal chinks in New Orleans armor. First, the Saints do not play typically play well outside of the Superdome. New Orleans has lost many critical games both in the regular season and in the playoffs when they were away from home. MetLife Stadium is a notoriously bitter setting where the wind by itself has played a factor in many contests settled there. Additionally, New Orleans has had many woes on defense. Case and point, the Saints proliferated 500 yards of offense and 34 points, yet they lost. For many years, New Orleans has lost games they could have easily won if there any semblance of a defense on the field to make key stops. The Saints have had this trouble on several occasions.
We are simply going to attack this one from the perspective of home field advantage. Much of the public has little faith in the Giants even if they edged out the Cowboys in Week One. Seemingly there is more faith vested in a franchise that loses its opener at home by way of a poor defensive effort and we will lay that perspective. Offense wins games but defense wins championships and the reason why the Saints havent won any championships as of late is because they lack defense. Furthermore, the hostile environment of MetLife Stadium combined with the Saints woes on the road is sufficient criterion for us to spot the home points. Giants against the line is the call.
KEITHs Pick to Cover the Point Spread: NEW YORK GIANTS -5
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