This is what New Orleans Saints games are supposed to look like. A combination of a stout defense and Derek Carr’s best game in a black and gold uniform knocked down the New York Giants on Sunday by a margin of 24-6. This is their vision for a victory. It’s why they pursued Carr and retained Dennis Allen as head coach to cultivate an elite defense. And on Sunday that vision became reality.
New York gained just 60 rushing yards as a team with star running back Saquon Barkley limited to 14 yards on 9 carries; rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito is known for his rushing ability but he was contained to 36 yards on 4 attempts, actually losing more yards (57) to 7 sacks than he gained as a runner.
And DeVito didn’t have many answers for the ferocious Saints defense. New Orleans pressured him early and often on his 34 pass attempts. Five different defenders hit him at different points through the game, with veteran defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon stepping up in particular. Kpasagnon finished the day with 3 sacks and 4 quarterback hits, plus 6 tackles (3 solo, 3 tackles for loss). Cornerbacks Isaac Yiadom and Paulson Adebo combined for 4 pass breakups.
Let’s talk about Carr. He’s earned a lot of criticism this season for poor play, but he did his job well on Sunday. Carr completed 23 of 28 passes (82.1%) for 218 yards, throwing 3 touchdown passes for the first time in a Saints uniform. He didn’t turn the ball over, he navigated pressure well, and he spread the ball around efficiently. 10 different players caught a pass in this game, and 7 of them caught multiple receptions from Carr. It was really impressive to see with Chris Olave out of the lineup.
So where do they go next? The Saints must take their show on the road and visit the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night before flying cross-country for another road game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that, the regular season finale at home against the Atlanta Falcons. New Orleans doesn’t control its own destiny, but positive games like this one are going to be big as they go down the stretch.
