The New Orleans Saints had a chance to prove they need to be taken seriously in the NFC, and they didn't disappoint.
Against a Giants team that had won three straight games, it was a dominating New Orleans performance in a 24-6 win that was highlighted by a season-high 7 sacks and a hyper efficient QB day from Derek Carr. Oh, and the home fans finally had something to cheer about.
With all that in mind, here are my stock up and stock down players from the Week 15 win.
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1. EFFICIENT CARR
There's been a lot of criticism of Derek Carr in his maiden voyage with the New Orleans Saints. Some of it has been more than fair, some of it -- not so much.
Well, there wasn't much to criticize in this game. QB1 completed 23 of 28 pass attempts for 218 yards, 3 TDs and no turnovers. The offense moved the ball at will in the second half, though there were some penalties that slowed things up a bit.
In the end the Caesars Superdome crowd was treated to the type of performance they were promised when Carr was brought into the fold. If there are more days ahead like Week 15, the boos will be a thing of the past.
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2. TANOH & CO.
The pass rush has been anything but a strength of this team, at least through 13 weeks of this season. But have there been signs of a turnaround these past two weeks? It sure seems so.
It took more than three months to log 20 sacks on the year. The past two weeks there have been 11 total. This week it was Tanoh Kpassagnon who delivered three sacks, along with Bryan Bresee's two.
Demario Davis and Carl Granderson also got Tommy DeVito to the ground in this game, and when the corners are covering at the level they have all year, that makes this defense seem bulletproof.
Zack Baun has been a huge addition to the pass rush, and Cam Jordan's acceptance of a run downs role has led to a more efficient overall approach. If that can continue over the final three games (and hopefully beyond) this team could make some noise.
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3. YOUNG BLOCKING
It was fair to wonder about the right side of the offensive line going into this game. Landon Young didn't learn he'd be starting until Saturday, and filling in for Ryan Ramczyk is no easy task.
Well, you wouldn't have known the Saints were down a starting tackle based on the result. The Giants only registered one sack in the game, and that was from a missed block by a running back. The line surrendered some pressure, but they held up for the most part, and that allowed Carr to find open receivers all day long.
The Saints would sure love to get Ramczyk back sooner rather than later, but it's good to know there are depth players who can step up.
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HONORABLE MENTION
Keith Kirkwood is easy to root for. He does all the work and asks for no credit. That's why a touchdown for him is such a welcome sight. He's one of Derek Carr's favorite targets for a reason. He caught his first touchdown since 2018, back when he was a member of the Saints previously. Good for him. ... The Saints' run defense has been much maligned. Well, in a matchup with star Saquon Barkley, the Giants back only could manage 14 yards on 9 carries. That's a 1.6 per rush average. Win for the defense. ... The Saints play-calling just seemed to be a step ahead in this one. There was a lot more motion. The scheme just seemed to work. ... A.T. Perry is building trust. Mistakes from a rookie can undermine that quickly, but he's shown up big for Carr the past two weeks, and that's a good sign going forward.
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STOCK DOWN
1. TRUST IN OFFICIATING
Blown calls happen, and the saints know that better than most. But even by those standards, come on... There was a roughing penalty thrown on Alontae Taylor in this game for a hit that will probably end up on teach tape down the road.
I get it, you're not allowed to blow people up anymore. But there's a big difference between penalty-level contact and simply making a sure tackle in the open field. That's what was flagged here. Rather than an arm tackle with a risk of whiffing, Alontae put a hit on a guy. Apparently that's enough to get a flag in today's NFL.
What made the call particularly painful was that it came more than 15 yards from the line to gain. A late first half drive was over, until the refs got involved. The Giants ultimately drove for a field goal that trimmed the lead to 7-6 heading into the break. Unacceptble.
Add a couple more highly questionable decisions/spots in the game, and you have yet another example why the loud yells about the officiating continue across the league.
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2. BIG PLAYS
We talked in the buildup to the game about how defenses are sitting in shell coverages and taking away the deep ball. Still, I'd like to see the Saints get a little more aggressive at points.
There really wasn't much to speak of in this game outside of a a23-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson. It was admittedly a beautiful play, with Carr looking off the safety before working back to his tight end on a double move, but I can't help but want some more.
There was also a deep ball where Rashid Shaheed appeared to lose the ball in the lights, and this is mega-nitpicky. But I think there's some untapped explosion in this offense.
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3. TAYSOM TIME
Again this is nitpicking to an unhelpful level, but Taysom Hill certainly didn't have a banner performance in this one. He carried the ball just once for 4 yards, but there wawas also a penalty and a pretty brutal miss of Lynn Bowden in space for what would've been a huge gain.
On a day where so much went right, the Taysom pages of the playbook certainly didn't shine.