The New Orleans Saints are back at home for Week 5, but un unfamiliar territory: For the first time in the 2025 season, the Saints are betting favorites in a game.
The Giants are fresh off an upset win over the Chargers and will be again trotting out rookie QB Jaxson Dart. They'll be without star WR Malik Nabers and relying on a rookie running back, but they do still boast as strong a defensive line as you'll find in the NFL.
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THE GAME | Giants (1-3) at Saints (0-4)
- When: Noon, Sunday, Oct. 5
- Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Last meeting: 2024, Saints 14, Giants 11
- Series history: Giants lead 17-16
- Betting: Saints -1.5
- TV: CBS
- Listen: WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
- Pregame: First take with Jeff Nowak & Steve Geller, 8-10 a.m.; Countdown to Kickoff with Bobby Hebert & Steve Geller, 10 a.m.-noon
With all that in mind, here are the three things I'm watching for (and some lagniappe) when the Giants visit the Saints in Week 5.
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Can you run it (again)?
Every gameplan is a bit different, but sometimes it can be simple: Do all that again.
The Bills were statistically one of the worst run defense units in the NFL and the Saints went in with the goal of running the ball. They did that to great effect with the trio of Spence Rattler, Kendre Miller and Alving Kamara each rushing for more than 49 yards and averaging over 4.7 a clip.
Welp, fast forward a week and here's how the Giants rank in several key metrics:
- Rush yards allowed per game: 153 (29 of 32)
- Rush yards allowed per attempt: 6.1 (T31 of 32)
- Rush stuff rate: 10.9% (28 of 32)
- Rush yards over expected allowed: 196 (32 of 32)
- Average yards allowed before contact: 2.04 (30 of 32)
- Average yards allowed after contact: 4.08 (31 of 32)
They play with a light box (6 or fewer defenders near the line of scrimmage) on more than 56% of their snaps. Don't overthink it. Continue to incorporate the type of outside zone runs that gashed the Bills, and force that elite pass rush to work hard early in downs.
What I'd also like to see continue is the type of split we saw last week with Kamara taking 17 carries and Miller taking 15. Sometimes gameflow or a hot hand can swing things one way or the other, but a legitimate tandem, timeshare, committee, whatever you want to call it, that's what the Saints want.
"They did a great job and that’s the part that we have to do is find that even balance or the ability to kind of throw different pitches," RBs coach Joel Thomas said, " ... have a different arsenal than just a fastball and changeup.”
A few more weeks of powerful rushing attack and we might have to come up with a duo nickname. I was always partial to boom and zoom, but the Giants are in town, so maybe we can co-opt thunder and lightning?
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Quincy Riley time
It felt like the Saints would have to make a tough call this week, because Quincy Riley looked to be on the verge of overtaking Isaac Yiadom for the starting role. Well, the veteran is inactive due to a hamstring injury and Riley will get the start anyway. Can he prove the job should be his to keep?
My guess is yes, simply based on what we've seen to this point. You'll have to build in some grace for mistakes with any young player, and the Saints are currently entrusting two key defensive roles to rookie players, but he just seems to play sticky coverage and have a nose for the ball.
Normally I'd say the opposing offense would target him, but I don't know how much a rookie QB targets matchups. Jaxson Dart will most likely be first read and run a lot of the time. We could be seeing the defensive secondary of the future in action this week.
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Time to play winning football?
I genuinely do believe that Spencer Rattler is handling his winless situation as well as can be hoped, but he gave an answer this week that I found telling.
"I feel like I’m not playing losing football, which is good," Rattler said, "you know, areas to improve, of course, just like everybody else, but I feel good, want to keep climbing, keep getting better and, you know, do even more."
It's tough to disagree and one of the reasons it's been easy to stick behind the second-year pro hanging on to the starting job. The Saints aren't losing game because of Rattler and a 67.1% (98-146) for 765 yards and five TDs against just one interception.
But those numbers come with caveats, the largest being that his 5.2 yards per passing attempt is tied for 30th among qualified passers. His deep pass percentage of 8.9% is 20th in the NFL.
Spencer Rattler isn't the reason the Saints are losing. He's not playing losing football. Spencer Rattler isn't the reason the Saints are winning (no one is). He's not playing winning football.
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The Saints currently exist in some kind of NFL purgatory where we can all see exactly how they could be winning games, but that reality disappears in a puff of smoke at some point in every game-deciding situation. Key misses like we saw targeting an open Cooks in the end zone for what shoud've been a go-ahead touchdown are only part of that, but there's no denying they are part of it.
To play winning football, someone has to make the winning plays. Last week it was the Giants defense who made those plays, setting up 11 points with interception returns inside the 5 yard line to support a rookie QB who did exactly enough.
At some point maybe the Saints defense will do that for Spencer. Until then you'd like to see the aggression ratcheted up somewhere. You don't need Rattler to play hero ball, but you do need the QB to take advantage of the opportunities that exist.
Make the big play. Win the game. Then we finally get to have a different conversation.
LAGNIAPPE
It sounds like Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau will both be active, a bit of a surprise considering they only got into three limited practices this week and are both coming off significant knee injuries. If Juwan Johnson plays, I'd be surprised if Moreau sees much of a role. Hill feels like a more likely option to get some critical snaps, because the red zone and short-yardage scenarios would seem to favor him. Taysom was built for the tush push. ... Cesar Ruiz avoided IR, which is a positive sign for his outlook this season, but he's already been ruled out with an ankle injury. That means another start for UDFA Torricelli Simpkins, a player the Saints are very high on. Considering the bulk of his snaps have come on the road in two of the most hostile environments you'll find, the comfortable home environment will be welcomed. ... The Saints didn't have a single offensive penalty last week. That's probably too high a bar to expect each week, but it's the new standard. Saints will win games if they can be on point with their execution as they were in Buffalo. ... The Giants are actually the last team the Saints have beaten in the regular or preseason. That was the Derek Carr injury game of Week 14 last season, which ended on a walk-off blocked field goal by Bryan Bresee. ... Carl Granderson is tied for second in the NFL with his 4.5 sacks. The only player with more is on the opposing sideline in Brian Burns, a player the Saints know well considering his years with the Panthers.