Now we can breathe. The New Orleans Saints nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory after going up 34-10 on the New York Giants before they stepped off the gas and let Big Blue get back into it. The Giants rallied to score 17 points in the fourth quarter and took a shot on fourth-and-1 from the New Orleans doorstep, which luckily fell incomplete.
Instead of a feel-good win that makes you think the Saints found some answers, it turned into a game you feel fortunate to get away with. Let's break it down.
- What went right?
- What went wrong?
- What's the bottom line?
- What comes next?
What went right?
New Orleans took control of this game when they were aggressively pushing the ball downfield and running hard up the middle. Even with a bad hand and unreliable pass protection, Tyler Shough scored three touchdown passes and rushed for another at the goal line. When the Saints were setting the tone and taking initiative, they built a lead that felt so insurmountable they pulled their starters. The Saints defense had five sacks and three interceptions to keep the Giants offense at bay for much of the afternoon.
What went wrong?
It was another slow start for New Orleans. The Saints were sleepwalking in the first quarter-and-a-half, finally waking up once Isaiah Stalbird forced a special teams fumble get the offense into an advantageous position. And when the offense finally did their jobs and built a big lead, the defense played soft and were put on their heels for much of the second half. They couldn't capitalize on a couple of takeaways and were surprised by backup QB J.J. McCarthy trying them deep. A third-down offense that's been successful this year so far collapsed, going 4-of-15.
So what's the bottom line?
This is still a poorly-coached team. The Saints pulled their starters too soon and allowed the Giants to score 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. The next thing they knew they were only trailing by a touchdown at the two-minute warning. They should have kept the pressure on New York and continued to run the clock down before letting up. We're 23 games into Kellen Moore's tenure and he still has to learn how to win, even after going up by three touchdowns.
And what comes next?
The Saints are traveling directly from New York to Paris for the first NFL International Series matchup in France; they're scheduled to kick off with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Nov. 1, from the historic Stade de France. It's a game that Saints owner Gayle Benson has spent years campaigning and preparing for, and a loss on such a big stage would be incredibly humiliating. There has been a lot of social media attention going to mass protests in Paris, but the NFL has done experienced disruption at any official sites and does not anticipate impacts on the game.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Instant analysis: What went right, what went wrong in Saints-Giants