Standing at 3-1-1, the New York Giants find themselves in a rare position as the rest of the NFL buzzes about their chances of playing meaningful football late in their first year under head coach John Harbaugh.
After tying the Washington Commanders last week, the Giants still authored an impressive comeback to force overtime. They created extra wiggle room in a division lead that has looked less than admirable so far.
The tide could be turning in Big Blue’s favor as injuries and on-field struggles pile up on the other three teams. A couple of extra wins before their Week 8 bye would seriously ramp up talk of a postseason vision for New York.
Before they can get there, the Giants have to come home and handle their business against a New Orleans Saints team that sits at 1-4 yet is being viewed as a sneaky upset candidate. The Giants’ own injury concerns are starting to take their toll, too.
The Giants have been arguably the best example of resiliency this season, and they can prove it again by gaining the edge in these three matchups against the Saints on Sunday.
Chris Olave vs Deonte Banks
Many in the Giants’ fan base have been pleasantly surprised by Deonte Banks’ rapid improvement since defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson took over the reins this year.
Banks will have another shot to strengthen his new image in a good matchup against Saints receiver Chris Olave on Sunday. Olave has been the team’s leading target through the first five weeks, hauling in 39 receptions for 537 yards and one touchdown with his new quarterback, Tyler Shough.
Olave, a 2022 first-round pick out of Ohio State, has been an inconsistent presence in the Saints’ offense over the past few seasons because he has had to deal with numerous concussions, including two in 2024 that limited him to eight games and ended his season prematurely.
Despite those injury battles, Olave has been productive for the Saints. He has produced three seasons with at least 72 receptions and 1,000 yards in his first four years, along with 20 career touchdowns.
In 2025, Olave played as close to a full season as he could, dressing for 16 games and ranking seventh among all wide receivers with a career-high 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns, another career high for the veteran pass catcher.
The Saints have trailed in many of their games thus far, leaving them heavily reliant on Olave and the passing game. They enter Week 6 having attempted the second-most throws in the NFL and ranking 11th in passing yards (240.2 per game) and passing touchdowns (9).
Their defense shares the blame, having allowed the second-most points per contest (30.2). That explains why the Saints keep turning to Olave to help them claw back into games, and he has recorded at least eight catches in four of his five games.
Granted, the Saints have performed better on the road than in the friendly confines of Caesars Superdome, but if that road success doesn’t carry over against New York, they could be forced to attack the secondary often and look to Olave to shoulder the burden.
That is where Banks must come in and replicate the dominant outings he has given Wilson’s unit over the past few weeks. He leads all Giants cornerbacks in coverage grade, having allowed fewer than four receptions and 26 yards, with four pass deflections and one interception in his three starts.
Banks was critical in keeping the Commanders’ key threats out of the end zone last Sunday, and that will be his job again in frustrating Olave with physical man coverage and getting hands on passes from Shough. He also needs to stay penalty-free, given he has been flagged once in each of the last two games.
If he can remove another high-profile receiver from the equation this weekend, it will strengthen his case as the Giants’ brass weighs his future with the franchise this offseason.
Chase Young vs Giants Offensive Tackles
One familiar face will line up across from the Giants’ banged-up offensive line and look to get after Jameis Winston: Saints defensive end Chase Young.
Young, a former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, became quite familiar with Big Blue over his first three seasons in the league with the Washington franchise, which drafted him No. 2 overall in the 2020 draft.
While he has faced the Giants only once since leaving Washington in 2024, Young has shown success terrorizing their backfield as a pass rusher. In five career meetings, he has recorded 11 total tackles (nine solo) and three sacks.
Young missed the last meeting between the two franchises in Week 5 last year, but in Week 14 of the 2024 season, he helped the Saints put on a pass-rushing clinic against the Giants’ offensive line with a season-high 12 pressures and a 30.6% pass-rush win rate in the Saints’ 14-11 victory.
That level of excellence could become a concern again Sunday as Young returns to MetLife Stadium ranked 17th among defensive ends in pass-rush win rate (34%) and with six sacks already this season.
On the other side, injuries are threatening the availability of the Giants’ two stalwart offensive tackles. Andrew Thomas has been playing at a lower level as he presses through a groin injury, and Jermaine Eluemunor suffered a calf injury against the Commanders that has limited his participation in practice.
Neither veteran has been ruled out against the Saints, but it’s doubtful both will take the field. If one or both miss the game, the Giants would have rookie J.C. Davis and second-year pro Marcus Mbow filling in at their respective spots.
Davis has yet to see any regular-season reps since being drafted in the sixth round this past April. Meanwhile, Mbow came in against Washington in relief of Eluemunor and struggled to hold his ground, allowing two pressures and committing a penalty in 45 snaps.
Even if at least one starter plays Sunday, it’s safe to assume neither will be at full strength. That gives Young a chance to do real damage if the Giants’ line hasn’t studied his strengths and can’t slow him down.
With the run game struggling to be effective and hold on to the ball, the Giants might have to attack the Saints’ defense more through the air to score.
They certainly can against a unit that has given up eight passing touchdowns and an average of 6.5 yards per pass play (21st) this season, but that will only work if New York has a line that doesn’t let Young and company break through and get pressure in Winston’s face, which often leads to untimely turnovers.
Alvin Kamara vs Giants Run Defense
It’s another week where the Giants’ lackluster run defense is a major question mark ahead of an important matchup against a Saints offense that hasn’t impressed anyone on the ground.
Despite two major free-agent additions, Shelby Harris and D.J. Reader, the Giants have struggled to put up a real fight in the trenches. New York enters Week 6 having faced the 10th-fewest rushing attempts per game, but it has allowed an average of 127.6 yards per contest and 5.2 yards per attempt, both near the bottom of the league.
In their previous two games, Big Blue allowed 123 yards and one touchdown to the Arizona Cardinals’ backfield, led by promising rookie Jeremiyah Love. It then got further steamrolled by the Commanders, who burned the Giants’ defense twice for a 202-yard day on the ground in the tie.
Those are not numbers the Giants can afford to keep giving up if they want to dominate some of the lesser teams still on their schedule, like the Saints, whose backfield ranks among the worst in the league.
Granted, the Saints have had to ditch the running game a lot because they play from behind. Even so, they have had the fifth-fewest rushing attempts this season, producing the third-lowest yards per game (81.8) and the fourth-lowest yards per attempt (4.9).
What they do have is one weapon in their arsenal who has had some success against the Giants and knows how to turn it on for big games: veteran running back Alvin Kamara, who could be in line for a larger workload early in the game given the Giants’ frailty up front.
Kamara has faced the Giants five times in his career, topping 100 rushing yards twice and averaging 78.2 rushing yards per game with three total touchdowns. He can also contribute as a pass catcher, with 19 receptions for 154 yards and an 8.1 average in those same five meetings.
What makes this matchup interesting is Kamara’s strength in rushing up the middle. He has carried the ball only 28 times this season, but his most efficient carries have come between the guards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry and 2.33 yards after contact.
If the Saints can get their veteran ball carrier going early, it could spell trouble for a Giants defense that has been bullied in that same area, allowing 36 attempts for an average of 6.25 yards per attempt, the worst average in the NFL.
The Giants shouldn’t be surprised if the Saints look to expose that weakness near the end zone as well, where Kamara has the power and relentless energy to drag defenders with him for a touchdown.
Given that the Giants’ defense needed tough stops to hold on to two wins this season, that’s the last thing they want to see in a potentially close game.
They’ll need to set the tone in the trenches Sunday and force the Saints into a one-dimensional approach, something the secondary has shown it can handle in closeout moments this season.
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