Key Ingredients to Victory: Saints vs. Giants | 2024 NFL Week 14

The New Orleans Saints have hope – however faint.

The pulse isn’t as strong as they’d like, as New Orleans (4-8) prepares to face the Giants (2-10) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. But the opportunity to win the NFC South Division is there, and it’ll remain alive if the Saints can win their third game of the last four and extend New York’s losing streak to eight games.

Here are a few things that might help:

The Giants are the lowest scoring team in the NFL, at 15.3 points per game. Job One is to score early and put pressure on an offense that has scored less than 20 points in eight games this season. New Orleans hasn’t been prolific itself, at 23 points per game, which is right along the lines of what the Giants allow (23.3). But the pressure that will be applied with an early lead should pay dividends against a New York offense that appears to have lost a bit of direction.

Saints quarterback Derek Carr has been sacked twice and hasn’t thrown an interception in four games since returning from an oblique injury, while completing 68 percent of his passes and throwing six touchdowns. The Saints need that level of efficiency Sunday. The forecast is for a high of 50 degrees with wind blowing around 10 mph and if conditions remain that way, it won’ t be much of a deterrent for the Saints’ offense. And defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (team-leading nine sacks) is out for the season, though Brian Burns (six sacks) is around to help generate the pressure. New Orleans needs a receiver to step up opposite Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who has four touchdowns among his eight receptions. He’s a marked man; Kevin Austin Jr. provided some production against the Rams, and it possibly could be an impactful day for tight ends Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson.