NY Giants 27, Saints 21: 5 takeaways from Big Blue's biggest victory in quite some time

NEW ORLEANS - The odds were stacked against the New York Giants.

They were 0-3 and down 11 points with just over seven minutes to go, fighting a good football team in the New Orleans Saints and an incredibly raucous atmosphere inside the Caesars Superdome that served as a welcome home for the first time since Hurricane Ida.

Bad football teams don't find a way to rally.

The Giants found a way to rally and pick up their most stunning victory since 2016.

Yes, they beat Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in Seattle last season.

This one was far more impressive. Consider these circumstances:

* This defense for New Orleans was very good. Look what they did to Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay in the season opener, and that was a game played in Jacksonville, beating the Packers, 38-3.

* The stadium in Seattle was empty last season when the Giants won there. No 12s were in the building. Compare that to the scene in New Orleans, which was off the charts from pre-game festivities, and it was another level.

* And to come back from 11 points down after Taysom Hill scored his second demoralizing touchdown run with 12:09 to go, and to win the game in overtime, this was about as good as it gets.

The Giants are 1-3 and still in the basement of the NFC East, but they go on the road against next Sunday to play the first-place 3-1 Cowboys, knowing the last three games for Big Blue - two losses on walk-off field goals and a win on Saquon Barkley's game-winning touchdown run in overtime - show they've got what it takes to compete.

Now they finally learned how to finish, dusting any talk of this team going winless for the next two months - yes, that was debated this past week due to strength of schedule.

Here are five takeaways from Sunday's thrilling 27-21 triumph over the Saints:

Give it up for the offensive line

The Giants started their fourth left guard in as many games with Matt Skura, whose best position is center, sliding into the spot between Andrew Thomas and Billy Price.

The Superdome is traditionally menacing in terms of noise for opponents, and given this was the first sellout crowd in 20 months due to COVID-19 restrictions and in the aftermath of the hurricane, it was deafening through pre-game warmups and throughout.

Toss in the fact that Cam Jordan and the Saints' defensive front is a massive assignment, and Giants offensive line coach Rob Sale deserves a ton of credit for this performance. There were no pre-snap penalties such as false starts or delays of game. The communication seemed to be on point throughout.

Jones dropped back 42 times and was only hit six times with zero sacks.

Andrew Thomas is dominating

Don't look now, but the Giants' left tackle is turning into a dominant player right before our eyes - and truth be told, somewhat still under the radar.

Thomas was great again. It's amazing how far he's come since the preseason game against the Patriots when so many gave up on him, calling him a complete and total bust for the No. 4 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Most of the time, over the first four weeks, you have not even noticed him.

That speaks to how well he's been playing. It's the steadiness of Thomas that is making it possible for the Giants to overcome having to play four different guards next to him in four games.

Kyle Rudolph saves Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley was the all-purpose weapon he needs to be for the Giants, the playmaker they envisioned he could be in all facets. The rushing yardage is still hard to come by - Barkley rushed for 52 yards - but his impact in the passing game was undeniable (5 catches, 74 yards, 54-yard TD).

Still, much of that would have been rendered hollow if it were not for Kyle Rudolph.

Barkley was fighting for yards in overtime when he lost the football, and as it squirted away, his first thought, admittedly, was: "Oh no!"

That's when Rudolph jumped onto the fumble - only the second for Barkley in 712 career touches! - as the Giants kept possession.

Three plays later, after Daniel Jones hit Kenny Golladay for 23 yards, bringing the ball inside the 10, Barkley scored the game-winner from six yards out.

“Let’s just say I owe Kyle Rudolph dinner,” Barkley said with a smile.

To a man, the Giants celebrated Barkley after the game - even those who have been teammates with him for just a short time.

"No one deserves it more for what he does and what he puts into it," said Jones, referencing Barkley's comeback from ACL reconstruction and meniscus repair in his knee.

Jason Garrett answers the bell

Say what you want about offensive coordinator Jason Garrett's play calling, and there were some questionable decisions regarding what they did in the red zone in the first half. Time to shelve that Evan Engram jet sweep.

But man, when Jones is slinging it like he was against the Saints, Garrett deserves some credit. And some of his calls - the screen to Barkley and Golladay's final catch on a third-and-short in overtime - were great. Needs to keep building off this performance and stay aggressive. As we've said: in today's NFL, the fortune favors the bold.

Golladay, Kadarius Toney and John Ross, in his Giants' debut, were all involved. And the Giants did not have Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton.

Joe Judge takes 'W' in stride

If you expected Joe Judge to take a victory lap after this one, think again.

“I’m a believer in the process. I’m a believer in not looking at the result and thinking that justifies what you do,” Judge said. “Results are the most deceiving thing in mankind. If you keep focused with what’s away from you and forget about the steps you have to complete on the way there, you’ll never get to where you really want to be.”

Had Judge broken from his even-keel approach in his post-game presser after such a big win, it would have come off as disingenuous. He wasn't overly emotional following three losses, including two in heartbreaking fashion, so this was the way to go.

That being said: Judge and the Giants know how big of a victory this one was.

Art Stapleton is the Giants beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Giants analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and sign up for our NFC East newsletter.  

Email: stapleton@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @art_stapleton