By the Numbers: Giants vs Saints in Week 4
The New Orleans Saints (2-2) saw their homecoming to New Orleans crashed by the New York Giants (1-3) on Sunday afternoon. Behind Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, the G-Men were able to escape with a 27-21 overtime victory - the first of the season.
With the loss, New Orleans drops to 2-2 on the season and looks to enter their BYE in Week 6 on a high note with a victory in Washington.
Below is a look inside the numbers from the Saints Week 4 loss to the Giants.
1: The Saints Allowed Two Separate 1-Play Touchdown Drives
Oct 3, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) points to quarterback Daniel Jones (8) after making a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
In a contest in which the Saints dominated time of possession, it was the long ball that allowed the Giants to stay in the football game on Sunday afternoon.
In the second quarter, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones connected with NFL Combine Star John Ross III on a 52-yard strike that beat rookie cornerback Paulson Adebo. Ross fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line and recovered it in the end-zone uncontested to put the Giants up 7-0.
Later, down 11 in the fourth quarter, the Saints blew coverage following a punt, and running back Saquon Barkley did the rest, trotting to paydirt to bring the Giants within a single score.
The New Orleans defense has shown spurts of being one of the league's premier defenses in 2021 but failed to come up with the big play on Sunday. The lack of a pass rush allowed Jones to toss for 400 yards two scores, earn a huge road victory, and collect a nomination as the Fed-Ex Air player of the week.
3: Aldrick Rosas' 3-Straight Misses Cost Him His Job
Sep 26, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New Orleans Saints place kicker Aldrick Rosas (6) reacts after missing a field goal against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The New Orleans Saints have been fortunate over the past half-decade with one of the most consistent kickers in football, Wil Lutz. However, an injury has sidelined Lutz for the foreseeable future and the Saints were forced to bring in a "rental" until his return. Former Pro-Bowl kicker Aldrick Rosas was to serve as that replacement however a string of three consecutive misses cost Rosas his job in the Black and Gold.
Rosas' poor day in New England where he missed two field goals was followed up by a 58-yard miss against the Giants inside the Superdome this past weekend, resulting in a frustrated Sean Payton postgame.
"At some point, we have to be able to kick a field goal," Payton said. "Hindsight, I would have punted. I felt that way after he missed it. The next play they scored a touchdown."
Following back-to-back poor performances, Rosas was relieved of his duties on Tuesday and the Saints quickly signed his replacement, veteran kicker Cody Parkey.
100: Alvin Kamara collects 100 Rushing Yards in a single game for the first time since Christmas Day
Oct 3, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) is tackled by New York Giants nose tackle Austin Johnson (98) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
2021 has shown Who Dat Nation a different version of Alvin Kamara's utilization in Sean Payton's offense. The four-time Pro-Bowl selection had only one career 20+ carry game in his NFL career before the start of this season. Through four weeks of his fifth year with the Black and Gold, AK has accumulated three games for 20+ carries, his latest coming on Sunday against the Giants where he rushed for 120 yards.
Kamara is currently sixth in the NFL in rushing yards this season piling up just under 300 yards. His top-ten ranking is thanks in large part to his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season and his first since Christmas Day against the Vikings in 2020. In that contest, Kamara tied an NFL record with six rushing touchdowns.
The Saints' offense appears to have entered a new era, one where running the ball is a priority and with that Kamara's role has adapted to being less of a receiving back. With just 10 receptions on the season, Saints fans can expect more carries each week from Kamara and with that, perhaps more and more 100-yard performances.
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