3 Key Factors Saints’ Defense Has an Advantage Over Giants’ Offense

The New Orleans Saints defense hasn’t exactly given fans a reason to puff their chest out through the first five weeks of the season. New Orleans enters Week 6 allowing 30.2 points per game, which ranks near the bottom of the NFL.

But sometimes the NFL gives you an opportunity to get right. Sunday against the New York Giants might be that opportunity.

New York will be without starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, who underwent season-ending knee surgery after suffered damage to his left knee. The Giants have turned the offense over to veteran Jameis Winston. And Saints fans know Winston very well.

This doesn't automatically make New York an easy opponent. Winston is experienced, aggressive and capable of getting hot. But his presence changes how New Orleans can approach this game defensively.

Here are my three biggest advantages for the Saints defense.

This needs to be the foundation of the entire defensive game plan. Stop the run.

The Giants have been averaging 109 rushing yards per game, while New Orleans has surrendered 148.8 per game on the ground. That's not exactly a matchup that screams advantage for the Saints.

But that's precisely why it matters.

New Orleans cannot allow New York to control this game on the ground and put Winston in comfortable second-and-5 and third-and-2 situations. If the Giants can consistently stay ahead of the chains, they can protect their quarterback and keep the Saints defense guessing.

Force New York into third-and-long, and everything changes.

That's when New Orleans can turn Chase Young, Carl Granderson and the rest of that defensive front loose. The Saints have recorded 13 sacks through their first five games. They need to increase that number Sunday.

Winston is the type of quarterback who will challenge a defense vertically. That's both his greatest strength and something New Orleans can potentially exploit. Give him enough time and he can make you pay. Speed up his internal clock, muddy the pocket and force him to make decisions before he wants to, and opportunities can come the other way.

The key is to not let Winston manage the game. 

This is where losing Dart really changes things for New York.

Dart wasn't simply a quarterback sitting in the pocket and distributing the football. His mobility forced defenses to account for another runner.

Look at what happened in Week 1.

Against Dallas, Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns while adding 54 yards on 11 rushing attempts. That creates headaches for defensive coordinators.

When a quarterback can escape pressure, extend plays and turn broken passing plays into 15-yard runs, defensive linemen can't simply pin their ears back and attack.

Winston doesn't present the same type of threat.

That should allow New Orleans to become more aggressive with its pressure packages. Bring pressure from different angles. Show blitz and drop out. Walk linebackers toward the line of scrimmage. Move defensive backs around before the snap.

The goal shouldn't necessarily be to sack Winston every time, but rather make him  uncomfortable. So uncomfortable, that the defense pressures him into mistakes.

New Orleans needs to force him to process what he's seeing quickly and repeatedly. The more complicated the Saints can make those pre-snap pictures, the better chance they have of creating a mistake.

Here's the statistic that bothers me the most.

The Saints have struggled to consistently turn defensive pressure into takeaways. Through five games, New Orleans has been near the bottom of the league in turnover differential.

That has to change.

Against Winston, there should be opportunities. But the Saints can't sit back and wait for him to hand them the football.

They need to create those opportunities, by disguising coverages and rotating safeties after the snap. Make the Giants receivers work through tight windows. Get hands into passing lanes. 

This could be one of those games where a defensive takeaway completely changes momentum. New York is forced to find ways to keep winning without Dart, so Kellen Moore should not assume this offense is dead. The Giants are 3-1-1 entering this matchup, and Winston will help keep them afloat.

That's why the Saints cannot approach this like New York is simply waiting to be beaten.

This Saints defense has been punched in the mouth enough through the first five games. So, now it's time to punch back.

New Orleans has allowed too many points, too many rushing yards and too many drives where the defense couldn't get off the field. I'm not going to pretend everything suddenly gets fixed because Jaxson Dart isn't playing.

But this is an opportunity.

The Saints don't have to worry about Dart scrambling out of the pocket and turning a broken play into a first down. They know Winston wants to push the football downfield. They also know New York will probably try to lean on its running game and keep its veteran quarterback comfortable.

So New Orleans needs to take that comfort away, stop the run, and pressure Winston. And when he gives you an opportunity to take the football away, take it.

If this defense wants to change the direction of the season, Sunday against the Giants is a pretty good place to start, EXPEDITIOUSLY.