Help wanted and needed:
Have you ever seen one of those signs reading "help wanted" hanging in business? Well, the Saints should have one at 5800 Airline drive, because they need a lot of it to get to the postseason. At 5-7, The Saints do not control their own destiny and need a number of scenarios to play out in order to qualify for the tournament. None the less, the Saints remain confident they can run the table starting with this Sunday against Eli Manning (above) and the New York Giants.
The Saints are about as healthy as they've been... perhaps since training camp. Offensive lineman Charles Brown (knee) and defensive back Corey White (knee) were the only two players that missed practice Thursday. Safety Roman Harper (ribs) who was limited on Wednesday was "full go" Thursday.
Pressure:
The Saints have talked all week about getting pressure on Giants quarterback Eli Manning as a big key to getting the win over New York. That won't be easy. Manning has been sacked just 15 times this season.
"He throws the ball off his back foot, and does a good job with it. The ball is accurate and still on time. You can see he's in sync with his receivers. He's really tough to get to," Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins told me.
Jenkins added that stopping the run will go a long way in slowing down the Giants. New York averages 114 yards a game on the ground. The Saints are giving up over 150 yards a game on the ground this season. What gives?
Prediction:
It's hard to describe the Giants as a desperate team with a 7 and 5 record and leading the NFC east division, but they are desperate. The Redskins are hot on their tail, and their 3 game lead has evaporated to just 1. The Giants are at home, they need the win to stay atop the division. The Giants are favored by 4.5 points, and I like them to cover.
New York 34 - New Orleans 28.
The Saints will fall to 5-8, albeit disappointing, it kind of makes sense when you look at what this team has had to deal with this season.
