The New York Giants scored 11 unanswered points to close out regulation and marched down the field in overtime to secure their first win of the season — a 27-21 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
It was the first true home game for the Saints after Hurricane Ida hit the city several weeks ago. And while quarterback Jameis Winston played well, the Saints’ defense allowed 20 points in the second half and overtime.
The Giants move to 1-3, while the Saints fall to 2-2.
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New York Giants
Quarterback
Daniel Jones played well today. His 28-for-40 performance yielded 402 yards, two touchdowns and a PFF grade that will likely top 80.0. The Giants signal-caller averaged 9.9 yards per attempt and recorded an adjusted completion percentage of 86.8%.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley is arguably one of the best running backs in the league for a reason. Today, he was one of the stars of the Giants’ offense.
Barkley rushed for 52 yards — and the game-winning touchdown — on 13 carries. He also caught five passes for 74 yards and another touchdown, earning a PFF grade of 68.4 on first review. In total, Barkley was responsible for 126 yards and two scores.
26 runs it in for the WIN ‼️
????: #NYGvsDAL 10/10 4:25PM pic.twitter.com/uLPYkvMuii
— New York Giants (@Giants) October 3, 2021
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Kenny Golladay led the team in receiving for the day, with six receptions for 116 yards. Right behind him, rookie Kadarius Toney caught another six balls for 78 yards. This was the former Florida Gator’s best game of the season so far.
New York Giants' Receivers versus the Saints
| Player | Receptions | Targets | Yards | PFF Grade |
| Kenny Golladay | 6 | 7 | 116 | 77.9 |
| Kadarius Toney | 6 | 9 | 78 | 64.0 |
| John Ross | 3 | 4 | 77 | 76.4 |
| Saquon Barkley | 5 | 6 | 74 | 68.4 |
| Evan Engram | 5 | 6 | 27 | 43.7 |
| Other | 3 | 4 | 30 | – |
*All grades will be reviewed and finalized by 1 p.m. Monday
John Ross caught Jones’ other touchdown, along with his 77 yards, on the way to a 72.1 grade upon first review.
Offensive Line
New York’s offensive line play wasn’t up to par with the rest of the offense. Only one player, tackle Andrew Thomas — who graded at 77.8 — earned a PFF grade above 59.0 on first review.
Thomas had himself a day when it came to protecting his quarterback. He scored an 88.9 pass-blocking grade and only one negatively graded pass-blocking snap.
Defensive Line
Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams ran rampant, totaling nine tackles. Together, they generated three pressures.
Defensive end Lorenzo Carter recorded a tackle, three assists and two quarterback hurries.
Linebacker
Linebackers Tae Crowder and Reggie Ragland had days they might want to forget. Upon first review, Crowder managed a PFF grade of 31.5, while Ragland graded at 58.0. Still, they combined for 12 tackles in total — Crowder with five and Ragland with seven.
Secondary
The Giants’ secondary was the most impressive unit on the defensive side, with three players grading at or above a 69.0 — James Bradberry (72.4), Logan Ryan (69.8) and Rodarius Williams (69.0). Bradberry, who earned a coverage grade of 85.0 on PFF's first review of the game film, finished the day with three tackles.
From a run-defense standpoint, Xavier McKinney and the aforementioned Ryan looked solid, with run-defense grades of over 68.0.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Winston looked efficient against the Giants, earning a PFF grade of 87.1 upon first review. He went 18-for-24 for 272 yards and a touchdown. Winston has now kept the interception column to zero in three of his first four games as the Saints' starter.
Tight-end-turned-quarterback Taysom Hill completed two of his three passes for nine yards and an interception. However, he also rushed for 28 yards and two touchdowns and snagged two receptions for 26 yards. He earned an overall PFF grade of 70.2.
Running Back
While Winston and the receivers led the way for a solid offensive performance, running back Alvin Kamara offered a viable alternative for the Saints’ offense. On 26 carries, Kamara gained 120 yards. Four other rushers combined for seven carries for 22 yards.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris and Ty Montgomery operated as a three-headed monster, catching 10 total passes for a whopping 168 yards. Callaway averaged 3.36 yards per route run and 37 yards per reception.
Offensive Line
Barring tackle Ryan Ramczyk’s 83.7 grade, no other linemen graded above 66.0. The Saints’ run game was practically brought on by an impressive 87.7 run-blocking grade by Ramczyk. Still, he did allow three quarterback hurries.
Defensive Line
Cameron Jordan earned an overall grade of 71.8 upon PFF’s first review, thanks in large part to one quarterback hit, three hurries and three additional pass-rush wins.
Three other players in Albert Huggins, Tanoh Kpassagnon and Shy Tuttle earned grades above 69.0. In total, New Orleans’ defensive line recorded 11 tackles and missed three.
Linebacker
While the Giants’ Saquon Barkley ended up with the game-winning touchdown, Saints linebacker Pete Werner looked phenomenal. Overall, he recorded nine tackles and six stops.
Secondary
New Orleans’ secondary is where things went sour for the Saints. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones had a monstrous day, racking up over 400 passing yards, and it didn’t help that three corners graded below a 50.0.
Paulson Adebo looked especially rough. He allowed eight receptions for 173 yards and one of Jones’ passing scores. Marshon Lattimore was slightly better with a coverage grade of 41.1 upon PFF’s first review. Regardless, he got targeted five times and gave up 114 yards and Jones’ second passing touchdown.
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