EAST RUTHERFORD -- This Saints game was a lot closer than it needed to be, but they still emerged a winner after closing it out at the very end. It wasn't without a bit of drama, but New Orleans moves to 5-8 after knocking off the Giants 14-11. They get an emotional win for interim head coach Darren Rizzi, and here's a few things we learned about the team in Week 14.
Week 14 - What We Learned From the Saints
Derek Carr Has a Big Injury
We might not see the Saints quarterback for the rest of the season after his injury on Sunday. It was a very Taysom Hill-esque play for Carr, who ended up getting outside and picking up 9 yards. Toward the end of the play, he dove up into the air for extra yards and came down hard on his left hand and face mask. Officially, it's a left hand injury and he's also being evaluated for a concussion. He reportedly left with a cast on his left hand and that it's potentially a fracture in his non-throwing hand.
It looks like it'll be Jake Haener or Spencer Rattler against the Commanders in front of the Superdome crowd.
Bryan Bresee Is An Animal
In a season that hasn't went the way anyone wanted, Bryan Bresee continues to be a bright spot and is emerging as one of those young building blocks for the future. Bresee had a big sack, two quarterback hits, a tackle for loss and two pass defenses at the line of scrimmage. He also had the game-winning play, getting a block on Graham Gano's game-tying field goal attempt.
Bresee said following the game, "Shep (Nathan Shepherd) and Payton (Turner) did a great job pushing down the long snapper and guard and my job is to get up and get down." He mentioned that he buckled the landing a little bit, but got a hand off it.
Demario Davis said Bresee is "slowly becoming one of those ones," and that he's proud of the growth and progression. He's up 7.5 sacks for the season.
Kendre Miller Provides Nice Spark
The Saints offense didn't really have a particularly good running game, which was quite disappointing considering the Giants were ranked 29th in the league and didn't have Dexter Lawrence. There were too many negative yardage plays on the ground, and neither New Orleans running back had a good statistical game with Alvin Kamara averaging 2.6 yards/carry (17-44) and Kendre Miller averaging 3.2 yards/carry (10-32-TD).
However, Miller's return did provide some nice change of pace and gave the offense a little bit of a jolt they needed at times. He rattled off several nice runs and showed his capabilities. Miller was challenged by Darren Rizzi this week and delivered some of the better plays in this game. That 8-yard touchdown run was a play where he said he kept his feet moving and the offensive linemen did their thing to help.
Maybe chalk this up to some rust in the starting offensive line playing together for the first time since Week 3, but the bottom line is that these two can be a nice one-two punch if everything works right.
Other Takeaways
- Lean on the tight ends . It worked in this game. Dallin Holker finally got the first catch of his young career, and Juwan Johnson said that they had been trying for two weeks. Foster Moreau made a nice one-handed grab and all three of them combined for 7 catches for 100 yards and a score. They also had the two longest offensive plays of the day. On the touchdown, Juwan Johnson said, "I guess I was hiding or wasn't on the field or whatever the case may be." Said he told Derek Carr to speed up the play on it.
- Gotta control the QB . While the Saints executed on their game plan to shut down the Giants running backs, surrendering just 53 yards to Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary, Drew Lock was able to extend plays and led the way with 5 carries for 59 yards. The team has Jayden Daniels coming to town next week and needs to get that fixed.
- Offensive play calling needs some work. Too many negative plays today for the Saints. I lost count, but it was just sloppy and concerning there.
- Special teams blunders . Two missed Blake Grupe field goals and a not-so-great outing by Matt Hayball were the lowlights of the day. Hayball did respond following a viral scene of him getting chewed out by Darren Rizzi. Alvin Kamara stepped in on his behalf.
