Giants at Saints
THE STORY: The New York Giants stamped themselves as serious contenders with a come-from-behind win at New England on Nov. 6. That was followed by back-to-back losses to San Francisco and Philadelphia, which has the Giants trying to stamp out talk of another late-season tailspin as they prepare for a rugged road test against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. New Orleans is coming off a bye week and is unbeaten at home (4-0) this season, providing a tall order for the Giants, who are in the midst of a brutal five-game stretch that includes games against unbeaten Green Bay and at new NFC East leader Dallas.
TV: ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET. LINE: Saints -7, O/U 50.5
ABOUT THE GIANTS (6-4): New York’s already-suspect running game has ground to a halt with Ahmad Bradshaw missing the last three games with a broken bone in his foot. The Giants managed only 29 yards rushing in last week’s 17-10 home loss to the Eagles. Bradshaw did not practice Thursday and could sit out again. Eli Manning has been intercepted four times in his last three games. He has connected with WR Victor Cruz 25 times in the last four contests.
ABOUT THE SAINTS (7-3): Drew Brees is setting a torrid pace, throwing for the most yards (3,326) in the first 10 games in league history. He has at least 20 completions in an NFL-record 30 straight games and has thrown a TD pass in 37 consecutive games – the second-longest streak in league history. TE Jimmy Graham has six TDs and at least four catches in every game. The Saints have allowed six opponents to score at least 23 points.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Brees, who has thrown a league-high 422 passes, will be matched up against a defense that’s tied for the lead in sacks (31.0).
2. Manning had a 120.5 passer rating in the fourth quarter, tops in the league.
3. Graham leads NFL tight ends in receptions (62) and yards receiving (873).