3 Duels That’ll Define NY Giants- NO Saints Week 5 Game

New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart filled the with excitement and optimism when he directed a victory in his first NFL start last week. Any letdown in this weekend's game at New Orleans, and they run the risk of draining all of that electricity out of their roster.

Of course, the Giants (1-3) should have no reason to overlook their opponent. They were in the same winless boat as the Saints (0-4) until Dart led an upset over the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium.

"It was just one game," Dart said. "Our expectation and thought process is to win every game that we step into. You can't make it anything bigger than what it is, and you've got to prepare the right way. 

“I think that's kind of been my message to everybody in the locker room. We've got to come to compete every single day. ... [And] just try to create situations where maybe we face a little bit of adversity in practice and just go through that.

"But I think it's really just the habits you try to create every day to build that momentum, and if you make a mistake, clean it up on the very next play and get things right."

Head coach Brian Daboll has reminded his team that New Orleans has been involved in some tough battles before coming up short.

"They've had three games, I'd say very competitive games," he explained. "One game that got away from them in Seattle. Two at-home, one-score games that came down to the wire and two-minute drives, one with eight seconds left when they had a chance to tie it. 

“Great throw by [Saints’ quarterback Spencer] Rattler to [tight end Juwan] Johnson. A fourth-and-2 that ended up getting sacked in San Francisco. But right down to the wire. They played Buffalo last week. Seven minutes or so left in the fourth quarter at a really tough place to play, it's a one-score game."

What are the key matchups to watch in New Orleans? We sort through that and discuss the most important aspects of what the Giants must do to secure their second win of 2025 in the latest edition of the Big Blue Breakdown podcast, available in the video above and wherever you get your podcasts.