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The New York Giants may be 3-1-1 and atop the NFC East, but they have hardly played perfect football through the first five weeks of the 2026 season.
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But as the great former Giants coach Bill Parcells used to say, “you are what your record says you are,” even if the Giants need to make one major fix: playing faster on offense.
The Giants unlocked their offense by playing fast with quarterback Jameis Winston in the second half of their 27-27 tie against the Washington Commanders. But the Giants need to deploy a similar style against the 1-4 New Orleans Saints.
The Giants Need to Play With More Offensive Tempo vs. New Orleans
The Giants offense has been hot and cold since Winston took over for Jaxson Dart after he sustained a torn MCL and meniscus in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams.
But Winston caught fire in the second half by running a no-huddle offense. That style was necessary since the Giants trailed by 14 points in the fourth quarter, but it would also play well against the Saints’ Swiss cheese defense.
The Saints are 25th in the NFL in total defense (361.0) and rank 30th in the league in run defense (148.8 yards allowed per game), so a faster pace doesn’t necessarily mean airing it out.
According to the Giants Nation Podcast, the Giants are averaging 4.2 yards per carry from the shotgun over their past three games, compared to 3.4 yards per carry from under center
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So with more shotgun runs and a faster pace, the Giants can get off to a fast start against the Saints.
“I think we definitely did find something there,” Giants guard Jon Runyan Jr. said Tuesday. “I think going forward, everybody, coaches and players, understand what they saw in the second half and overtime of the game against the Commanders, and probably something that we’ll be mixing in going forward.”
The Giants Need to Get Pressure on Tyler Shough
The Giants entered Week 5 ranked last in the NFL in sacks before nearly tripling their season total with a five-sack effort against arguably the best mobile quarterback in the game, Jayden Daniels.
So the Giants need to keep the pressure up against Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, who has been sacked 13 times, tied for the seventh-most in the NFL through five games.
Abdul Carter had his best game of the season against Washington, posting a sack, a forced fumble and five tackles. Carter should take advantage of the matchup against New Orleans left tackle Asim Richards, who ranks 63rd among 72 qualifying tackles from Pro Football Focus.
Plus, Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson dialed up pressure to get after Daniels, especially in the fourth quarter and overtime. He’d be wise to do so again with Shough.
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This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 5:45 AM.